Exotic Food.

Hi Everyone,

This has been a good week for us as we’ve had more progress on getting things together for Chyandour,and,since our last blog,we’ve spent a bit more time in Mansfield and also been to my home town of Nottingham.Last Wednesday we went into town so we could have a look around the local museum,a lot of it was devoted to the Olympics,but there were bits and pieces about the local industry and local coal mining.There was some reference to Clipstone Colliery with its unusual headstocks,which were the tallest in Europe.I do like browsing through pictures past and present of the local area so it is possible to see the changes that have happened.From the museum we walked down into Mansfield to the Market and there I saw a delicacy from my past.As a kid I remember going into Nottingham on a Saturday to the covered market,the Victoria Market,if I remember correctly,where  we always had a tub of hot Mushy Peas with Mint Sauce and pepper,delicious.There was a stall on Mansfield Market selling Mushy Peas and another of my favourites,Mussels.This was the first time I’d had them both together,awesome.Lisa was happy with a Hot Dog,she can’t handle exotic food.Also,in one of the shops we saw our first Christmas Tree with some Christmas Cards on display,the tree actually had lights on.We have heard that Christmas has arrived in Perth too,I love it,but not in August.

On Thursday we went into Nottingham for the day.We drove to the Park and Ride and then went into town on a tram,right into the centre next to the Town Hall.The area in front of here was the old Market Square which has been turned into a beach for the school holidays,with rides,stalls and of course,sand,called the Nottingham Riviera.Nottingham has changed a lot since I was last there,no trams then,or a Riviera,and some of the places I could remember were no longer the same.No Victoria Market for one,but it was nice to go back though,just for a while anyway.We had a good walk round,saw the statue of Robin Hood below the Castle and then into Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem for lunch.The “Trip” is a must see for anyone visiting Nottingham,carved into the Sandstone below the castle,it is said that it formed part of the castle as a brewhouse before becoming an inn in 1189.From here we walked over to the Nottingham Canal and the old Fellows,Morton and Clayton warehouse which is now a pub and a restaurant.We watched a narrowboat going up the Castle Lock and wished it were us and then from there it was over to the Broadmarsh Centre,and the City of Caves.We hadn’t heard of this so we were curious to see what it was all about.Apparently,when building the centre,a large number of old,and not so old,caves had been found in the sandstone below the houses that were demolished to make way for the centre.The conducted tour round these caves was good,it was interesting to see the uses that the caves had been put to over the years.

We’ve had an interesting time over the last week or so trying to get a particular washing machine and now,it seems,we have been successful,fingers crossed.If the emails we have been getting are anything to go by we should be the proud owners on Friday.John will then be able to build it into Chyandour over the next few weeks and Lisa wont have to go down to the river and beat our clothes on the rocks.We went down to see Chyandour yesterday,Monday,as usual,but as it’s a Bank Holiday the yard was closed,John and Mick having a well deserved long weekend.We had the afternoon with Jan and Dai on their boat and got a glimpse at some of the progress on Chyandour through her windows.She looks good and there will be some good pic’s on our next blog.

Today,Tuesday,we had a day out in Matlock Bath at the Heights of Abraham,and a great time was had by all.It’s a lovely place for kids and adults with a Cable Car,play areas and conducted tours of the old Lead Mines,plus panoramic views of parts of the Peak District.

Ok,picture time.

 

The Nottingham Riviera above and to the right,Robin Hood’s statue.He still has his arrow,which I seem to recall,used to be pinched on a regular basis.

 

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem and then a narrowboat going up the Castle Lock on the River Trent,lucky devils.

 

A kitchen from one of the less salubrious properties that were demolished to make way for the Broadmarsh Centre and Lisa in the cellar of a former pub carved out of the sandstone.

 

The Cable Cars at the Heights of Abraham with a view down on to the canoe slalom,on the River Derwent,from the cable cars.

  

The Heights of Abraham were opened by the Victorians in 1780 and,being somewhat patriotic,they named it after a famous battle that took place in Canada in 1759.Here we have a couple of views of the surrounding Peak District.

