Interesting Times

"Jeez, I thought you guys were going to follow some kinda footpath...".

Well, I have finally got back to adding something to this blog, after an 'interesting' couple of months. A few years ago my life turned upside down. I called this interesting times after the Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times". Well, I suppose the last month or two has been interesting as well.

June:

Started putting the battens on the floor. This was then interrupted by a weekend at a medieval fayre. We're the beer tent, not the medievals. They are the sane ones.

Following a long weekend of drinking beer, setting up a bar, drinking beer, selling beer, drinking beer, taking down the bar, and drinking beer, I had a week off, then boat. Over the next week I managed to get some of the battening done in the evenings after work. This got a bit much, working 7:30 to 18:00, 40 mins driving, two hours working on the boat, then 40 mins driving to bed ready for the next day at work.

I decided to spend a full weekend working on the boat and booked into the Travellodge at Stilton for the weekend. Finished off most of the battening, just the back half of the ceiling to do, but I ran out of wood. It is amazing how much wood it takes! Anyway, retire to the Bell at Stilton for an amazing meal and one or two pints of superb Fools Nook Ale from Digfield Brewery. If you are ever in Stilton, just off What used to be the Norman Cross roundabout on the A1, the Bell at Stilton cannot be recommended highly enough.

I have decided to use Engineering bricks for the ballast as they are easy to adjust, plus at £60 per tonne they are a bargain. Measured up the wood I needed to finish off the battening, and counted up 1200 bricks for the ballast.

July:

Well, I arrived at the boat to find that the remaining battens had been delivered together with three pallets of bricks, so far so good, and also the news that the Bailiffs had been around taking stock of what shells were there because the shell builder had "done a runner".

Wonderful.

It was Lady P's Birthday, so I had to go up North for a couple of days, calming down, but also wondering whether the shell would be there when I got back. Never mind - have a good couple of days at this barbeque/birthday party and leave sorting this out the following week because i am well and truly p****d off.

Monday. Back into work and loads of pointless hassle at work stops me doing anything for a few days. Probably as well because dealing with the mind-numbing tedium gets me riled into a solution.

Tuesday. Following various phone calls, I have found only one person I know with a trombone trailer needed to shift the shell. The wagon isn't the problem, but 58'6" needs a special 'extendable' trailer. Finally got in touch with him, and found he had sold it. Bugger. Rang Botony Bay, they had DIY bays available, and put me in touch with a narrowboat transport firm.

Wednesday Evening. Persuaded three blokes from work to come up to Stilton for a small amount of excercise. I removed one of the windows for easy access, and with two of us inside and two outside, one hour later there are three tons of bricks are inside the shell. Just time for a quick trip to treat these guys to a pint at the Bell at Stilton. the Fools Nook was even better than I remember, or is that just because of the brick shifting ? Anyway a fantastic meal and a few pints later, we returned home.

Thursday. £250 poorer a crane is booked.

Friday. A huge crane arrived at Stilton, and, during a thunderstorm no less, lifted the shell onto the waiting trailer. £450 poorer the trailer disapears with the shell on board, due to arrive at Botony bay on Monday.

Monday. Shell is craned off at Botony bay. I am now another £250 poorer for the crane off, making a total of £950.

Sod it I am off to the pub.

Following weekend I thought I might go to the lakes. Waited all Morning, but Luke had Flu & decided not to go. Set off late, but the roads were terrible. Turns out there was a 15 mile queue on the M6. Thought it was much easier popping up to the Lakes when I used to have a motorbike. Might consider getting another.

I went to the boat instead, but just outside the boatyard a Range Rover and a motorbike collided. Stuck for ages while the police & ambulance arrived, closed the road. the motorcylist didn't make it.

I hate days like this, I'm going to the Pub.

Last weekend in July I went up to the lakes with Luke. His sister is engaged to a great bloke from New York, so we decided to show him the Lake District the Hard Way. After we dragged him up Ravens Crag, Pavey Ark, Mill Gyll and part of the Dungeon Ghyll (I have never heard so much swearing from him), followed by the obligatory one or two pints in the 'Old', he slept for a week.

Maybe get back to the boat in August.