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Website started 24th February 2000

Moving House twice in three months. Starboard cabin side battens fixed in place. September to December 1993.

First two weeks of September.

Oh boy. ! . Have we been busy. Ruth starts her new job Monday 13th September. First big problem was her car failed its MOT. A family member had kindly given it to us to help us get through as they had now bought Dad’s car. Dad had given up driving. We only need this car to get us through the first 6 months say – but cost of replacement wheel arm/drum and bearings would be £300+vat etc. Lance did a fantastic job of welding up the bracket at the back end of the door sill/suspension. Fortunately the bracket itself was saveable, and it now had some strengthening plates welded to it. Sikaflex was used to make a replacement rubber bearing, but unlike wood which soaks moisture , the metal kept the moisture in and we were having kittens trying to get the sikaflex to go off etc. Meanwhile we were trying to finish off the final painting inside and outside of our property so we could get it on the market. Estate Agents were coming round Saturday morning (tomorrow). Along with other smaller jobs to do on the car , it was Friday before it was ready for the MOT again. We then covered the whole backend with underseal. Could not take it back to the same garage, as they would look straight at the work we had done, so armed with a £5 discount voucher from the newspaper we tried another garage. Lance nearly passing out as the MOT got underway. Tension mounted. It has passed, they said. Phew. Relief melted from our body. The certificate in hand, we almost forgot which way to go home. It was now 17:00pm Friday afternoon , and once home we rang up and sorted out  the insurance for the car. 

Friday 10^th evening was spent tidying all the tools up in the car and van, and preparing them both to be driven down to the boat Saturday. Our home was prepared for Lance and Peppy's sleeping and well-being, and we visited local family as we would not being seeing them for a while. This done and blow us , if the phone rang at 9:30am Saturday morning, the estate agents would like to view our place this morning, so it was arranged for 11:00am. Lance was still in bed, on the bed settee in the lounge, as the bedroom was full of stuff ready for moving. The Estate Agent lady quite liked our place, especially as we had painted, so will have to wait and see what happens. This done a letter was quickly got off to our solicitors to ask for his services, quick bit of shopping done, left the food etc for Peppy for the weekend, and then Lance driving the car, Ruth the van, we set off 13:00pm for the Boat. Ruth shed some tears on leaving, not knowing if she would get back here again. Good times have been had here – time now to move on. All was going well, topped up the car with petrol, and half way -–just onto the motorway it was noticed whiteish smoke coming from under the car. At the earliest opportunity pulled the van and car over, and it was oil drips, it appears, from the oil filler cap, dripping down onto the hot engine. Dried it up with Tissues, then Ruth took over driving the car. It is like a noddy car compared with the van.1/2 hour later the temperature gauge came on and stayed on!. Oh no. Suspected though oil was dripping onto the oil pressure gauge, and if that is faulty/shorted the temperature gauge takes over. Stopped and dried it all up and set off again. 3 hours later we were not far from the boat and the temperature and oil lights were flickering on and the engine was cutting out as if idling too low. It was not doing our new suspension bracket any good – using handbrake before putting car into drive (it was an automatic) , but it was the only way we could cope – conking out on roundabouts was highly embarrassing. The car had run ok back home & it had been timed etc, but for some reason now it was all to pot again. Spent rest of the Saturday evening messing about trying to get the timing better, but it only seemed to run well with the choke out a fraction.!. We both are patient people, but this car was beating it. 20:00pm it was pitch black and cold., we called it a day and went down to the pub. It was the Southampton Boat show this week as well!. Looks like we are going to have to miss it this year. Went out in the car this evening. It ran fine, and must play up when it gets too hot, but then we had replaced the rocker cover washers, which had now made a better seal, and thus the warning lights are not flashing as the pressure must be adequate now. Not much else done on the boat. Just checked all was ok and checked over jobs to be doing next etc.

13/9/93

Ruth took off to start her new job - with the car, and Lance returned home for Peppy, and to keep things ticking over there.

17/9/93

Having viewed two rented properties, arrived about 20:30pm. Both of us hardly eaten all week, Lance living on milk and peaches, Ruth on milkless Tea and chips. Off to the pub we went for thirst quenching drink, plus catch up on the latest news etc.

18/9/93

Difficult to start working today. So much is happening, so much is not happening, so much we are not sure whether it should happen or not. Did some food shopping, and Ruth's washing at the launderette local to the Boat. Got tools out and made progress with port cabin/cockpit frontage corner section. It is the last day of the boat show today, but neither of us had felt up to going. Very cold this evening. The marina pub was on the cards in the evening to thaw out. Sorted out a disturbing grind/creak on the car. A front torsion bar rubber had walked out of place. This was corrected this and, no more noise. Need to replace the car ASAP.

