My New Favourite Seat

Well . . . someone had to keep an eye on it!

From Overheat to Comfy Heat!

Well that was an eventful few weeks!  Last week the time finally came to take Roma Jean to Semington Docks again to have her woodburner installed and after so many beautiful weekends of sunshine, of course, the minute we have to take her out, it's freezing cold and blowing a gale!  Then, as if chattering teeth and driving up the canal sideways against the wind wasn't enough, we broke down!  So, we duly abandoned ship and walked the rest of the way. 

Luckily for us, we seem to know lots of lovely people and two of you in particular, (you know who you are), came and rescued us and turned a pretty shoddy day into a very pleasant evening.  So huge, huge thankyous to you!  The other lovely people I feel I should mention are those at Semington Docks who rescued Lily for us, got her going again and drove her the remainder of the way to the docks, so that the engine could be fixed and the fire installed as planned.  Huge thankyous to you to!

So today we were able to collect her and bring her back home, despite more wind and a lot of rain, with a working engine and a woodburner with the beefiest flue and chimney we've ever seen!!!! Horay!!!

. . . and . . . RELAX!

Fireplace!!!!!!

Another milestone and a job that I've been dreading for ages was the fireplace, which had to go in as Lily is booked in next week to have the woodburner fitted.  So as usual, and with much planning, it was left to the last minute!

But . . . it is now practically finished with just a few bits of beading and varnishing left to do and looking pretty nifty if I may say so myself?!

Here are some photos showing the fireplace taking shape.

The Wharf

Graham found a new toy to play with so here's a panoramic view of the wharf with Lily in the foreground.

Still Around

I'm also happy to report that our resident swans are still regularly camped out on the path next to Lily.  Looks like there's only one young one left now, hopefully the other two have found new homes elsewhere on the cut.

A Step In The Right Direction

After spending the whole of last summer launching ourselves into the front of Lily at much cost to our pride and knees, it was very definitely time to build a step.  This was a little project that took way longer than anticipated.  Basically we just needed a box, but this box had to be sturdy enough to take the weight of clumsy men and bouncy toddlers.  So, on the inside our elegant little step looks more like something capable of housing dynamite yet still has room inside to store stuff - satisfyingly multi-purpose!  

Almost Looks Like A Room!

After much collection of rust and dust in hair, copious red oxiding and precarious balancing of ply on heads, the first two sheets of ceiling are up and varnished!  There is still some beading to go up to make it tidy but after the first epic cleaning of the windows and putting up of the curtains we certainly now have our first glimpse of home!

Proper Walls

With no more fear of wet wood and floors, we were able to start on the ply panels above the gunwales. This has made a huge difference to the inside.  It is a tantalising glimpse of how Lily will look when the fit-out is complete and makes me dream of the day when we can wash the covering off the windows and have proper curtains up and she'll feel like home!

The Trouble With Windows

The one big problem we've had all the way along is the windows.  They have always leaked and in truth, all need replacing but that is a huge expense that is totally out of the question right now.  So, the big question has been, what to do about them in the mean time?  We re-sealed them which has helped but the problem would not go away completely.

Then, one day, as we were standing there pondering this question for the umpteenth time, Graham did what Graham does best, and starting cracking jokes about indoor guttering and suddenly we struck genius!  Indoor guttering turned out to be exactly what we needed, there was already a natural slope in the boat as the stern always sits lower in the water.  The leaks are not massive so all we needed was membrane to take the water drips from the window to the gutter and the whole thing sits neatly under the gunwales and behind the ply panels.

I will never dismiss Graham's jokes again!!!

. . . And Relax!

Speed Varnishing

Well, this weekend's goal was to get most of the walls screwed on and varnished up to the gunwales and I am pleased to say, this was achieved.  They looked pretty good on the walls when they were just plain ply but 3 coats of yacht varnish later, they really look like walls . . . very pleased, despite the solvent headache!

Our Resident Heron!

Brass that Now Looks Like Brass

Graham has apparently found a new skill.  He managed to turn our very sad looking mushroom vent, (which we didn't even realise was brass!) into a shiny golden bubble, very pleasing!

So this . . . 

became this!

And then, 'cos he was so good at it, he did the same thing to Lily's bell!

The Turquoise is Gone!

Finally did it!  We re-tiled the shower room which is no longer just a tiled room, it turned out to be a bit of a nightmare of a mosaic!  Very small space requiring a ridiculous amount of funny shaped tiles, but at least it's no longer turquoise . . . it is black and white and looking a whole lot better.  A few more finishing touches to be done, but the worst bit is definitely over.

The missing floor board.

Next we fitted a very heavy floor board down over the bedroom floor. Took some jiggling to get it in there, but we did it in the end.  No more tip-toeing over the ballast, hooray!  Plus we put our spare steps in from the stern so we no longer have to make the leap of death every time we come in.  These are a temporary measure until the bed and mini spiral staircase are made.  This was a very exciting piece of progress that deserved an unscheduled dinner at the pub.

WALLS!!!

At last, the ply has arrived and we can start putting the walls back. Makes such a difference having smooth walls, our rooms are finally beginning to look like rooms!

Early attempts at making her feel homely!

We will be warm!

Remember this?

Finally we have insulation between us and the steel . . .  and after a shaky start . . . 

. . .  we ended up with this . . . !

Some of our neighbours!

The poor old cratch cover was ripped to shreds so a very nice man made us a new one to keep the well deck nice and dry.  Almost finished.

Rotten cratch frame

Old cratch cover

View from bow doors with the new cratch cover and anchor.

A narrowboat just wouldn't be a narrowboat without some greenery!

To the loo

Lily's bathroom was quite something to behold!  What is it with bathrooms and turquoise?  The old pump-out toilet, which we don't intend to bring back into use is being covered up and turned into a tiled shelf area and much needed space to put stuff.  We also made a tiled wash stand to put the huge, shiny new basin on and keep the cassette toilet under.

BEFORE

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

Looking better already, the turquoise will go, I promise!

Progress in the kitchen

The kitchen had to be extended and raised slightly to allow for a bigger sink to be put in.  This took way longer than it should have but I'm sure will be worth it in the end.  After laying a new counter top, we have started the tiling on the work surfaces and plumbed in the new sink and tap. Running water is very exciting when you haven't had it for a while!

BEFORE

AND AFTER

We already have the new cooker which will go in next to the work top.

 and a very rough mock-up of how the kitchen will be laid out.

Water pump -  fascinating bit of plumbing!