That’s all for this week,we will be going to see Chyandour on Thursday and then off up to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal on Friday so next weeks blog will have a much more boaty theme.Take Care.

A few Merry Men.

Hi again,

Another week over and this time we’ve been out and about a bit visiting a couple of local attractions.Thursday saw us in Newark on Trent,a lovely little town that sits,surprise surprise,on the River Trent.The river flows past warehouses,through a large lock and then on past the ruins of the castle.Lisa and I spent all afternoon wandering around some of the towns pleasant narrow streets market square,all dotted with some picturesque historic buildings.We first walked along the river,watched a couple of boats navigating the Newark Town Lock,and then crossed to the other side,after we passed the Canals and Rivers Trust yard.It was here that we found the Millgate Museum,housed in the old Trent Navigation warehouse.It’s quite an interesting place that catalogues the history of the area in and around Newark.If you ever find yourself anywhere near Newark it’s well worth visiting,you can also walk into the castle grounds and look down on the river traffic as it goes through the town lock.

Sunday was a tad different.We went out just to have a walk around somewhere away from our caravan,nothing special,just somewhere to have a gentle stroll for a few hours.We had looked for somewhere in the local tourist guide that would fit the bill and wasn’t too far away,The Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve seemed to be the ideal place.As we got closer there were signs warning of road closures,but,not knowing the area,and as the sat nav said keep going,we pressed on,until,that is,we got to the back of the queue.This was when I stated that had I known,we would not have been anywhere near there,but it was too late,we couldn’t turn on the narrow road so we had to stay with it,the queue,that is.Vowing to go straight past the entrance,when we got there,proved to be futile too,’cos this was where the road was closed and the only way forward was into the car park.I have to admit the queue wasn’t too bad so we paid a fiver and went into what turned out to be a very entertaining afternoon.Sunday was the last day of the Robin Hood Festival,people were arriving in their thousands and a quick look at the What’s on pages of the tourist guide would have told me this.

Now,I was born in Nottingham not so many years ago,and I spent my formative years in the area,but,believe it or not,I had never seen the Major Oak.The reason I guess,is,it’s just one of those things that’s on your doorstep so you never get around to visiting.The Major Oak is probably the highlight of The Sherwood Forest Nature Reserve on an average day but Sunday was not an average day.The Festival was a celebration of Robin Hood with all sorts of events taking place,people dressed in medieval costume were demonstrating crafts and skills like Falconry,Archery,Alchemy,music and pottery making.The Visitor Centre has an exhibition dedicated to the history of Robin Hood as well as the ecology of Sherwood Forest,the Major Oak is a thousand years old,would you believe.The highlight of Sunday though,was the medieval jousting with Robin and some of his Merry Men pitched against the dastardly Sheriff and his motley crew.No prizes for guessing who won,and what a great day we had.

On Friday Kingfishers posted their blog and on it where the latest photographs of Chyandour,so we were able to see the progress that had been made since our visit on the previous Monday.Check out the Photo’s here if you would like to see all of them.I have pinched one or two again for this blog and they will be added to the pictures that we have taken through the week since our last blog.

We made our usual trip down to Trent Lock again this Monday so we could see the progress first hand and get updated on any details that required our attention.It is good to see how Chyandour is coming along,each visit gives us something new and this week was no exception.Our first surprise was the Tiller Pin.This was something that we have given a lot of thought too ‘cos we couldn’t find one we liked.While we were in Rye a few weeks ago,Lisa found a metal casting of a Dragonfly,and with the help of her Brother in Law,Steve,we got it made into a Tiller Pin.On one of our visits to Trent Lock we had a chat to Jan Deuchar,who lives on a narrowboat there,and is also a brilliant artist,famous for her Narrowboat Art.Click here if you would like to see some samples of her work.

                         

There’s the finished Tiller Pin above,it’s about the size of the palm of your hand and when we bought it,it was jet black.Jan has done an excellent job.

Ok,photo’ time.Below are some of this weeks pictures taken at the places we have visited.First of all,a couple of Newark.On the left is Newark Town Lock as seen from the castle and on the right is a Dutch Style Broadbeam  as it enters the lock,with the castle in the background.

