11th - 13th August 2020.
We have come back to the boat with “Uncle” David, he was anxious to see it while we were anxious to do a little more to prepare for our life afloat. We did get quite a lot done but as one item gets crossed off the To Do List three or four get added. One item we did get, despite saying we would leave the existing for around a year or so was change the saloon (lounge in Landlubber) furniture. Unfortunately we both found our injuries made sitting on the existing furniture not just uncomfortable but painful so we paid a visit to Midland Chandlers and bought a couple of Malmo chairs complete with footstools - very comfy, although we had already researched them on a previous visit so they were hardly an impulse purchase.
After our two days we went back to Little Henham refreshed and eager to get on with the many tasks that need to be done before the caravan can be sold.
We did manage to arrange for Steve from SG Servicing to give the caravan a full service after which I am pleased to say he gave it a clean bill of health. Good news for any buyer.
28th August 2020
Sue had a hospital appointment today sadly no-one was available to take us so we went by cab and must say we were quite impressed as both ways the drivers wore face coverings (and required us to do the same) and had clear plastic barriers between the front and rear areas of both vehicles, not so good was the (almost) three figure bill for the round trip.
29th August - 1st September 2020
Little Bro Richard has offered to take us to the boat for a few days, he collected us early afternoon on Saturday and after loading all-sorts of kit, including one of our bikes we set off.
The few days flew by with lots of jobs getting done, including fitting our new thermostatic shower mixing tap. We have of course still added more on the To Do List than we have removed. It was very soon Tuesday morning and Richard drove us back from the boat straight to Sue’s hospital appointment at which she was discharged from the consultants care and now has to attend only to see the physiotherapist. Her next appointment is two weeks away.
15th - 20th September 2020
What a kind chap Uncle David is!! He ran us to the hospital and we went from there to the boat arriving at around 6.00pm. David stayed for four full days running us about to get both food shopping and boat bits and then fitted many of the purchased boat bits. Of particular help was the cleaning out and rejigging of the stove “riddle” coupling, while I would still have been looking at it he had stripped it, fixed it and reassembled it.
20th September - 26th September 2020
We have now been on our own for a week we have got quite a bit done although we are acutely aware that we should be cleaning and emptying the caravan ready to move out and on the boat permanently at which point we can move out of the marina.
The weather is now most definitely autumnal and a couple of days ago we lit the stove for the very first time, it worked when burning wood but when burning coal unless we left the ash pan door open (the draught control seemed to have no effect) it would go out but if we left the ash pan door open it would roar away and turn the boat into a hot house while consuming coal almost quicker than I could shovel it on. The following day with the stove cold, I removed the ash pan door for a close look and discovered that a number of washers had been fitted to the draught control mechanism that prevented it opening properly - useless if the fire was to be controlled and the fire kept ticking over all night.