I may be wet, but at least it's warm!

The original idea was to have a central wood burner, running radiators for heating.
Then the design of the layout I reached meant that the wood burner would now be at the front, and although it may run a couple of radiators, it was unlikely to reach the back of the boat.
Then I bought the bargain wood burner, which was smaller than I had originally intended, but fits in nicely with the saloon layout, but is unlikely to run more than one radiator.
So I decided that a Propex hot air heater would do nicely for the heating.  I liked the idea of hot air for heating. I don't usually feel the cold, so the heating will be more for airing the place and preventing damp, so hot air heating seemed ideal.
That is the potted history of my heating thinking.

Now I am stopping on the boat occasionally, and now the nights are getting darker I have changed my mind completely.  Saturday night I got to the boat about 9 in the evening and it was dark.  I had no hot water, and the only way of heating (domestic) hot water was by running the engine.  If I get a Propex this will not change.  As I think it is a bit unsociable to run the engine in the dark, I have decided that the heating system will have to heat the water as well.

Luckily when I got the Calorifier from Ely Chandlers, they were out of stock of the single coil, so gave me a twin coil for the same price.

So, after trawling the net, I have an Eberspaher diesel fired heater. My first impression is of a huge cardboard box, but once opened the boiler itself is very small.  However, the remainder of the box is holding a frightening number of pipes, brackets, pipes, clamps, pipes and other unidentifiable bits and pieces. However after only 12 hours of crawlig around the diesel tank, cursing, reaching over and under the silencer, swearing, and grovelling in the bilges, the installation of the boiler in the engine room is complete. Initially I have only got one radiator and the calorifier connected, and, after about half an hour of bleeding (diesel and water), with a roar like a jet turbine, the boiler fired up.  The radiator in the bedroom warmed up in no time, and dripped water from one of the valves, but at least it is warm water.

Sticking a Ram on the roof

We went to see Lau at the Methodist church in the Northern Quarter on Wednesday.
Unusually they were not very good.  Martin had a few more toys and seemed to spend more time playing with them.  More electronics than music.

We finally got a nice clear day without too much wind, and lifted the refurbished ventilator/weather vane back on the roof.

Lifting the vane up onto the scaffolding with a manatee was remarkably easy, then we manhandled the vane into place, and it slid neatly onto the socket in the roof, a lovely snug fit.  I wish everything we did went this smoothly!

Once fixed in place, the wind vane was fixed, once we had worked out which way was north.

Finally the Ram goes on to top it all off!

As soon as this was done, it was down to the Met, to set up the bar for Bury Beer Festival.  Four bars, 30 beers and 30 handpumps.  The festival was quite busy this year.  The trio of Brewsters beers sold pretty quickly as did the Costa Del Salford and the Mad Dogs and Englishmen.

Sunday the bar was stripped down and packed away, then, after 50 hours on my feet over the weekend, home for some much needed sleep.

A tale of two spoons

There was a quite interesting sight the other day at the boatyard, a large widebeam was being lifted in from a lorry, but due to the weight two cranes were needed to lift.

This is known as a tandem lift and it is great to watch the co-ordination of two cranes effortlessly lifting the boat over to the canal.

I used to be a train spotter when I was about twelve or so.  I have never seen a class 20 because they were on the south coast somewhere.  Forty or so years later, while waiting at Leeds, two class 20's came through pulling a couple of tankers.  Funny what you remember from years back isn't it.

I have just been up to Glasgow for the first time in about 30 years to judge beer of Scotland.  I arrived at Glasgow Central and checked into the hotel just across the way on Argyll street.  I checked in and decided there was time for a pint.  There was a pub on the corner which seemed reasonable, until I found out that it was a Gay bar!
A quick retreat to the Wetherspoons just further down the road, the John Moore.  After a while I had managed to attract the attention of one of the bar staff and got a flat pint of sarsons malt vinegar. I tried swapping it, and was told that this is how Arran Ales brew their beer. Bollocks.  Arran ales brew fantastic beer, but the John Moore seem to be determined to destroy beer.  The worst Wethersponns I have ever been in.

After wandering around for a while I found another Wetherspoons called the Edward Wylie.  I was even more disgruntled with Wetherspoons than I normally am, but it was getting late so in I went.

There was one girl behind the bar serving someone else as I approached, but I got an immediate "I'll be with you in a minute".  A quick scan of the handpumps and they were having a Hawkshead brewery weekend.  So much for trying some Scottish beer!
The girl behind the bar served me quickly, offering a description of the beers until I mentioned that I was very familiar with the Hawkshead brews.
A pint of Red, and a pint of Windermere Pale, both superb, and then the New Zealand IPA, a relatively new brew I had not yet had.  What a superb pint, so I stayed for a couple.

The Edward Wylie was such a complete contrast to the other hole, in staff, service, atmosphere and beer.  I have no idea how Wetherspoons as a company can manage to have two extremes so close to each other, and still claim to have some consistency.
Anyway, The Edward Wylie.  A great pub.

Friday was spent judging at Pollockshields Burgh Hall, which was a great little venue.  Some great brews from Tryst, Arran and Highland Brewing but the Jarl was not the best I have had it.

Afterwards we went back into Glasgow to find some better pubs.  First stop was the Pot Still on Hope Street.  This is an amazing place with a massive array of whiskey on show.  All of the walls were covered with pictures and bookshelves and bottle shelves and the place had a great atmosphere, good beer as well.

Next was around the corner to Drury Lane and the Horseshoe, which I believe is quite a famous Glasgow landmark.  A huge pub which again seems to be unchanged for many years.  Unfortunately my phone battery had died, so no photo's!

The following morning it was an early start to leave Glasgow and get the train back home.