 

 

Above left is the world famous Major Oak surrounded by a trees equivalent of a Zimmer frame.At a thousand years old who wouldn’t need a bit of support.No,that isn’t Robin of Sherwood on the right,he was pretty good with a Longbow though,he could hit all of the targets that can be seen at the top right,and gave an interesting and entertaining exhibition.

 

On the left we have the world famous Sheriff of Nottingham.Here he is taunting the crowds.The right hand pic’ is Robin Hood,in the green obviously,and the Sheriff having a bit of a joust.

Now for a picture or three of Chyandour as she was on Monday

The one on the left is the beginning of the tv shelf and corner cupboard.On the right of this will be some more shelving. Then on the right we have the dinette almost finished.Just bits of trim,the table and the cushions to fit.This converts into a double bed for guests,but most of the time serves as our dining room and underneath the seats will be more storage.

                              

Above is our hearth,on here will be the solid fuel stove,all of this has had to be built to conform to all the safety regulations required now days,with insulation and air gaps behind the tiles.

Our friends Janice and Dai were at Trent Lock when we got there on Monday,their boat Jandai is going into the dry dock to have her bottom blacked,her propeller replaced and the Bow Thruster repaired.Here you can see Dai manoeuvering towards the dock.It looks like he’s on the lawn.

 

The right hand picture is a family of ducks,Mum showing her kids how to feed in the weed that covers this stretch of the Erewash Canal.

That’s all for this week folks.We aren’t going down to the boatyard next Monday ‘cos it’s a bank holiday,so we will be going on Thursday before we go on holiday on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal for two weeks.There will be a blog of our travels this week though.Take care.

Chopping Board.

Hi All,

This week has again seen us staying close to the caravan and not doing any sightseeing.The weather has been good so sitting outside in the sun has seemed like the best idea,and of course we have had the Olympics to enjoy.Listening to the action on the radio has enabled us to keep up to date with the events and we have been amazed at the performances from all our athletes,they have really done us proud.We did manage to get to see the closing ceremony on television though,and what an amazing spectacle that was.Not the surprises of the opening ceremony,but there were some fantastic special effects and music to enjoy.A lot of people deserve a very big thank you for what they have done over the last two weeks,and over the last seven years since we won the right to stage the Olympics.

We have been down to see Chyandour a couple of times since our last blog.The first time was on Wednesday,after getting an email from John to ask about the position of the solid fuel stove.There have been some new regulations introduced regarding the stoves and,as always with new regulations,there is extra work involved,and John wants to get the stove positioned as close as he can to our requirements.The samples of the material for the soft furnishings had arrived too,so now we can start looking at carpets to match.After we left Trent Lock we nipped over to Willington to see Janice and Dai on their narrowboat Jandai,and after a reasonably priced and well presented lunch in the tearooms in Mercia Marina,we spent a very pleasant afternoon chatting while sitting on the towpath.If you are ever in the area of Mercia Marina at any time the tearoom is well worth the visit.We tend to browse Midland Chandlers shop in the marina while we are there too.On our travels,a couple of weeks ago,we found some 4ft bedding in a shop in Mansfield and we had shown the fitted sheets to Janice,their bed is the same size as ours and 4ft bedding is not easy to get hold of at a reasonable price,she liked,so we went back to the shop and bought up all they had and shared them with Jan and Dai.

On Friday,John from Kingfishers updated their blog so we got to see some pic’s of the weeks endeavours.Things are coming along nicely,some of the shelving and cupboards are installed and the little cutlery drawer and tin cupboard has a nice feature.John has made a detachable top for it that we can use as a chopping board.We also wanted some additional shelving in the galley and we now have a tidy little set of shelves for our mugs etc.

Sunday saw us at Walton on Trent,just a mile or so from the Trent and Mersey canal,where we got the chance to see the closing ceremony.Before we settled down to watch the tv we nipped round to the local hostelry for a few pints of my favourite tipple,Marstons Pedigree,and a roast from the carvery.They have a very nice pub in Walton,called the White Swan,it’s a shame that it isn’t easily reached from the canal.The road has no footpath and is a bit narrow,but there is a new bridge over the River Trent being built so maybe that will improve the access.

