Monday 31 July 2017

Just a thought.

I received a text message today from someone I know announcing her engagement to the man she lives with.

I went to buy her a card, whilst browsing I did wonder why they don't do cards that say.

Congratulations on your engagement, at least now you won't spoil another couple!!

Cynical? Moi? Never!!

My beloved is a trusting little soul, he thinks he's cynical and suspicious but he isn't, not at all.

We are gradually meeting other boaters on the marina, especially CHS as he is usually working on the out side of the boat, I'm usually inside.

A nearby boater is being done up, it's a wreck, but the owner claims he wanted a project to work on.

He came over one afternoon to tell us all about the boats history, and his.

He invited CHS over to see his boat the next day, 'He seems like a nice bloke' said CHS. 'Yes' I replied 'But I think he's looking for free labour to help him do up his boat'. 'Surely not' said CHS.

The following day CHS went to see the boat, forewarned was forearmed, sure enough help was sought. Now CHS is always willing to help people with something quick, but this is a 10 year project and the owner is looking for a regular commitment every weekend.

I just cannot help being suspicious of everybody's motives.

Friday 28 July 2017

Plans? What plans

CHS made a plan, he would finish work at 2 on Tuesday, I'd collect him promptly. 

We'd be back on the boat by 2:30, out of the marina by 3 and in Thatcham by 5.

We'd eat at the Swan pub that evening and the following morning 2 of the DGC would be dropped early then we'd set off for Newbury and then on to Kintbury!

This is what actually happened.

I collected CHS promptly at 2, we got half way back to the marina when CHS remembered he'd left the boat padlocks at work!

We drove back to work, collected the padlocks and drove back to the marina.

The boat was all ready to go and we finally left the marina a 4.

We got as far as the Rowbarge pub in Woolhampton, to find out that the Mikron Theatre Group were putting on a play at 7:30.

So we moored up and stayed to watch the play.

I phoned DD1 who dropped 2 of the DGC off at Woolhampton.

I made bacon sarnies for everyone and we eventually set off about 10:30, it rained lightly but persistently until about 2:30.

We managed 4 locks and 2 or 3 swing bridges, we lost a windlass but didn't lose any children.

We reached Thatcham and we were all soaking wet and chilled through, so we moored up and whilst everyone changed into dry clothes I cooked chilli for everyone.

DD arrived an hour later and collected the DGC who all said they'd had a great time.

The weather remained showery so we stayed in Thatcham until this morning when we set of home.

We are now moored back at Woolhampton, it's lashing down with rain, we're nice and snug on the boat so we will stay here until morning.


Tuesday 25 July 2017

Putting two and two together

Yesterday was a day of awkward chores, I dropped CHS at work before 7am, I had to go to the Dr's and they don't open until 8am, the next place on my list didn't open until 9am, this left me with a lot of time to kill.

I decided to treat myself to a cup of tea, in Waitrose as it was the nearest place.

I text CHS to tell him I was in Waitrose as I know some people who work there.

I was in the café and I looked around, there was an elderly couple at one table and a man about my age at another.

This is where it gets complicated, Tracy, the daughter in law of CHS's work colleagues, Tommy, works in Waitrose, it was Tommy who rushed to tell CHS that our friends van had been parked on our drive for 2 hours. This was because he was doing some garden work for us.

About an hour later I got a text from CHS saying 'You were right, I've just been told that you are in Waitrose having coffee with A MAN'.

So Tracy had seen me in Waitrose having a cuppa, she'd phoned her father in law to tell him, also reporting that there was A MAN in the café at the same time as me, he was at the opposite side of the café, about 7 or 8 tables away.

Tommy then reported this to CHS, they put 2 & 2 together and made 740.

I realise that they all have very boring lives but jeeze, I can't even have a quiet cuppa without being spied on.

Whilst I was in Waitrose I did bump into my tenant's mum, she lives next door to my house and it was she who first asked if I would let her daughter rent my house.

I think it is a case of Be Careful What You Wish For.
She is finding it difficult living next door to her daughter. The children are noisy and spend all their time running up and down stairs screaming. The adults spend all their time rowing and screaming.
And she keeps having to look after their dog for them, the dog at least is quiet!

I did have to chuckle!





Monday 24 July 2017

One of those days

I had a list of things to do today,  drop CHS at work, go to Dr's and collect repeat prescription, go to chandlers and collect life jacket that has had a new gas cylinder fitted.

