Getting back into the swing

Firstly, I would personally like to wish you all a very Happy New Year.

I had virtually two weeks off over the Christmas period and left Simon holding the fort. I had great plans to go off boating, but at the last moment I decided to stay put. Although saying that I did go down to the Wharf at Goldstone on Christmas Eve with my boat and had a very enjoyable Christmas Day in the pub there with Denise, Mike, Ange, Mark, Denise's sister and her partner. We returned to Norbury with the boats on Boxing Day. Other adventures over the Christmas period saw me at Chester, Leek, Buxton, Froghall, Llangollen, Trevor, Walsall, Perry Bar, Knowle, Tamworth and Norton Canes. As you can see most of them canal related - well you didn't expect anything else did you? I must say it was good to have such a long break, but it has taken some "getting back into the swing" of things this week.

Richard has painted The Shropshire Star and she now looks replendent in our livery. Here's a few pictures for you.

Just to remind you what she looked like when she was in service last year.

The Shropshire Star partway through her transformation.

And here's how she looked yesterday when we got her out of the dock.

We are busy plodding on with Winter Maintenance on the fleet. Bernard is keeping busy servicing engines, Fred is docking, pressure washing and blacking two days a week and I am working on some of the internals as well as the other day-to-day jobs that need doing. Meanwhile Archie has been working on Pacific.

Mick has just completed some bathroom alterations on one of our regular customers boat's. He has now started doing his bit on Pacific and she enters the fleet next month and her first booking is 15/02/2014.

Best regards, David.