We left Walton on Monday morning and after a quick visit to our storage container we went down again to Trent Lock to see Chyandour and to look at Johns handiwork in the flesh,so to speak.Everything is looking good,we took some more pictures of various bits and pieces,had a chat about the progress and the things we require for the future.We now have to order a washing machine and this is not like going into Curry’s,looking at what’s on display and saying “that one please”.Our washing machine is a bit smaller than your average household one and there aren’t many to choose from,the prices can be a bit eye watering too.We have done our research so we know what we want and where we can get it from,now is the time we get to understand the meaning of logistics.We left Trent Lock and made our way firstly to Weston Lock on the Trent and Mersey canal,where Jandai is moored.There we got one of the finest cups of tea I’ve ever tasted and had our usual chat about this and that,and then we made our way back here to the caravan before the rush hour started.

Ok,photo’time.Again,it’s not what you see that’s so different,it’s what you don’t see so enjoy.

 

Here we have the cutlery drawer and tin cupboard,no doors or drawers till nearer the end of the fitting out.The top is detachable and we can use it as a chopping board.

 

The place where we will keep our mugs and the tea making ingredients,nothing is more important than this,the captains tea is vital to the efficient handling of the ship,and the peace and wellbeing of the crew.

 

That’s me on the left.At the moment the Erewash Canal has a covering of weed at Trent Lock and though it looks like a carpet or a lawn,it can’t be walked on.Believe me when I say that it has been tried.There are two pubs very close to here,one is only opposite where I am on my knees,so you can imagine the scenario.It’s funny stuff,it’s thousands and thousands of tiny plants floating on the water,not bound together like a mat,they are all separate but close together.The picture on the right is Weston Lock on the Trent and Mersey,just along from where Jandai was moored on Monday.You come up this lock when traveling west from Trent Lock and there is a one of the waterpoints I have mentioned in past blogs,just behind me.

Well,that’s all for now,there should be a photo’ or two this Friday on Kingfishers blog and we will be over to see Chyandour next Monday so we could have enough material for a blog next week.Take care.

Just the Trim.

Hi,

We don’t have a lot to tell you in this blog ‘cos we haven’t done any sightseeing this week,instead we’ve had a relaxing time at the caravan.We had hoped to get a bit of sun but the rain has been here on most days to keep us indoors for some of the time.Some people are beginning to hope we are going to get an Indian summer this year,what do you think?,we’ve certainly earned it,as our own summer has been pretty much of a washout so far,and I thought things were on the up last week.Fortunately,the weather has given us the chance to enjoy some of the Olympics.We don’t have a telly yet ‘cos we are waiting till we are sure what size we need for Chyandour,and to be honest,we haven’t missed one.Well.I haven’t,Lisa may not quite agree with that.After the opening ceremony on Sunday,which we did get to see,we have only been able to listen to the Olympics on the Radio,and surprisingly,the coverage has been very good.Lisa got to listen to the tennis,didn’t he do well?and what about all the other athletes,aren’t they something else?Whether they have won a medal or not,there have been some exceptional  performances in all of the disciplines.Well done all of team GB, you all deserve gold.

We did take the opportunity to do some exploring a bit nearer to where we are staying in the caravan.Close to here is the Maun Valley Trail,part of which runs alongside the River Maun,on the edge of Sherwood Forest,the forest of Robin Hood fame.It’s a very pleasant walk away from the hustle and bustle of the roads around here,but we didn’t see any trace of Robin or his Merry Men.