19/9/93

John H here about 11:00am, to mow down the weeds and grass. Problem is it is too wet still. The weeds etc really need a good rotovator to rid the roots. Did a bit of sanding yesterday on the plugs aft end of the portside cabin lattes. Continuing with pieces of ply to fill up the cockpit inner corner area. We had been plagued with wasps and earwigs this weekend. Decided to pack up about 14:00pm and go have another look at a property we'd been given the opportunity to rent. 

9/10/93

Accepted the rented property. Not too far for Ruth traveling to work by car. Spent the next two weekends moving house. Moonlight shifts and twilight shifts – boy were we tired now. Come down the boat today though – especially to square up the rent. We had not been expected this weekend. Field was touch muddy, but we coped. Lots of rabbit tods scattered over the carpets outside the workshop. The rabbit must have been dancing with agony. Nothing done Saturday – just checked everything ok. Sunday made a start on epoxying in place the portside deck ply sections. Temperature is hovering above 10/12. May just get away with it. John H here planting a row of christmas trees along the far edge of the field. Cannot put them too near the neighbours pigs though – they eat anything. By 17:00pm 4 pieces of portside deck ply in place. Used 6+7+7+7 squirts of epoxy (27 in total). Replenished the acetone can and microfibres then packed up for our new rented home.  Journey cut down from 3hours to just over an hour now.  It is very pleasant now as the roads travelled to the boat are country roads, and very little of thundering down dual carriageways. Not so tiring either.

Weekends 23/10/93 and 30/10/93

Things are happening fast. We have had an offer on our property. The sold sign went up 20^th October. The valuer for the buyers viewed the property on the 29^th October. We have now put a deposit on a new house, just a mile from Ruth's job, we won't need the car then. All we need now is the paperwork to successfully go through in time for Christmas. Visited our property and finished off all the small outstanding jobs there. Arrived at the boat evening, had visit to Marina bar.

31/10/93

Brushed down the boat, checked all ok. Need some proper polythene, tarpaulin sheets to cover the boat and to double up the sides to keep the heat in. Quite cold today only 8degrees. Decided not much we can do anyway therefore we will tidy up and call back and see our new house again. 

6/11/93

No rabbit tods on the carpets this weekend. Rabbits do not scatter their tods anyway – only humans!. Nailed latte back which had been holding the tarpaulin up over the outside workbench. It had been removed and was lying under the bench!. Mild today 10degrees. May get away with epoxying. Decided to tackle the starboard cabin side lattes. All were taken off, the area swept , then acetoned. Found bug eggs in one area behind the lattes. Earwigs get into any crack and gap as well. A real nuisance. Is it 12:00 noon and tea-time. Sun did not shine at all today. Made up 40+ mahogany plugs. Temperature still not rising, and too cold to epoxy. Not much else we can do either. Shame.

13/11/93

Wet, damp and miserable start to the day. Temperature only 8degrees. Decided to not drop the sheets anymore and put the little fire atop the coachroof – to try and raise the temperature. Fire was lit and decided to just do the upright lattes, then the lowest of the horizontal lattes, then the pieces of deck ply. Started all about 12:45pm, and with the lattes in place, plus one piece of ply, time for tea at 15:30pm. Then managed to stick in place the next piece of deck ply. Cannot do anymore – now need more epoxy. Used approx. 6+6+7+7+8+8 = 42 squirts. 17:30pm got a chinese. 18:30 fell asleep. 21:30pm woke up and changed and off to the pub. 02:00am back to sleep again.Ended up being mild tonight though and after having got into bed fully clothed, we consequently got so warm – both felt dehydrated.

14/11/93

Sun shining this morning, cold wind though. Redid some of the polythene hanging atop the workshop. Secured it down better, and filled a few more gaps with newspaper. It is not going to get warmer now. Small air hole at the inner edge of a piece of ply we had epoxied yesterday therefore mixed a small quantity of epoxy and filled the minute hole before any bugs discover it.

20/11/93

Big freeze up – stayed at home. Sensible move.

27/11/93

Sunny but bitter at the boat. Only 10degrees. Too cold for epoxy. Got some epoxy ready for next session of gluing.

28/11/93

Chill factor today incredibly low. Must be –20 today. Too cold to do anything – headed back to view our new house again.

4/12/93

Friday was hectic. We had to dash off to complete the paperwork on our property sale. Ruth full of cold, Lance going down with it on Sat/Sun. Tension over the buying/selling/moving taking its toll and we could not concentrate enough to start any jobs. 

11/12/93 thru 25/12/93

Our selling and buying having gone through successfully , we moved from the rented house to our new house on 22^nd December. Yes three days before Christmas. We moved ourselves, in the Van. We walked miles up and down stairs, shifting tons of tools, materials and possessions. Even peppy sat content in the front of the van, without his lead, for the journey. Probably thinking about mice. A ride in the van in the past has meant Mice at the boat !.

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