Just before we got back from our holiday to Scotland we contacted Tom at Gibson and Kentwright to see if there was any news on Oleanna’s repaint and if it would be worth keeping the hire car any longer, should we need to do a trip down to Redhill to see him. His reply was that they were not far off finishing the painting of the boat just ahead of us, then there is the putting it back together again. So it’s getting closer, however so is Easter! Tom thought that realistically we’d be looking at after the Easter break, the chap who moves the boats (and most probably Tom too) will be having a break as it’s school holidays.

So we still need to be patient for a bit longer. Timings will be getting tight for us soon as we have bookings for lodgers in the house. At the moment we still have a buffer zone, and another week over lapping the first lodger if needs be!

This time last year we were back on board and joining the flotilla on the Trent. Have to say when I left my community mosaic group on Monday after the clocks had sprung forward I really wanted to be back on the boat. Watching and reading about people’s cruises will have to do for now though.

Tilly revisited the vets and got the correct jab this time. They must alternate the vaccines and her card didn’t match her vet records. She got this one free, though, as it was their mistake. It had also been suggested that maybe she should have her blood pressure taken to check for various things now that she is over ten. As a few months ago Ziggy my brother’s cat, passed away I thought that maybe it would be worth having it done in case they come up with any early signs. Tilly was quite put out that an inch of her tail needed to be shaved. How is one meant to relax in such a situation? I reckon my pressure was through the roof! Green coat syndrome and all. I did check that the nurse wasn’t going to touch Tilly’s white tipped tail. It just looks like someone has taken a bite out of it now, but it’ll grow back Tilly! Apparently the vet will be in touch with the results, we’ve heard nothing as yet so I’m hoping no news is good news. Now her paperwork is correct she will be granted shore leave once we’re back on board.

Over the last few years it has been obvious that Tilly knows where she is when we move back onto Oleanna after a stint in the house. We do our best to moor up for her first shore leave with not too many other boats about and she comes home. This year we’ll see if she identifies Oleanna by colour, scent, as it will have been six months since she was last on board and Oleanna will be a different colour. Maybe we should keep her onboard for a few days so she finds her way back home?

In other news we can report that the first of this years Mikron shows is well worth a viewing. Top of the Wolds is about a mobile library in the East Riding, Yorkshire. True to form Mikron are touring the show around the East Riding, village halls and libraries before embarking on their usual tour on NB Tylseley. We got to see the show in Bempton a short train journey down the coast. Bempton is mostly known for its cliffs and puffins. We thoroughly enjoyed the show, a mixture of history, songs, modern dilemmas and a chance meeting with people I used to work with on the Yorkshire Moors made it even better.

Mikron’s second show this year is called Wensleydale Whey, about the cheese! Sadly I don’t think we’ll be in the right place at the right time to see it though. Whilst in Bempton we had time to look round Jose’s Antiques, a favourite for propping shows, it’s amazing what you can find there!

When we do get back onboard, we are wanting to head north, downstream on the River Trent to Yorkshire. Currently there is a failed culvert at Keadby Lock which connects the tidal river to the Stainforth and Keadby Canal. Because the culvert has failed the lock is hard to empty, so access to and from the lock is only possible when the river is either level with the canal or higher. Not too bad for cruisers who can push the tide, but not so helpful for narrowboats, as to reach the lock from the tidal river you’d have to push the tide as it came in. We have two other options, going round Trent Falls or the long way round, up the western side of the Pennines. CRT are suggesting the culvert may be mended sometime in May, I’m hoping that’s just before we want to use Keadby Lock.

Oleanna’s insurance has been renewed with Craft Insure. Mick double checked about our LiFePO4 batteries. These are fine so long as we have a lithium fire extinguisher on board. Mick did some research on the type of extinguisher and has purchased a 2 litre extinguisher (£51 including signs and delivery) which can be used on all types of fires. We now just need to find somewhere to store it on board! Of course should we have a battery fire on Oleanna, which is less likely than one from lead acid batteries, the extinguisher would only serve to validate our insurance as it would be too small for our batteries and anyhow we would grab Tilly and get off the boat rather than use the extinguisher!

New curtains have been made for the main cabin. They will need fitting once the new windows are in and the rails put back up. I’ve given them some tolerance to see if that makes any difference, a nicer vertical hammock for Tilly when she sits in the window. But they can be tightened up should they need be by adding another line of stitching. New bedroom curtains were made several years ago and have been kept in storage.

Next job is to purchase an escape ladder, one we can attach to the stern somewhere that can be deployed should one end up in the water.

That is all for now, hopefully when I next post, things will be starting to happen on the repaint .

Happy Easter everyone.