Last Monday,and again this Monday,we have had our usual trip down to Kingfishers at Trent Lock to see how Chyandour is coming along,and again,we haven’t been disappointed.John and Mick have worked hard on her,and we took a few more pictures of what has been done.It may be difficult to see a lot of what they have achieved because they have been concentrating on the fiddly bits that all add up to make a great boat,much of which is out of sight during everyday use.A lot of the trim has been fitted with something like 200 dowels to cover the screw heads.John has been fitting the trim and things like door locks,catches and handles and sanding down.Mick has been tiling,he’s commissioned the central heating,which,I’m told,is excellent,and fitted the smartgauge.This is a useful bit of kit that helps us to understand how much power we have in our batteries.No mains electricity for us,every bit of electricity we need we have to generate ourselves and store in six 100 amp/hour leisure batteries.The engine will do a large part of the generation as we cruise,with the two alternators that are fitted,and we will have solar panels to help out when the sun is shining.The central heating is just a backup for those odd occasions when its a bit nippy first thing in the morning but not so cold that we have to have the solid fuel stove going 24/7.Our hot water comes from the calorifier which is heated mainly by the engine but the central heating can give us hot water if necessary.Our central heating runs on LPG which we also use for cooking.

Right then,here we have a photo’ or two of our boat as she was on Monday.

 

Above are the bow doors open,and closed.John has done the door surrounds and fitted all the catches and locks.The space below the doors is where the steps will be and they will also be used for storage.

 

The above photo’s show some more of Johns handiwork.On the left,if you look closely,you can see some of the couple of hundred or so dowels that are used to hide the heads of the screws,not finished off yet,in case you’re wondering,incidentally,John makes the dowels himself.On the right is the side door,with the surround and furniture done.This is in the galley and gives Lisa some fresh air and a nice view when slaving over the stove.

 

We couldn’t go without showing some of Micks play areas.Unfortunately quite a lot of his handiwork is hidden from view.He tends to be responsible for the plumbing and electrics and has to work in the more confined spaces and I can assure you that his work is first class before it gets covered up.It has been said that I can be a bit fussy,so you can take my word for it.On the left are the electrics and the Smartgauge is the small rectangular panel to the right of the ignition key with the tag on it.Not much to look at you may think,but it will pay for itself in no time as we judge how long to run the engine to generate some electricity.The pic’ on the right is another view of the galley,this time with the tiles done and the sockets fitted.

Ok that’s all for now,we are going down to Trent Lock tomorrow,Wednesday,to have a look at the solid fuel stoves position,before John builds the hearth.If there is enough material I may do another blog this weekend.Take care everyone.

Engine Commissioned

Hi,

Another week gone and what a week,the weather has been superb,the summer is here at last.This week Lisa and I have been staying over in Congerstone,along side the Ashby Canal,so we’ve been out doing a bit more sightseeing as well as enjoying the lovely sunny weather,and walking along the towpath to Shackerstone and the Rising Sun,for the odd pint of Pedigree.Monday saw us at Trent Lock to visit Chyandour and see for ourselves the work that Mick and John had done over the past week.Believe me when I say that she is looking superb,we really are pleased with her progress.

We had a day out at Conkers on Tuesday,this is an attraction in the Midlands that was created on land left derelict after the closure of some of the areas coalmines.There’s loads of things to do here and miles of paths to explore in the woodlands,as well as  the lakes,and this is only part of a huge area that has been transformed.There are indoor experiences as well  as outdoor ones,it’s a great day out,and we’ll go back next time we’re in the area.Here’s a couple of pictures.

On the left is Lisa,we were doing a barefoot walk,which meant we had to walk along paths of different materials.Behind her is a trough of cold water and,boy was it cold,then onto the large cobbles before smaller ones and then the mud and various other textures.It was good,might get used to it so that,in the next lot of bad weather,instead of getting shoes etc. all muddy,we can walk along the towpath barefoot.Save on footwear too.The picture on the right is one of the views across the restored landscape,I can’t remember how many thousands of trees have been planted.

Our next bit of sightseeing took us to more of the sort of thing that I enjoy.This time it was Moira Furnace,a museum of a part of the industrial revolution,where it’s possible to see exhibits that date back to the beginning of the 19th Century.The furnace itself was built in 1806 and the Lime Kilns in the years after.Along side them both is,of course,a canal,the Ashby Canal,which, incidentally,doesn’t go to Ashby and never did.The canal served both the furnace and the lime kilns,bringing raw materials in and removing finished goods to take them to the heart of the canal system,which is Birmingham,and beyond.At the moment this part of the canal is no longer connected to the rest of the Ashby canal farther to the west,but it is hoped to restore the link and reconnect it to the network.

