The weather

What on earth will we talk about when the weather finally changes and this cold snap disappears?
They are forecasting more bad weather later this week and its started going cold again today, just when most of the ice at Norbury is melting we are going to be hit with more sub zero temperatures and more ice! we are preparing all the boats as most of them are due to go out over the next two weeks, i really hope that the ice doesn't come back as it was or there will be a lot of disappointed people stuck on boats.

Work has carried on as normal today, Paul has been putting the final touches to Silhouette and continuing with the central heating system fit, Bernard has been straightening the stem post wings on our new 10 berth hire boat, its an unusual design as it has a giant rubber fender running the whole length of the stem post, it is an (ex Black Prince boat) and when it has hit the sills in the locks it has bent the steel either side of the rubber. Fred has been blacking and ha had the unusual task of pressure washing a horse box, yep we even do horse boxes!

Until tomorrow, Simon

At long last

As the title says, at long last, the boats are on the move and we are seeing boats on the wharf for services, we seem to be selling coal as though its going to cease to be mined, I have just had to order more supplies, thanks to this extraordinary weather that we are having our coal and smokeless fuel sales have gone through the roof, it is much easier to do the coal now than it used to be when we did it by boat, it was hard work when we had to load and unload the boats by hand, now it comes on an Arctic lorry, off loaded using our Matbro and stacked neatly in our compound, no more lumping tons by hand! Gas sales have also soared and we have been struggling to get our normal deliveries as the Calor depot had run out of stock last week, Angela did a sterling job and found another supplier to keep our customers happy, if the weather men are correct we are in for another cold spell later this week so we will probably up our orders so that all the boats can stay warm over the Christmas period.

While talking of Christmas, we are only closing Christmas day, Boxing day and New years day this year, we will be finishing slightly earlier on Christmas eve but only at 3pm, we have found over the last few years that people still require our services and as we are the only chandlery open people come from miles away for emergency parts to keep their boats going over the festive break.

Its a grey day today and not very exciting so i haven't bothered to take any pictures, and the work being done by everyone isn't very exciting either so no pictures of that either! Lee is busy putting the final touches to Silhouette in the painting dock, James is blacking Ember, Mick is doing gas safety work on the hire fleet while Paul is doing a complete central heating installation on a boat, I will try and take some photos of that job as it progresses, Jay has been cleaning the holiday cottage today and Amanda is still sorting through the chandlery and making it tidier, David id busy doing David things and I have been catching up after my weekend off, so until tomorrow.

If any one is around on Christmas eve drop in and have a drink with us, i will even be buy you a drink!

Simon

The German market in Birmingham was excellent last night. There were thousands of people milling around admiring the decorations, browsing the stalls, eating and drinking. We then went for a walk to and around Gas Street basin. The trip/restaurant/party boats were doing a roaring trade. I counted five boats travelling back and forward from Old Turn Junction and Salvage turn. Following having a chat with the steerer of Anson the short journey was due to the cut still being frozen further on. We then finished the evening with a couple of pints in the warmth and welcoming of the Anchor at High Offley. Country life hey? Much better than being in a busy city...

I was surprised to wake up to the cut being frozen again this morning, it was only cat ice and melted by about 11am.

Paul's been getting Yelvertoft ready as she is going out tomorrow with one of her shared owners aboard. This is one of the boats that we drained down prior to the weather dropping below freezing some weeks ago, so it took him a little while to get the water through to all the places it needs to be and luckily she is void of leaks!

Mick's found Phoenix's boiler to have several holes in the water jacket. This is not caused by the cold weather as the system was antifreezed, but due to old age. So he has removed the boiler and I will source a replacement tomorrow.

We have had a slight move around in the basin today. Lion is now tied outside the shop ready for a Bubble diesel stove and heating system to be installed - starting tomorrow and I am sure you will have some pictures during the week.

Anyway, I'm having an early night tonight - so over to Simon for the rest of the week.

Hope the ice goes soon!

David

Well the ice maybe thawing but it's still pretty thick down the arm.

