18th July 2016
Today I allowed myself a bit of a lie in, as I wasn't moving the boat, but I had a lot of jobs to do on board before Joel and Shannon arrived on the train with Koko (our Border Terrier) at mid-day. Normally I wouldn't have the dog on board, but Leila is away with the Sacha and Ben, so if Joel wants to have a week on the boat, he has to bring the dog with.
First I went back to Littleport to get the van, deciding to cycle rather than motorbike. The folding Di-Blasi bike I bought is actually quite good, with 20" wheels and 7 gears and it rides quite well.... on the road that is. The only safe way back to the van was along the flood bank beside the river, and in places this was very overgrown and extremely hard going. The roads were 60mph, narrow and straight in the main, so cars would be very close and fly past at speed. Transport back to the van seems to be a continuous problem, I aim to try a variety of methods to see what works best, but the combination of a folding moped for longer journeys and a folding bike for shorter ones is the best so far. Arriving back in Ely, there is free parking all over the place, but cleverly designed to prevent commuters to Cambridge from leaving their cars parked all day. For example, the car park at the far end of the Quay is free except no parking at all from 8-9am, and the road leading to the car park is free except for no parking 10-11 am, so as long as you are actually there to move your car, there is no problem staying as long as you need.
Once back, I went over to the marina across from the quay. Their gas bottles were very reasonable, £22.00, so I bought one and walked it back on the bike carrier. However, their diesel was VERY expensive at £1.20 a litre, and they wanted £30.00 a night for visitor moorings. The little chandler in Ely was very good and had a few bits and pieces other than the gas regulator that I needed (don't they always?) including a folding plate drying rack. The boat is starting to feel more like a home all the time. Just like home, though, there were domestic jobs to do, and now that I had the van, I could drive up to the launderette and wash all the towels and bedding. While that lot was on, I emptied the bin, toilet tank, and did a small shop, keeping track of where Joel and Shannon had got to on the train. Went back to the launderette to dry the washing. The machines never spin fast enough, so the clothes always need a lot of drying. This just takes too long, not to mention all the 20p coins required, but it's the waiting that is really the problem.
Joel and Shannon arrived around mid-day, with a very bemused and tired Koko. It was really hot. She was totally confused about the boat, so we kept her under the trees and splashed her with water to keep her cool, while I stripped a load more excess fur off her to help her cope with the hot weather. The kids went off to have a cuddle under a tree, so I left them to it - young love! I also washed the right side of the boat, the bucket and sponge keeping me a bit cooler, and the sun having moved round so that the huge trees on the quay were able to give us some welcome shade all afternoon.
At around 1pm, Steve from Titan Boat Covers arrived to pattern the boat for a new canopy, as all the stitching is ripping out of the old original 10 year old one and it is coming to pieces. Basically he is a tailor. For boats. He had a huge roll of pattern paper, with which he made a template for a new cover. This has to be done bespoke because no boat is truly symmetrical and if you try and measure one side only, you will end up with a poor fitting lop-sided cover.
We had a lazy rest of the afternoon, wandering up to the town market square for fish and chips (only just in time - the shop shut at 7pm!) and back to the boat by 8:15 to sort out sleeping arrangements and make up the double in the front of the boat. Koko only needs showing once where her bed is, and she knows what to do. I am no different!
Today I allowed myself a bit of a lie in, as I wasn't moving the boat, but I had a lot of jobs to do on board before Joel and Shannon arrived on the train with Koko (our Border Terrier) at mid-day. Normally I wouldn't have the dog on board, but Leila is away with the Sacha and Ben, so if Joel wants to have a week on the boat, he has to bring the dog with.
First I went back to Littleport to get the van, deciding to cycle rather than motorbike. The folding Di-Blasi bike I bought is actually quite good, with 20" wheels and 7 gears and it rides quite well.... on the road that is. The only safe way back to the van was along the flood bank beside the river, and in places this was very overgrown and extremely hard going. The roads were 60mph, narrow and straight in the main, so cars would be very close and fly past at speed. Transport back to the van seems to be a continuous problem, I aim to try a variety of methods to see what works best, but the combination of a folding moped for longer journeys and a folding bike for shorter ones is the best so far. Arriving back in Ely, there is free parking all over the place, but cleverly designed to prevent commuters to Cambridge from leaving their cars parked all day. For example, the car park at the far end of the Quay is free except no parking at all from 8-9am, and the road leading to the car park is free except for no parking 10-11 am, so as long as you are actually there to move your car, there is no problem staying as long as you need.
Once back, I went over to the marina across from the quay. Their gas bottles were very reasonable, £22.00, so I bought one and walked it back on the bike carrier. However, their diesel was VERY expensive at £1.20 a litre, and they wanted £30.00 a night for visitor moorings. The little chandler in Ely was very good and had a few bits and pieces other than the gas regulator that I needed (don't they always?) including a folding plate drying rack. The boat is starting to feel more like a home all the time. Just like home, though, there were domestic jobs to do, and now that I had the van, I could drive up to the launderette and wash all the towels and bedding. While that lot was on, I emptied the bin, toilet tank, and did a small shop, keeping track of where Joel and Shannon had got to on the train. Went back to the launderette to dry the washing. The machines never spin fast enough, so the clothes always need a lot of drying. This just takes too long, not to mention all the 20p coins required, but it's the waiting that is really the problem.
Joel and Shannon arrived around mid-day, with a very bemused and tired Koko. It was really hot. She was totally confused about the boat, so we kept her under the trees and splashed her with water to keep her cool, while I stripped a load more excess fur off her to help her cope with the hot weather. The kids went off to have a cuddle under a tree, so I left them to it - young love! I also washed the right side of the boat, the bucket and sponge keeping me a bit cooler, and the sun having moved round so that the huge trees on the quay were able to give us some welcome shade all afternoon.
At around 1pm, Steve from Titan Boat Covers arrived to pattern the boat for a new canopy, as all the stitching is ripping out of the old original 10 year old one and it is coming to pieces. Basically he is a tailor. For boats. He had a huge roll of pattern paper, with which he made a template for a new cover. This has to be done bespoke because no boat is truly symmetrical and if you try and measure one side only, you will end up with a poor fitting lop-sided cover.
We had a lazy rest of the afternoon, wandering up to the town market square for fish and chips (only just in time - the shop shut at 7pm!) and back to the boat by 8:15 to sort out sleeping arrangements and make up the double in the front of the boat. Koko only needs showing once where her bed is, and she knows what to do. I am no different!
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