The left picture has the furnace at the front,minus the chimney on top,The right picture is the ramp up which the raw materials were wheelbarrowed by young lads from the canal below the ramp into the building behind the furnace.The raw materials where then put into the furnace at the top of what remains today.The molten iron,or pig iron,was then discharged at the bottom.Sadly there’s nothing left of the buildings to the front of the furnace which was the foundry.We would like to thank Helen Shepherd,the Site Manager,for a wonderful tour and description of the site and to wish her good luck in the pursuit of funding for the future of the furnace.

Ok,back to Chyandour.As I said earlier,we went over on Monday to see her and to take a few more photo’s,and we were most impressed with the way she is coming on.We had a chat to John and Mick about what they had done,and would be doing in the week ahead.John advised us to check out the flooring that we would like for the galley and bathroom,as he is getting close to the point where he would like to fit it.This we did on Wednesday.We also looked at a few more tellies and mattresses,fortunately we still have time for these yet.On Friday,Kingfishers build blog was posted on line so we could see what John and Mick had been up to through the week.They have taken delivery of a very nice XR&D shell,the photo’s of which you can see on their build blog if you click Here.There were also a couple of pic’s of Chyandour so between them and us,here is how she looks now.

 

Above,on the left we have the galley with the cooker installed,the worktop and sink are in place and you can see that Mick has started on the tiles.Also you can see the shelving that John has fitted to the side of the oven unit.We ourselves haven’t seen any of this yet,it’s a photo’ that I pinched of their website,so we are looking forward to Monday when we visit again.On the right is the gearbox,the driveshaft,the fuel lines,exhaust,control cables and the pipes to the skin tank for cooling.No radiator,so the engine is cooled by canal water flowing past the skin tank.The cables control the speed and the direction,just one forward and one reverse gear,the control lever being to hand near the tiller.All of this is in the very bottom of Chyandour,the bilge,which is bellow the waterline,though the baseplate,which you can see below the gearbox and driveshaft,is only a couple of feet under water.Now that all this has been connected up,and Mick has commissioned the engine,Chyandour is ready to go,mechanically,that is.

Well,that’s all for now,we’ve nothing planned for next week yet,but something will turn up I am sure.Take Care.

The Galley.

Hi,

This week has been a quiet one for us with hardly any sightseeing at all,we’ve just had a relaxing time for a change.The caravan in Mansfield,where we are now,is just what we hoped for,it’s comfortable and quiet,and we can relax on our own.If you are ever looking for a nice caravan site around this area,whether for a night,a weekend,or longer then we would highly recommend Tall Trees Touring Park .It’s a lovely site,quiet,friendly and the facilities are excellent,being well maintained and spotlessly clean. In some ways being here in the caravan will be similar to the life we will have when our boat hits the water so it’s a handy experience.We went over to the Ashby canal last week to meet up with some friends,Janice and Dai,who live on Jandai, and who inspired us to “go for it” ourselves.They were moored at Shackerstone and after a good gossip we adjourned to the nearby Rising Sun for a little refreshment.Now,anyone who gets onto the Ashby canal,for whatever reason,whether you’re on a boat,visiting the Battlefield line or Bosworth battlefield site,or just in the area,give the Rising Sun at Shackerstone a visit.The food and the beer are excellent and the staff are friendly,helpful and cheerful.

         

     The amenities block at Tall Trees,new,but still kept spotlessly clean.

This week we went over to see Chyandour at Trent Lock to look over the progress that Mick and John are making,and we got our usual surprise at the way things are coming along.I did put a photo’ on my Facebook page of the inside of Chyandour ‘cos you can see a visible difference from only a week ago.The bathroom is now near to completion and the galley is coming together nicely.We talked to John and Mick about our requirements for cupboards and shelving in the galley and the lounge,we would like as much storage as possible,plus somewhere for ornaments and books etc.as well,just to make it as homely as we can.Fortunately,they are both very positive in what can be achieved.

