After recent days of domestic pottering- dead heading flowers in the garden and putting the first undercoat on the Buckby can (here it is as far as I’ve got. Ignore the colours, they may be different at the finish, although it’s already close to Herbie livery so may be not. . . )
I’ve also been trying to practice painting some canal roses but so far I’m rubbish at it. Oakie did some brilliant ones a while back.
Where was I? Oh yes. I have three rather more exciting days in prospect starting tomorrow. Sadly it also means getting out of bed rather earlier than I am accustomed to these days, as I have to be at Adelaide dock in Southall at 8am tomorrow for the first day of my RYA helmsman certificate training which is being provided by CRT to allow me to be a volunteer boat mover. At last I might find out how I should have been operating a canal boat all this time. I suspect I might get ticked off for some of my bad habits. Some readers will no doubt have done such a course in the past, but for those who haven’t I’ll try to report on anything interesting that crops up.
The course is two days, so what is my third exciting day? Well, it’s off topic, but I might as well report on that too. On Thursday we’re going up to Stratford (upon Avon) to visit a guitar shop. After buying Maffi’s old Squier Stratocaster a year ago I have been bitten by the solid electric guitar bug and now I want to get a rather posher one. (I’m sure Maffi won’t be offended that having really really enjoyed his cast off, I now want to move up the ladder a bit.) I am a bit of an occasional sufferer from GAS (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome), having bought quite a few in the past. Some of my good friends are now enjoying ones that I have passed on. Why all the way to Stratford? My researches have led me there. In my experience you want to be careful who you buy a guitar from. Guitars need careful setting up to give of their best and a lot of shops are rubbish at it. Of course I may well come away empty handed but I do have my eye on a nice G&L Tribute S500.
2 comments:
From what I've read and heard, plus in one case seen with my own eyes, not all RYA instructors seem to be fully versed in the best way to operate on the canals/a canal boat, so don't be too quick to accept it if they say you're doing it wrong (but keep mum and get the ticket!)
Thanks for the plug Neil. My roses have improved a little, but still not to my satisfaction. Try Phil Speight's DVD?
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