I dropped CHS at work at 7, drove to Dr's and sat in the car park until they opened at 8 o'clock.
No prescription, 'Are you sure you ordered it?' says patronising receptionist.
'Yes I'm sure, here's your email acknowledgement!' I replied passing her my phone.
'We can get it ready for you in an hour.

Drove to the chandlers to collect life jacket. 'Are you sure you left it with us, there is no sign of it here'
'Yes I'm sure here is the email YOU sent to tell me to collect it today!'
'Oh yes, here it is'

Thank god for email or I'd have been getting the runaround all day.



Sunday 23 July 2017

A gift

I helped out someone on the marina and this is what I was given as a thank you.


Friday 21 July 2017

He's fallen in the water

I have been telling CHS for weeks to get some new shoes. 
The soles of the pair he wears for work are worn smooth and have no grip.
I have repeatedly warned him that this isn't safe on the boat, but of course he didn't listen.
I even put a pair of the sort he wears in the Amazon shopping basket but he didn't bother to buy them.
Today, by the time we arrived home it was raining, as he has a great aversion to getting wet CHS hurried along the jetty, leapt onto the back of the boat and promptly slipped off the back of the boat!
As he had hold of the tiller he only got his legs wet from the knees downwards but he has a Technicolor bruise below the knee.
He has taken himself off to lay on the bed with his book to recover.

Thursday 20 July 2017

Piddling wet through

It was raining this morning as I set off for work and as I have to walk along the jetty and across the car park to get to my car I decided to dig out my cagoule.

Could I find it? Could I feck!

We have a wet cupboard where we keep out coats, it's just by the back door.

My cagoule should be in there, in fact my cagoule probably is in there but it is totally buried.

So I got piddling wet through going to my car.

You may remember that when I decluttered ready to move on to the boat I discovered that CHS had 17 winter coats and jackets.

I donated ten to our local homeless charity, this was sometime last summer.

It seems that in the interim CHS has acquired yet more winter coats, there are 12 of the buggers in the wet cupboard and not one of them is mine.

So I got piddling wet through walking to the car, when I mentioned this to CHS he suggested I use an umbrella.

Unfortunately as I was carrying my hand bag, my lunch, the rubbish to put in the skip and the keys to get out the marina I didn't have a free hand to carry an umbrella and even if I did it is also buried in the wet cupboard UNDER HIS 12 COATS!!

Wednesday 19 July 2017

Two more days

Until the summer break starts, I have very few specific plans.

I'm meeting a friend and bringing her to see the boat.

I shall see my family.

I shall finish the curtains and other sewing for the boat.

I shall finish a baby blanket and maybe start another.

I shall go days without seeing anyone other than CHS.

It will prepare me for retirement!

Sunday 16 July 2017

Starboard coach lines all finished



So I spent the day looking after four of the DGC, CHS finished painting the coach lines.
He's done a brilliant job, the boat looks stunning and I love the colour scheme we chose.

Friday 14 July 2017

Paper Jenga

We wanted some empty boxes at work, so I unpacked this lot!
It will last until the end of term with any luck.

Thursday 13 July 2017

Rocking all over the world

The boat is rocking a lot at the moment, the signwriter moved it to another jetty to work on it and retied it differently when it was returned to our usual place, but we are used to the motion now.

DS has returned from Rome, so my cat feeding duties have finished.

Saturday I'm looking after four of the DGC whilst DD2 is at work.

DD1 has recovered well from her surgery, one less thing for me to worry about.

Thanks for all your recent comments over the last few posts, I'll try to reply to them all here.

Amy his retirement age is 68 but I cannot see him managing to carry on with such a physical job for another seven years.

Margaret, thank you.

Marilyn I'm glad you enjoy my blog.

Lol Col, she's felt like home from the first day we got her. I make so many typos because I cannot see clearly, it's so frustrating.

Lol Sue, we get asked that a lot.

Rambler, she's named after a Frank Zappa album.

Wednesday 12 July 2017

Named at last.


This was supposed to be happening the week after next but the sign writer had a cancellation so came and did this.

Monday 10 July 2017

Another space saver

I replaced the shower curtain on the boat, the old one was plastic and clung to whoever was in the shower.
I swapped it for a white waffle fabric one, but the new one was was way too long.
I cut it to length, hemmed it and them made this toilet roll holder with the fabric I cut off.
It fits in the space between he shower and the window.
CHS put a hook in the ceiling to hang the toilet roll holder from.

Saturday 8 July 2017

It's curtains for me!