We’ve spent more time looking at bits and pieces we’re going to need for our life afloat,having now chosen the tiles and the soft furnishings.We were in Tamworth and looked in at Elite Furnishings,who are experienced in furniture and curtains for narrowboats.Lisa saw some material she liked,so after mulling things over at the weekend we decided to go ahead.This side of things is definitely a girlie thing so Lisa made the decisions,I must admit to liking her choice though.The tiles we got from Topps tiles,they will look good in the galley and around the hearth where the solid fuel stove will be.Things like a television and a mattress are our next requirements,though we do have a while yet before we will need them.We would like an LCD tv because they use less power,and I see now you can get tv’s with wifi.Haven’t found one in 19 inch yet but we’ll keep looking.We may be able to go up to a 22 inch,John is playing around with the available space to see what he can come up with.The mattress has to be 4 feet by 6 feet 3 inch and which is a bit of a comedown from the Super King we had in Scotland.We have found that prices vary from a bit over £100 to over a grand,I think the lower end will win.

This week also saw us paying a brief visit to Mansfield itself,and it’s very pleasant.Just a walk around the shopping centre and the town that’s all but we will definitely go back after we’ve done a bit of research.There’s a huge viaduct running though the town that I found interesting,and there is a market,unfortunately we got there in the afternoon and most of it had closed.  

       

Lisa took this picture in Mansfield in between the thunderstorms that we experienced on Wednesday.I understand that the Jetstream,that has been responsible for the weather that we have enjoyed for the last few months,has moved.We should now begin to get the sort of weather we are used too at this time of year,i.e. sunshine and showers.Don’t put away the wellies yet folks.

Ok,now for a bit about Chyandour.As I said earlier,we paid a visit on Monday to see her and to go over a few things with John and Mick and of course to take some pictures.Today is Friday and as usual John and Mick have posted some pictures on their blog of the progress to date,so again,I will pinch one or two of theirs,and add them together with some of ours,so you can see how thing are getting along.

        

Above,you can see,before and after pictures of the bathroom,the left hand one I took on Monday and the right hand one was taken today.You can see what I mean when I say the transformation can be quite amazing.John has fitted the shelving and the cupboard door to the left of the shower.We now have somewhere to hide the toilet cassettes and for Lisa to put some towels.

Now a couple of the galley,the ones from Kingfishers Blog are superb.

On the left is one from Monday,the units were in and the pipework for the Hob and Oven had been done,but not the Worktop or the Sink.Now look at the right hand picture,what a difference in a few days,Mick has really been busy.The Worktops are done,the Hob and Sink have been fitted,and so has the Oven.The Oven is off the picture,so if you want too see the Galley from another angle please click on Here and scroll down a bit on the Build Blog to see the other photographs of Chyandour from Kingfishers.For those of you who didn’t see the photo’ I posted on Facebook,then here it is again,compare it to the ones on Kingfishers Blog.

                               

That’s it again for this week folks,I will update again next week after we go to see Chyandour on Monday and hopefully we will get a bit of sightseeing done during the rest of the week.Bye for now.

Plumbing.

Hi,

Here we are,up in Mansfield,our home now till the end of August.Our last week in Dorset was pretty much uneventful,just a bit of pottering around that’s all.The highlight was a visit to Bucklers Hard,a maritime museum and 18th Century shipbuilding village.Some of the ships at Nelsons victory at Trafalgar were built here.We also went to see a few friends and family to say our farewells and offer them an invitation to visit when we finally get afloat.All of them were enthusiastic about meeting up again,so that is something else for us to look forward to.A great big thankyou to everyone we met in the last week,we hope we get to see all of you again in the not too distant future.

  

Here’s a couple of pictures taken at Bucklers Hard,on the left we have the view down through the centre of the village to the slipways and on the right is a brief description of the way that Oak trees were utilised to create the many different shaped pieces required to build a wooden sailing ship.Did you know,young Oak trees were tied so that they grew in such a way that they would provide pieces for a boat that wouldn’t be started till a century or more later.Now that is forward planning.

