Riders on the storm.

Still in holiday mood, I decided to 'pop over' to Colchester on Monday night to see Lau.  Superb!

Back to the boat - the front doors have arrived!!!
Before they are fitted, I need to get plenty of protection on them. I treated them with sadolin stain and preserver until I had got a nice light oak colour.  I covered this with International Yacht Varnish.  One coat on the doors and frame, then I left them for a week to harden.

I cleaned up the front deck, and gave the front of the boat and the front deck a couple of coats of Grey Primer.

Small Islands...

I decided to pop over to Guernsey for the weekend, mainly to see the Family Mahone, who were playing at the Fermain Tavern on The Saturday night.

Fantastic breakfast at Gatwick airport before the flight.  Forty minutes flight, and I am in Guernsey.  Great airport, there is a luggage reclaim area, a desk if you want to declare anything, and a door out to Guernsey.

I had a wander around St Peters Port (or 'Town') for the afternoon, and found where the band were playing that night by going into the (yellow) telephone box, and looking the pub up in the telephone directory!  How long is it since you could do that back home!


All of the pubs in 'Town' had a real naval fortification look about them

A quick beer in 'Town' then crossed the island to the superb Cobo Bay Hotel.
Saturday morning, just like a workday, I woke at five thirty.  Couldn't sleep so I walked up the beach for about 6 miles.  Got a bus back to the hotel just in time for a fantastic breakfast.

The bus stops are just painted on the road, so they are sometimes hard to spot, and for £5 I got a ticket for ten journeys of any length.
I got the bus to 'Town' and wandered around the south of the Island for a few hours.  Great cliffs to the south, but the cliff paths were closed for maintainance.
I got the bus back to 'Town' and a Ferry over to Herm, which is a small Island with no traffic.

 The ferry stops at some (very wet) steps, and that is the 'harbour'. I walked around the coast of Herm, and I would recommend anybody to do this if you are in Guernsey.

 To the North, there are rocky beaches and coves.  As you head south the coast gets more rugged, until there are spectacular cliffs at the south of the island.

About 2 hours around the Island, and I feel like I have the Island to myself.

I reached the small villiage in the centre of the island, and saw a couple of walkers - the first people I had seen in nearly two hours.

A couple of pints in the one and only pub on the Island, and it was time for the ferry back to 'Town'.

The Family Mahone were superb as ever, singing Traditional Drinking Songs, English drinking songs, Irish drinking songs, you get the idea.  Taxi back to the hotel at 1 am and the end of a superb day.

Sunday, I checked out of the Hotel (after another fantastic breakfast) and decided to see how far I could walk around the north of the Island. The North East of the island is more of the commercial port, then south to 'Town' by just after dinner.

 So, a long weekend and I have walked around most of Guernsey, and all of Herm.  Got the plane back to Gatwick in the rain.

I was having a last pint in Guernsey at 5:45pm.  I then had a pint in the OMF at Stevenage at 9:00pm.  That has to be one of the fastest return from holiday I have ever had.

Skiving off Again!!

Decided to go up to the Lakes This weekend, just to check it was still there, and to have a few beers in the Old while I'm up there.
Watched the F1 procession on Sunday (Yawn) I've been watching F1 for thirty years, and if this race is owt to go by, I think I'll find something more interesting to watch.
A wagon burst into flames at work.  About the only interesting thing that happened this week!

Festering away

Well, had a great weekend stopping at the New Inn, Clapham, drinking beer and singing songs (badly).  I know I should have been working on the boat because the sun was shining, but it is good to have a couple of days with friends forgetting the rest of the world.

Got back to the boat on Sunday and cleaned up the rear deck.  I had just finished the second coat of primer, when a great dollop of bird $$$$ landed right in the middle!  Got to go to work now, so back to square one next week.

Who knows where the time goes (again)

I cant believe it's a year since I started this blog, and I still haven't got a boat!  I went to see Lau at Bury Met (again) and they are even better than ever.  I never knew that an accordian was a percussion instrument, but if you want to see folk musicians thrashing their instruments within an inch of their lives, then go and see Lau.

The engine bay is now finished (again) and the modified engine mountings and "power bulge" have been painted (again).  Now all I need is to get the engine fitted.

In preparation (anticicpation ?) for the arrival of the front doors, the old doors have been cut off, and the front opened up to allow a 24 inch opening.  I am waiting for the engine to be fitted before fitting rear doors and hatch, just in case it needs to come out again...


I am going away for the weekend to Ingleton somewhere, and hopefully I will have an engine fitted when I return...