A very blurry photo of the first set of finished curtains, they are sagging at the top as there aren't enough hoops on it to hang the hooks on.
We are changing all the metal rails for standard curtain rails at some point as the current metal ones are a mix of brass and chrome and they are also a mismatch of sizes, it looks as though someone got a job lot cheap and just put them up randomly.
I don't have a preference as long as everything matches, the existing curtains were annoying me as they were six sets on he boat and every set was different. Maybe it was a fashion thing but it didn't appeal to me.



Friday 7 July 2017

Making money part 2

Thank you for all your kind comments and suggestions regarding making money and thank you Lisa who was unable to comment and so emailed me with some information.
I think it is unlikely that I will earn enough if I have just one string to my bow, so I will try for a few different things to have an assortment of income streams.


Bonnie, we do not have the correct safety items or insurance to charge for boat trips.

Tania, we don't have a spare cabin, maybe on the next boat.

Eeek, I'll look into that, thanks.

Margaret, no luck as yet but I will continue to plug away.

Lydia, Rebecca, I will look into house/pet sitting.
I am considering a separate blog that would carry adverts and am working on a couple of ebooks.

Elizabeth, I'm glad I'm not the only one who's found surveys a waste of time, emmadrew's website is useful, thank you.

Sewing and sewing lessons are also something I will advertise, Icey & Col.

Pam, you are very kind but my crochet isn't up to 'selling' standard.

A few other things I have come up with:-

I will apply to the holiday boat company next door to become one of their cleaning crew on changeover day. 

I will also see if any of the local colleges use life models, I have no problem with nudity and have been told I have a good body to paint as it is lumpy, overweight and scarred. Supposedly more interesting to paint that a perfect body.

 


Life modelling


On my hook

A baby blanket for a colleague.

Wednesday 5 July 2017

Making money, saving money

I'm retiring in October, the rent from the tenant is supposed to make up for my loss of salary. At the moment I'm running at a loss, but I'm working on the theory that as long as all the big spends are out of the way by October we should break even.

Some of the things I used to do to save money when we lived in the house are no longer doable on the boat.

I cannot batch cook as there is no freezer to store extra meals in.

I cannot stock up on yellow sticker food for the same reason.

I shop every 2 or 3 days as there is very little storage space in the cupboards or fridge.

One of the bloggers I follow did a post entitled 'How I make extra money'
I did read it but the blogger is doing all the things I used to do.

She has a lodger, she dog sits, she does overtime at work. I have done all these and more but they are no longer available to me.

I have no room for a lodger, no room to dog sit and there has been an overtime freeze at work for the last eight years.

So what next, I've signed up for survey sites but I'm never in the group they are looking for.
As I'm CRB checked I could babysit, but I cannot see to drive at night so wouldn't be able to travel home.
Cashback sites are no good as we don't purchase enough stuff to make it viable.
I have sold stuff in eBay but only stuff I'm getting rid off. I don't buy stuff to sell on as I have no room to store anything I bought.

I have until October to think of something, I'll let you know if I find something successful.

Evening sky


Monday 3 July 2017

Freezer problems

There is only a tiny 1cu ft freezer on the boat and we're having problems with it. It is part of a Shoreline combined fridge freezer, it looks a bit like this.


If we have the temperature set so the freezer keeps things frozen the fridge ices up and doesn't work.

If we alter the temperature so the fridge works everything in the freezer defrosts!

So today I threw away a bag of frozen peas a a handful of frozen chips, we will use the freezer as an extra fridge space.

Captain Hot Stuff isn't sure he can live without chips but he's going to have to try.

A replacement would cost about £500!

Saturday 1 July 2017

Sulky sat-nav

My sat-nav has a cob on, it won't talk to me. it's probably fed up with me ignoring its instructions and going my own way until I get near my destination.

On Friday after work I decided to drive to the hospital where my DD was to visit her.

I'd had a message to say she was out of surgery and ok.

She's always been the one who needs her mum even though she is 36 and I knew she was still feeling fragile from losing Barney.

According to google maps it was a 45 minute drive to the hospital, so I allowed an hour!

Now I am more than capable of getting lost in a car park never mind going round a very complicated motorway junction, so I really needed my sat-nav.

No joy, it would put up a map of where I needed to go but the voice refused to work. I'm not that keen on looking at the screen instead of the road ahead but I decided to give it a try.

I finally made it and it was worth it just to see the look on her face when I arrived.

Feeling stressed.

I'm worried about Beano, his nose is warm and dry and he hasn't wanted to go out for his usual walks today. My face is sore it feels...