As everyone must be aware the weather has been awful,not just in Dorset,but nearly everywhere,familiar places have had a terrible time.We spent a week on the Rochdale canal a couple of years ago,and though it was hard going at times,we had a great time.We visited  Hebden Bridge and Todmorden and it’s sad to see how bad things have been there during the recent wet weather.Three times they’ve had flooding so far,I know we needed some rain,after a couple of years of relatively dry weather,but enough is enough,please,give us a summer!!It’s hard to believe I guess,but only a couple of months ago,this year looked like being a bad one for water shortages,now look at it.

Anyway,we are settled into a caravan now,just outside Mansfield,about twenty miles from Kingfishers at Trent Lock,not so close that I would be there every day.We’ve finally emptied the car boot,it’s been full since we left Scotland on the 1st of June.Having no fixed abode has meant us lugging things around with us wherever we have gone.A lot of the things we hope to have on board Chyandour we have put into storage in Long Eaton at a great place that I would recommend to anyone.Check out  http://www.bewebbe.co.uk  if you are looking for storage around this area.They have four sites apparently.We are paying a little over a £1 a day for secure,clean storage with great facilities and very pleasant people to deal with.We’ve had our first little disappointment this week as well,in all the research into living afloat that we have done,we hadn’t been aware of the fact that you are only entitled to a free bus pass if you pay Council Tax.It is obvious if you think about it,and we agree that it is fair,but we’re just surprised it didn’t come up in our research.Oh well,just have to pay our own way,still be cheaper than running a car,and I understand Tesco’s etc.deliver if you give them a postcode.

We went over to see Chyandour on Monday to see how she is getting along and I still can’t emphasise enough how photographs just do not do justice to how well John and Mick are fitting her out.We had a good chat with them both and made a minor adjustment here and there to our requirements.We thought we were aware of the limitations of what can be achieved on a narrow boat when fitting it out,but there are still things we’ve overlooked.Thankfully John and Mick have the experience and can put us right as well as trying to achieve what they can for us.It’s easy to forget things like gunwales and tumblehome,water tank capacity and battery capacity.Living on a boat can be like living on the land but a) it needs a lot more space than we have on our 57ft x 6ft 10in narrow boat,and b) it takes a lot more money than we have.

I took some more pictures when we were there at the boatyard on Monday,most of them to remind me of where this bit is,and that bit has been put,so that in the future,I can find things,assuming that is,that I can find the pictures.Mick took a few pictures on Friday so I have nicked a couple of his again to try and give some idea of the progress so far.Please understand that these photographs have been taken while John & Mick have been working on Chyandour so they do look as though they are on a building site,which,in fact they are.

     

Ok,on the left we have Lisa just coming out of the bathroom as I took a photo’ of the corridor down the boat towards the stern and on the right is the panel that Mick has cut out to allow access to the central heating.The black pipes are the heating pipes from the engine to the calorifier which will give us nice hot water when we run the engine.The calorifier is a hot water tank heated by both the engine and the central heating,it’s insulated so the water stays hot.The white pipes are for hot and cold water for radiators and the washing machine.

   

The picture on the left is of the shower pump,that’s the black thing at the bottom,and the pipework for the shower.Because the shower tray is below the waterline we have to have a pump to empty the water out as we shower.All this will be enclosed so that we can get at it if necessary but not look at it each time we enter the bathroom.Lisa wants shelving here for the towels and the bottom half will be where we store the spare toilet cassettes.The photo on the right is the fresh water pump and the water tank.We have to carry our own water with us in the tank which we fill at the canalside taps on our travels.A full tank should last us for a few days and there are plenty of taps around the system.The pump is what gets the water from the tank to the taps and it works automatically when a tap is turned on,this too will be hidden but accessible.

    

Above on the left is the cassette for the toilet.This we have to take out when full and empty it at one of the places around the system.This will be covered by a door which will allow us access as and when.We have two spares plus this cassette so we should be ok for up to two weeks.On the right is living proof that it all works and there are no leaks.

As you can imagine we are getting more and more excited as the time goes on and these photo’s really do look beautiful to us,and keep us going till our next visit to the boat yard in a weeks time.In the meantime we will be meeting up with some “boaty” friends on the Ashby canal as well as looking at cookers ,taps,tiles and other bits that we are going to need for Chyandour.Take care all.Bye for now.