Sunshine and showers

Sunshine and showers... That's what the weather has been like today. One minute the sun has been out and the next it has been throwing it down with rain, hail and even sleet! 

I'm glad that we have got past the shortest day. These short days certainly do not give me that much inspiration when you wake up in the dark and go home from work in the dark.

I did a bit of boating with Sue at the beginning of the week. I just can't help myself! It was a most enjoyable morning on my bicycle - lockwheeling from Gailey down to Penkridge. I must say Thea does look a treat and is a credit to everyone here that has worked so hard on her.

Thea below Otherton Lock, Penkridge.

It's been another productive week here at Norbury. Mick is back from being off following a double hernia operation. There's a full list of works that he is fighting through at the moment. Not to mention the new oven, grill and hob that he fitted to one of the residential boats off of Shelmore embankment - they will be able to cook their turkey on Christmas day now! He has also wired up the replacement engine that Bernard fitted to Phantom last week and as I write we are running the engine up to test the installation.

Phantom's replacement engine.

There's still a bit of tidying up here and there and a bit of painting to do, but we will do that once we are happy with how it runs.

We have got the trip boat in the wet dock at the moment. She worked hard last season and we thought that we would treat her to a bit of a makeover. She's in the preparation stage at the moment, as you can see from the photograph below.

The Shropshire Star in the Wet Dock.

There are quite a few areas that we are taking back to baremetal where excessive corrosion has taken place, but other than that she is just being sanded back until a smooth surface has been achieved.

Treating corrosion around the hinges on the side doors.

Phoenix is on the dry dock. Fred pressure washed her yesterday after she had been docked. I have got to say that Phoenix is my favourite boat in our hire fleet. She steers and handles like a dream and turns on a sixpence. She was built by Colecraft Engineering in 1991 and is powered by a smooth running Isuzu engine that we fitted some years ago after her original BMC started to give trouble. She's lovely and cosy inside too. She's got an interesting history, but I will leave that for another day!

Phoenix on the Dry Dock.

Well that's about everything from me. I am at work tomorrow, but then Simon has been kind enough to let me have a bit of an extended break, so I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year and I will be back in the New Year.

Best regards, David.