Narrowboat Alacrity

Well thats work over for another week and it’s a bank holiday………………………………

Yes I have been tardy in posting this month but given the problems with my mother in law coming out of hospital and settling back in her home.

Jo and I have moved her bed so she can live downstairs. and rearanged things so she can be as comfortable as possible. She has carers coming in twice a day and meals on wheels (Which she describes as over priced slops) so she is well looked after.

Never mind I’m going boating this weekend ……….Floating stress relief………..Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Well having just picked up the cats, done the shopping and visited Vi (my mother-in-law) I decided it was time to update the blog.

Whilst I was away I had read a few books on Linux (alternative computer operating system) I had sort of decided to try Ubuntu a variation of Linux, Having downloaded the programme I decided to load it.

It loaded like a dream and recognised all my hardware it even went on to start downloading the updates……………….Phutt…………….Sod all happened…..ok ok so I should have left well alone, But as you all know I never learn……..The upshot is that the power supply has gone faulty and yes its £89.00 to replace.

So while waiting for it to arrive I’ll have to use my laptop………………

Well we have just got up for Christmas Breakfast,

“You must have had a good party” I hear you say.

Well no erm  yes we got to bed at about 5am but not from a party.

Earlier on Christmas Eve I went and picked the mother in law up to spend Christmas with us as you do, All had gone well with a tasty meal and some wine ( not too much ) we had watched some TV and dozed off. Come 11 o’clock it was decided that we were too tired to go to Midnight Mass at the village Church. Vi (the mother in law) went to go to bed whilst Jo and I made a drink we had just gone into the kitchen when Crash bang wallop I shot out of the kitchen to find Vi in a heap at the bottom of the stairs………..First thoughts from the position and colour that she was well to put it bluntly dead.

999 Jo I shouted, Vi moaned, thank God shes at least still with us, 5 minutes later the fast response paramedic was with us ” We can’t move her yet until the ambulance arrives” she said and started to examine a very dazed and totally out of it Vi ……..The ambulance arrived and so began the job of extracting Vi from the hallway without demolishing the fish tank, with her on a spinal board taped to head blocks and done up like the proverbial turkey.

We rode in the ambulance with Vi as we would both have been over the limit to drive. Just like “Casualty” as we arrived we were told to “Book her in and someone will be with you soon to explain” Well for a Christmas Eve around Midnight Casualty was a bit like the Marie Celeste patient wise. We booked Vi in and went off to find her she was being examined by the consultant who was possibly by now as confused as Vi was, because he was asking her questions to ascertain how bad her head injury was she was giving the correct answers but not necessarily in the order that he expected.

By now Vi was developing a pair of panda eyes courtesy of our skirting board.

After her Xray and with much deliberation it was pronounced that Vi had broken her shoulder and sustained mild concussion and would be kept in and re assessed so she would be going up to a ward and we should phone tomorrow to find out more.

Have you ever tried to find a Taxi on Christmas Day they are rarer than hens teeth and twice as expensive………..well we got home totally knackered  said Merry Christmas to each other and crashed into bed……………..

Well a phone call from the mother in law scuppered that, she told me that her immersion heater had packed up……….so I loaded my tools into the Discovery and trundled off to her house.

Well the stop tap can’t have been turned off in a century and by the time I had it freed off it would stop bugger all!! just what I needed, luckily a visit into the loft to the cold tank low and behold a stop tap that worked, so I drained the water down, this time remembering to turn off the power. With the help of a large hammer the old immersion heater was removed and a new one duly fitted, fingers crossed for leaks the system was refilled…..wow no leaks. On with the power “it works” soon plenty of hot water but no cold in the bathroom……bugger…….looking in the cold water tank I see lots of limescale just my luck that some has gone down the cold pipe……off to get the hose pipe to backflush it……success…..Hot and Cold water!!!

Only the new light fitting and front door lock to do now ………………………….