Not being able to return the hire car on a Sunday we made use of it to visit Oleanna. The small car was packed full with things that we don’t need on land anymore. This consisted mostly of my work things, model making boxes, card supplies, scene painting brushes and my sewing machine.

All the snow from Saturday had melted overnight, the trip over the Wolds was still quite wet and blustery. The amount of rain that has fallen over the last few days meant that the ground around the marina was very squelchy.

During the week Mick had noticed that Oleanna had been plugged back into the electric, so she should be back on her new pontoon. There she was tucked in with a new neighbour, or maybe our new neighbour was there whilst their pontoon gets renewed.

The car remained full of stuff, only our pack up lunch came in doors straight away. First job was to get the heating on and the stove lit. Both were soon kicking out heat.

As we came in I’d opened some of the curtains, these felt stiff on their rods. The front door is slightly swollen and needs a confident tug to open or close it. Then I noticed whilst sitting on the sofa that it felt damp. A look around the interior of Oleanna confirmed that she was really quite damp all round.

Where we’d brushed the cupboards coming in you could see where dampness had been wiped off! Oh blimey! Was this down to not enough ventilation? Sudden temperature changes with the storms? We leave the electric heating to come on when the temperature drops, had being unplugged for a week been the probelm? What she needed was warmth and a good airing.

With a layer of moisture on every surface I made use of it to give the painted walls and ceiling a good wipe down. This was on the list of jobs to do today as we were here to give her a good clean. The mushroom vent grills also got a clean along with the light fittings in the ceiling.

Outside the weather deteriorated. Major wind and torrential rain battered away outside meaning Oleanna would only get extra ventilation with having the front and back doors open but with all the covers closed. Gradually things started to dry out. The rain also meant Mick wouldn’t be changing the oil, a job now most probably put off until we move back on board.

Lunch by the closed hatch again, but with the stove lit which was nice. The fire burned away, keeping us warm but also helping to cure the coat of stove paint I’d applied on our last visit. This can give off fumes, so having the front and back doors open helped dissipate the smell.

Storage under the dinette was sorted through and tidied. The bathroom had a jolly good clean. Mick clean the work tops in the galley and then set to work on the metal blind behind the cooker. Grease and dust had taken hold so this was quite a labour of love, sadly our blind dusting tool couldn’t cope with it all and two of it’s three prongs detached themselves from the handle.

Various items that hadn’t been used last year were piled up to be returned to the house. The book shelves now half empty meaning there would be space for our lateral flow test boxes (whilst we still have them!).

All the damp traps in the bedroom cupboards were emptied of water and refilled with crystals. The other items that seem to collect moisture are bottles, both plastic and glass. They were wiped down and left in the shower tray where any new condensation moisture could do little harm.

Time was getting on, there was still more we wanted to do, but not having a key to the gate of the marina meant we had to make our exit sooner rather than later. The floor and kitchen cupboards would have to wait for our next visit.

The mattress was brought through and sat on the dinette, allowing the bed base and mattress to air better. Then we emptied the car, not enough time to take the stern steps out to access the storage where I keep my paint brushes.

Electrics were turned off, taps left open, gas turned off in the gas locker and another shovel of coal was added to the fire. The vents were all turned down as we do most evenings when we’re on board. Our hope is that the remaining heat will help dry things out a touch more so we wont return to a similar damp boat next time.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 day spring cleaning, 1 damp boat, 1 big bag rubbish, 1 box to return to the house, 5 boxes lateral flow tests, 6 hours of heat, 1 stove curing, 1 blind immaculate, 1 un-named storm, 2 boaters starting to watch the river levels, 1 boat cat all ready to pack her toys, there are so many we may need a butty for them!