I've just come back into the office from docking a boat with Paul and Fred. It's taken over an hour to break all the ice that has piled up in front of the dock, just to get the one boat out and the other in. So now that's done Fred and his steam cleaner have set to with the task of pressure washing the boat and cleaning the dock out. The boat that we have docked is Ember, which is one of the new hire boats that we have going into the fleet in 2011 (see www.norburyhire.co.uk). You'll probably be hearing much more about her over the coming weeks as once her bottom is blacked, she is going in the Wet dock to be painted.

The huge table top sized pieces of ice that were in the dry dock when we last put a boat in there, actually hadn't melted at all! Whilst the dock was flooded today we took the opportunity to float them all out into the arm.

Silhouette's coming along a treat in the wet dock. Her cabin top only requires a final coat of top coat and then she is complete. All she will need then is a clean before her next owners take her out on the 24th.

Bernard's busying himself with changing a drive plate and engine mounts on Willoughby. Then following an engine service and an clean through on the inside her winter maintenance will also be complete, meaning she will also be ready for her next owners at the end of the month.

Mick's working through all of our boats to get the gas appliances serviced, a gas check completed and certificate issued. That will be keeping him busy at least for the next month, but I am sure a few jobs will crop up along the way to slow progress down!

We've had two boats on the wharf for services today, so that proves that boats are moving once again.

I'm off to the German Market in Birmingham tonight, so will catch you all in the morning!

David

Its finally thawing!!

At long last most of the snow has gone, the ice is melting and we have even seen a boat come through today which has broken the last of the lingering ice, its been two weeks since we had the first snow fall and the low temperatures started, it seems like months! we can now try and catch up with the backlog of work, we will be able to free the boats from the docks over the weekend.

Thanks Karen, sorry but you have missed my blue knees knocking but I might give you a special viewing if you ask really nicely!

Nothing exciting has happened today, it has been quite bust as Angela didn't come to work today as her dog died in the night and she was really upset, he was quite old but it came as a bit of a shock as he died in the night in his basket so she had a bit of a shck this morning.

I'm off this weekend to do some Crimbo shopping so its over to David to keep you up to speed with what's going on over the weekend.

Simon

apologies

Let me apologise for my lack of attention to detail. it is not that I cant spell or that my eyesight is poor, it is because I work so hard that by the time I get home I am that tired that I don't always see something obvious, so for all of you that are in the same position as me and missed it yesterday, it should have said sunny and not sunnt! Thank you to Angela and David for pointing it out to me today!

Well the sun came out today and the temperature reached a massive 5 degrees, I nearly got my shorts out, Hey girls I bet you would have been rushing down to Norbury to see that? Has the thaw finally arrived? no chance, the canal is still well and truly frozen over, I broke the ice again today and what I broke yesterday had frozen last night and was very difficult, it doesn't help when the ice is in layers from the ice breaking the day before, I didn't go as far today, just around the basin, hopefully it wont freeze tonight.

Its been another quiet day again today, the motor home came back, Bernard has had to get a boat ready that is going out the weekend, Fred has been helping Lee with the painting of Silhouette, painting the water tank on a couple of boats and generally mooching around the yard doing odd jobs, Jay has been painting the kitchen, David has been doing what ever David does (when someone finds out what he does will they let me know) There are plenty of other people here but i don't tell you what they do as its things like cleaning and paperwork.

Thanks John and Brenda for your email and kind words, i know what you mean about being "technophobe" i am still getting used to this computer thing!

Sorry no pictures today, nothing exciting to take any pictures of, so until tomorrow, Simon

sunnt day but cold

Its been another quiet day at Norbury but work goes on as normal, well as normal as can be under the circumstances! I have braved the sub zero temperatures and managed some ice breaking today, broke all the ice in the basin, got right down the arm and all the way up the moorings to free the stuck boats so they can get down to the water point to get some water, they have been without for two weeks.

Lee has been busy removing the grit from the roof of Silhouette, Fred has been helping and doing the water tank while Bernard has been doing the winter engine service on another shared boat.

David did take a couple of pictures but the internet was down most of the day so im typing this from the comfort of my arm chair at home.

Until tomorrow

Simon