Wednesday, August 14, 2019

It's a breeze

I have sympathy with those unlucky folk who had to bear the rough weather at the Fairport Cropredy music festival.  Thursday was warm and sunny, but thereafter it got windier and windier.  Of course that meant that the sound of the music was conveniently blown towards Herbie safely nestled in the marina, so we could hear it all pretty clearly.  As they say, 'It's an ill wind . . . '  Actually, much as I am  a big music fan, I didn't hear much to get me excited this year.  Each to his own I suppose.

Herbie's new batteries went in ok, but I really ought to do something about the dog's breakfast of cables in the battery box - cables of the wrong length, connections for the solar panels, the inverter, the charger, the Smartgauge all jumbled up. Yuk.  I'll put it on the job list.   The next big job is blacking, but Andy at the marina is doing that at the beginning of September.

Our Morco is burning with a yellow flame so I've booked Clive, the local maintenance man to service it. 'Burners probably blocked by insects' he said.  A common occurrence apparently.

What with the batteries, the blacking and the Morco service, the old Herbie 'sinking fund' is taking a bit of a battering at the moment.  Everything seems to come at once.  Today I spend over 200 quid on car tyres, and the car tax is due.  It's a good job I got a royalty payout on my book this week - all 33p of it :-)

In a couple of weeks an old pal, Phil and friends are borrowing Herbie for  few days, so we've given her a good spring (well ok, summer) clean.  I hope Herbie behaves herself,.  I'll probably be nervous until they're safely back.  Should you spot the boat in last week in August, don't shout out 'Hello Neil/Kath', cos it won't be us.

Our youngest, Peter, is moving into his new flat over the next few days so we'll be up in Cambridge slapping the old emulsion on the walls before his furniture arrives. to clutter up the place.   Deep joy.  Please pray for a sunny September when we plan a longish cruise to recover from our travails.