Yep, we had some boat time

How can it be I'm more busy now with more projects than ever when I worked ! We had last weekend in the diary for a boat stay and due to work either side of the weekend for Rachel we could only manage a one night stop over. 

I'd not been to Percy for a while but I guess that is the one benefit of a marian mooring  - relative safety and no gardening. Apart from some muck sprayed up the gunnels when the contractors cleaned the pontoons Percy was waiting patiently with 100% on the Smartgauge and an empty bilge. 

While I hooked up the electric  - what a treat to have 24/7 12v power without the pressure on the batteries, Rachel set to cleaning. I then started work on the engine opening up the crankcase door to clean out the sump. On these old engines they don't have a oil filter as such, they use oil that drops the particulates into the sump and the engine 'manual' says open up and clean out every so often.

I am pacing myself as I'm an old git or feel like one sometimes so around 5 ish I packed up and drove around to the warm and clean shower block and cleaned myself ! Very nice. We then settled in to an evening on a clean boat with loads of power food and the Rugby.

I always sleep well on Percy, we've a good mattress and topper and maybe the fact the boat moves ever so slightly aids sleep.

Next day we took Leia for a walk  - such a shame this marina will eventually be blighted by HS2 with a massive bridge running right by the marina over the canal over the Trent off towards Stafford. 

Needless to say we won't be in the marina when they start the construction of that !

We took a nice walk down to fancy bridge and came back through the village.

I still prefer our old linier moorings(s) at Fradley and Shebdon but have to accept this is the new mooring location for the foreseeable future. How we use the boat now and going forward is more suited to a marina mooring.

The day after we got back the mooring invoice came via email ! 

Blue mood

I'm the last to have reason to be down in the dumps but I guess like most every now and again the 'black dog' as Winston Churchill called it comes a calling. I suspect it's in part withdrawal from the tablets I've been on for many years, nearly there on my titration off them but I can't pretend its been or is now easy. I am doing it for the long term of course and there is always paracetamol ! 

I have a range of strategies that help my mood, fresh air and exercise is a key. Setting small targets (achievable) each day. Some long term ambitions in planning stages help. Good loving family and friends, plus feeling useful  -see my Blood Bikes post here 

I need to crack on with Percy's engine and get my canal mojo back asap.... more on that in my next post..... but I've said that a few times already, shows my boat commitment sadly.  

For now  - today (1st March) I've been walking my lanes, then finishing a couple of cold frames I've built from spare wood and old window frames from the cottage saved from when we had the double glazing done last year. I've also done some bricklaying and built painted and installed a shed to be the little potting shed, anything right now to keep my mind active - its hard.  

The blog is a big random at the moment as I'm not overly inclined to maintain it but as and when I'll get some important family catch ups on the blog for reflection down whatever line we head. 

37 years together

We celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary on the 14th February. Our youngest son Callum and his fiance  Emma treated us to a stay in the Crescent hotel in Buxton. A place I know well having been part of the team that converted the Dome in Buxton ( 24 million pounds) from a derilict hospital to a modern teaching facility. Charles visited to open it and he stopped off at the Crescent to se that well before its excellent refurb. 

We tied in a visit to the Opera house to see Jasper Carrot and Alistair McGowan, both good Jasper being on very good form, nice to have a good old belly laugh. We even tried the spa out swimming in the rain in the outside pool and other pools that were like baths they were so warm - good for the old joints.

Also had a Vodka Martini - shaken not stirred of course.... the most expensive single drink I've ever consumed but it was nice. 

Leai attended, she was given a warm welcome treats her own towel and bed. All in all a good couple of days.

Blood bikes

Wow another month of my life spent doing seemingly not a lot. I've developed an addiction to YouTube -specifically computer repair videos. I find them very relaxing and therapeutic to watch - sad act me. 

Anyhow my major achievement was to complete my final induction for a long held ambition ( retirement ) to ride for the Blood Bike charity - specifically SSCBB Click me That was a long day in 2-4c temperature and wet roads, 180 miles all in, down to Birmingham from Crewe and Stoke back via Stafford. A nice feeling to know you've helped someone less fortunate than yourself. 

Thursday sees me on my own for my first solo shift on a BMW800 blood bike out of Sandyford fire station  - I have a pass ! I've already got a job, blood samples from the Royal Stoke hospital cancer ward to Birmingham. I understand the samples will be  from a patient who is undergoing Chemotherapy, they assess the impact the drugs are having and adjust the dose - then we take more samples to be checked again.... 

Other stuff to blog about but for now I wanted to start March with a blog post and to hopefully improve on my tardy February performance.