Mid October - Wales & more catching up

We love Wales  - Rachel grew up there so a family holiday at Red Wharf Bay was sorted for Rachel's family in a large ex pub. Good food good company good walks. It did start off with another long day that saw us over at Ilkeston with the grandkids, back to Derby to pick a sister and nephew up then a drive to Anglesey... arriving after 9pm.

We were there three days and apart from a long return journey where I dropped Rachel off at Ivy Cottage then drove another two hours to take said family back to their Derby flat all was good. 

Pictures work better than my words...

The following three pictures are where Rachel's dads ashes were spread overlooking his beloved Conwy valley. 

Sadly my mum is in a care home now ( since July )  and there has been a lot of hard work sadness and officialdom to transition her to that environment. I make every effort (when not full of germs from the grandkids) to visit and I always take her out. Making memories while she still remembers me 

Of course my Blood bike shift have taken a hit this year due to all the commitments mainly to family. But if I can I get on a shift. They are harder work in the winter as its much colder and a lot less daylight. The afternoon shifts mean returning in the dark and low temps but its a small price to pay to help random strangers out. 

More work at my lads in Chinley - central heating we were installing. Walks in the Valley which I will do more of in the New Year, bit of baking, furniture stripping and a leaking chimney stack to repoint in the spring ! I even made a wood trolly for my spare wood for the workshop as I need to clear it from its resting place in what will be the home office.

On the 10th November I met up with some good friends from all over the country to do a military museum visit over three days Cambridge way. Great to meet up with some friends I've not seen for years and some I saw last month. We struck lucky weather wise with a bit of rain on the way down but bright almost warm sunshine on the Saturday at Duxford. It was an eventful weekend with meeting porn stars ( not me) fights (not us) random women joining us who brought cheese ! Plus the odd bike battery failure ! 

At last we experienced a good service from a local company in Cheadle who came on time and were very respectful of our home and did a great job at a fair price. 

More time at number 2 sons house getting rads on and fireplace fitted

I even had time to get the broken genny given to me by a boaty neighbour up and running  - good for emergency use 

Not all hard work as I spent a day at Motorcycle live in Birmingham. Really to look at three bikes the two new Triumphs ( 400cc) and the new Himalayan ( 450cc) the latter I have pre ordered as my 411cc air cooled is a great bike  !! 

That gets me towards the end of November ..... one more to come for a complete diary catch up 

So where have I been since the boat polishing ( and my rant ) Part 1

For me over to my photo library as a reminder of what I've been up to that has kept me/us away from Percy. Typing is an issue right now as I removed the tip of my middle finger ...luckily it did not make it as extra protein into the meal I was making.

It was the 9th October when we were on Percy Polishing and having a little trip out. Then that joy was offset by the totally ineptitude of the decorator who tried to tell us he'd done two coats on most of the job when in some places he'd done non. We sacked the useless sod off and finished or in some places started it ourselves. 

Two coats here he said !!

Anyhow thats done now to our standard as we did it ourselves - should have done so in the first place - lesson learnt. 

We were back to be about while we got a new workshop door fitted as part of my on going fit out of the workshop to make it a proper home office/workshop/laundry room/ external to internal loo.... I waited until the workmen  clowns used the drill so I knew they were happy the door fitted ( I'd removed the old door and frame for them ) as I was off to no2 sons house in Chinley as part of his /our  year long strip and refurbishment some job that. When I returned they had gone without any asking for Rachel to clerk the works. Turns out we had an auto closing door as they'd fitted it not level and where there was a drip strip end cap ( missing they'd filled it with silicon and bogged off. No pride no respect no class. It took them another maybe 6 weeks to get it sorted but it still is a half closer. I will learn my lesson one day.

Some heavy lifting as I wanted to move a shed so I could brick up a window in the workshop. I made a quick base with a note to self to replace the retaining timbers in the summer  - my fault building a raised bed in lockdown in front of the retaining timbers. Took the opportunity of tasking my good friend John who with his lovely family called in on his way back to Scotland  - very remiss no photos of John Carrie and the girls. 

Then it was bike maintenance time. The loyal Himalayan was due a valve check as well as steering head bearings greasing and adjustment and some paint on a scabby fork leg where the lovely salt had got to it.

Put some new tyres on while the wheels were out. 

During this time we were visiting our lads and grandkids always fun but they seemingly always give me a

bug to remember them with! Currently sporting a streaming nose and sore throat from a long week of house moves... more on that later. 

So that gets me to about Mid October ....Part 2 to follow 

11 years of ownership

Poor Percy is sitting patiently waiting on a frozen Shroppie. In years past when living aboard with lovely much missed Leia Percy was a warm haven in a cold frozen landscape. Life moves on and we are in a cold frozen landscape in the moorlands of Staffordshire, albeit in a warm cottage . Life would be boring if it was the same all the time.

So as  the blog says we've owned Percy for 11 years. I remember collecting Percy from Tony and his wistful watching expression as I chugged away with his pride and joy. That trip was a challenge with frozen canals only being saved by Callisto the coal boat who broke the ice for us as we followed through Nuneaton.  Rachel and son no2 Callum came to help me get Percy back to Fradley. 

I look back and reflect on how active I was and how ambitious I was also, and I was still working full on ... no retirement on the horizon in 2012 ! We had two boats when Percy came back so still had to get all the stuff moved across and Waterlily cleaned and polished ready for brokerage.

I should look back at photos more ..... another blog about that soon

Final photo of no 1 son Tom and his now wife Courtney with Leia on Percy at Fradley  all very very happy memories. 

Is it just me ?

More of a reflective post but something for me to look back on at some point. 

The world is a shit place at the moment and getting shittier. Nature gets on with it despite us, humans are working really hard to destroy everything we are gifted with. It's at all levels as well. Politicians and world leaders (sic) seem ever more focussed on negativity than common progress. Our leaders are as ever taking those easy short term decisions based on popularity banking on anonymity and wealth in their future as their plans and promises dissolve in the wind of conflict and inherited challenges and change. 

* Some/most people I interact with I don't really like, I put up with them as I expect they put up with me. They can't say why they don't like me and I can't them because no doubt some of it would fall into the arena of the politically incorrect agenda police   - or rather anonymous outrage. It's a shame as maybe if we could be open and honest and listen to each other before reacting and take in the other persons views and maybe the influencing factors that affect and drive their personalities and behaviours I could be educated and could educate others to be better people. I'd like to be a better person. 

Then there is this country with its petty bureaucratic policies and procedures seemingly invented to hide poor performance and inability to act. It gets down to the individual trades who seem to have little or no pride in their interactions with customers certainly no pride in their work. I'm sure there are some out there who do go the extra inch or two but they are in my exposure few and far between. 

The common denominator in all of this is money and wealth. It drives all the actions and inactions that are counter productive to a safe world in all aspects peace, environmental, religious and well being in general of those that live on this lump of rock. 

I've no god or religion. I do often hope it is like how I imagined the  Greek Gods where we are just a game for them to explore actions and reactions. If it is at some point they may play their hand to turn our world from one that judges and categorises people by their ability to earn and what they own to a world where compassion and love is the currency of progress. They may have given us too much freedom to destroy our world and our communities..... shame the world was a nice place for part of my life. 

End of rant .... I can't see normal service being resumed, well not in my head - see above *