Narrowboat Alacrity

My cupboard doors have come on well and have had their first coat of varnish. it’s perfect weather for varnishing or so I thought, i’d forgotten to factor in the Thunderbugs

The itching on my neck should have warned me……………….I only turned away for a few moments and the little b*****s had started their own synchronised swimming team on my newly varnished doors………………..

I’ve allways hated them one even got into my flat screen monitor and wandered about like a disembodied apostrophe even highlighting it and hitting the delete key didn’t work.

Oh well back to the sandpaper and midnight varnishing………………………………………

I Started to make the swing out support for the saloon table today, using up some of the timber we removed from the dinette. I have to admit I pinched the idea from a picture in “Waterways World” with a few innovations of my own. My Idea of using a caravan type leg foundered with all hands, as when the table was down it would imprison one of the diners.

The main problem was edging the raw board, getting thin strip dark hardwoods is almost impossible locally so I had to machine some up from larger stock. The DeWalt band saw I inherited from my father is working overtime not bad for a thirty year old bit of kit.

Well if there was anything that would persuade me to slim down a bit it would be the hell that is topping up Alacrity’s battery bank.

You need to be a weight lifter and a contortionist just to get to them, to fill them you also need eyes that swivel independently like a chameleon so you can see how much water you are adding.

Why didn’t I remember the Durite automatic battery filler I bought from The Toolbox Shop

It’s worth its weight in gold and a snip at £15.

All you do is fill with de-ionised top up water and press down into the battery filler and hey presto it fills to a preset level when you take it out the spring loaded top shuts off the water so no mess……

Well back to the batteries do I ?……..loose weight ………….well maybe?…………….A bit of redesign and woodwork ………..a definite yes!

After a leisurely breakfast (very leisurely) we pulled the pins and moved on to a favorite mooring of ours just above Calcutt top lock.

We had to wait for a lull in the boat traffic to wind Alacrity this accomplished we moored on the offside with a great view of the reservoirs with all the assorted bird life including Grebes and Herons.

It was interesting to see that Calcutt Boats had quite a few hire boats still moored up.

The vastness of Calcutt Marina.

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 that’s it another week over, and guess what I’m going boating this weekend……………….yes I know it might rain, but due to other problems I haven’t been to see the old girl for some months and she’s due for a lot of TLC.I’ve done the shopping so there should be no delay to getting off first thing tomorrow morning. I can’t wait the stress of the week and the drive up melts away when I step out of the car at the marina.

The smell of the water, the sounds, not to mention the ducks and swans soon calm me down.