Whitley Lock Moorings
The height of wind today was meant to be around 4pm with gusts of around 40mph. We woke to waves on the canal and wished we’d moored facing the other way round as the waves were enjoying giving Oleanna’s stern a good slap. Last night we’d already decided not to head anywhere today, we’ve not got that far to go for our next deadline so waiting a day isn’t a problem.
Tilly had a go at liking the outside, but soon gave up and sat in front of the stove, Mick had to light it for her, although we felt the benefit of it too.
As the wind was due to get worse I decided to go for my walk early in the day, so as to avoid the worst affects of the fresh air. I looked at various routes. One to look at where the cooling towers of Eggborough Power Station had once stood. Another to West Haddlesey to look at the lock off the River Aire onto the Selby Canal from the opposite bank of the river. But these were all a bit too long. Another into Whitley village to see what it was like, but to not back track on myself would have meant too many miles again.
Instead I opted to walk across the field behind the mooring, up to High Eggborough, a handy post box here. Then along a footpath through a pig farm. Lots of ladies snuffling the ground or sheltering in their arks.
The path came out at Great Heck. I’ve heard lots of good reports about The Bay Horse Inn here, real ale and good food, although only the usual gluten free options of steak or gammon, so I won’t be rushing here for a pub meal.
Back to the canal and then I retraced my steps onto the towpath. By now the wind was really quite strong. I opted to walk to the side of the footpath just in case I got blown over, then I might not land in the water. Two fishermen sat huddled up, one without any shelter, the other had at least found some bushes to hide behind. Blimey that wind was bitter!
After lunch Mick and I set to with a job a we’ve been putting off for ages. A new wheel under our corner cupboard. The original ones have a rubber wheel with a plastic centre. One of these had cracked and the plastic centre on one side had given up on holding up all our crockery sometime last year. This meant the cupboard was now grating along the floor as we move it in and out. Last year we found some castors that we thought we’d be able to use, the right diameter and we’d be able to remove the wheel to replace the broken one on the cupboard without having to remove the whole cupboard to get to the underside of it.
The cupboard was emptied of everything, then it was chocked up with some handy kindling to make removal of the old wheel easier. A new wheel was removed from it’s fixing and tried in the old one. Ahh the diameter was the same, but the thickness of the wheel was just that bit more and it would have to be forced into the fixing, but then it wouldn’t be able to turn freely!
The new wheels are all rubber, with a harder plastic centre to them. Could I shave off the centres to make them fit better? This meant digging out my work boxes from under the dinette to find a scalpel. I sliced off bits to reduce the width, then tried it again. Yep it fitted, phew! We now just needed to lift the cupboard a fraction to get the bolt through the middle. The cupboard was blocking the route to the back, so Mick walked round the outside of the boat, only to find we’d not unbolted the hatch, so there wasno access that way. In the end I laid on the floor with Mick’s feet positioned where there was any space, the lift was quick, bolt through, nut tightened, job done and now a small visible gap under the edge of the cupboard. I’ll have to try to tidy the floor up at some point now and disguise the scrapes.
The pull out drawer that has been disconnected for some time was screwed back onto the pull out cupboard, so finally the pan drawer pulls out again with it, also creating a good hidey-hole for Tilly, who’s been bemused at it not having a top to it.
It was still early and as I’d dug my work boxes out from under the dinette I got on with painting up three versions of a new colour scheme for Oleanna.
Top one is how she is now. Then two versions with cream cabin sides, one with blue stern and bow, the other all cream. I’d had reservations about having an all cream boat, but as soon as I started putting lines on the cabin sides it started to feel good, quite French really.
We looked at the schemes. Both agreeing on the one we preferred, but it raised other questions. Should the cabin ends be the same as the cabin sides? Should the well deck and stern be dark so as not to show up the mud so much? If we’re painting the mushroom vents, should we consider having coloured window frames? Should they be blue? Thank goodness we’ve got a year to think about it all!
As the stove had been lit most of the day, we utilised it’s heat and had jacket potatoes with the last of the roast chicken made into a coleslaw, very yummy.
Sock pair 63 had it’s ends woven in and pair 65 was cast on. I still need to finish off another pair, which is a slightly more complicated job, but that pair will hopefully be handed over from boat to boat in the next week.
The Campaign flotilla has split again. The lead boats were at The Globe near Leighton Buzzard this evening, the others I believe were at Fenny Stratford. Petition Link
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 dormant cat, 3.85 miles walked, 64 minutes briskly, 4pm, 6pm, 9pm it started to calm down, 56889656454567 white horses, 1 wheel fixed, 2 new colour schemes, 2 many new questions!