Tuesday 19th April
Yesterday we had a very good trip, travelling 7 miles and 4 locks from Derwent Lock to Swarkestone. The weather was superb for cruising being bright, warm and calm. We did the journey in 4 hours which was good considering 2 of the locks were against us. Well, Aston Lock was against us and at Swarkestone Lock we got gazumped by a Canaltime boat. I could see the lock was empty as we approached but by the time I got off the boat and on to the lock they had started filling it.
This was only a short delay and didn’t really matter. We were able to moor in exactly the spot we wanted for doing the painting so that was brilliant. Having moored up we went off to the Crewe and Harpur to sit in the sun by the Trent with a beer. Lovely.
When we got back after the pub I became all productive and started by touching up the blacking which has a habit of disappearing at the drop of a hat, cleaned front doors (something I don’t do very often!) and cleaned the windows. I also cleaned the new cratch board and the glass. Just as well as I have just found out the new cratch cover is being fitted tomorrow.
Wednesday 20th April
Today has been another very good day. We have sanded down and painted the port side of the boat under the gunwales. Ken did the sanding and rollering and I did the cutting in. I have also done some remedial work to the paintwork on the gas locker lid which I wrecked by kneeling on it before it was dry when I painted it a few weeks ago!
Another visit to the pub and another sit by the river was on the cards this afternoon as the weather has been lovely again.
The second coat for under the gunwales was sheduled for tomorrow but a call from the cratch cover man has put some of it on hold because he can’t work on the front if the paint is wet. I will just have to do half way from the back and do the rest later.
Also tomorrow Phil the boat painter is coming to look at the work we want done on on our signwriting and other bits and pieces of touching up which I aren’t competent to do.
