Wednesday 16 May 2012

Something for the weekend, Sir


Went down to Darley last night and swept out all the inside of the hold.  Just as I had finished, I heard a distant ‘engine’ and looking down the cut towards the junction I could see Andrew and Andrea with Dove and Achilles on the water point.  Andrew walked up and said they were going to moor on the grass opposite Darley so I told him to bring them up and moor abreast Darley and Chris Shenton’s boat, which they did.
 (Photo Andrew & Andrea)
We sat chatting until it was almost dark before I went home.  Well it’s all coming together, finally.  All the inside of the hold is finished, side red oxided, bottom panels blacked and all the running gear has been given a coat of red oxide.
So now for the outside, bows and counter need painting, top cloth needs taking off and scrubbing to get rid of the winter messages from the pigeons that roost in the huge tree over the bows, outside cabin brasses need a damn good clean and all this needs to be done before Etruria in 3weeks time. Then yesterday Dawn gets a message inviting us down to Alvecote this Saturday to celebrate Matt’s birthday.  So it was decided to move Darley down there over the next three nights as it is about a 10 hour trip we can split this into three 3+hour trip each evening so tonight I moved her from our mooring at Great Haywood down to Crown bridge, passing Armitage Shank's wors in Armitage which always reminds me of the scene from the film 'The Bargee' where the boats pass the factory with all the girls hanging out the windows shouting "where's Hemmel".
Tommorow night we will take her somewhere around Huddlesford and then Friday to Alvecote for the celebrations.  Whoopee some boating at last.
Don’t bang ‘em about
Blossom.

No comments:

Post a Comment