Monday 29^th October 2018

We stopped where we were at Hawkesbury Junction. The day started out with a very hard frost. The winter seems to have come suddenly. The fire had gone out overnight and it was very cold to start. Despite this, in the afternoon, I was painting outside in a t-shirt.

                                         Hawkesbury Junction, Coventry Canal left, Oxford Canal right                                                                 

  

                                                                       The Greyhound, Hawkesbury Junction

The stove does not meet regulations but, had we not known this, we would no doubt have just used it. However, we find we are being very cautious using the stove and do not build the fire up too much. A stove of the type we have should thoroughly warm a boat the size of ours, but because we are being cautious, it only warms the back of the boat because we are limiting the size of fire.

As we have said before, damn Graeme Cunliffe. 

We have decided to put up with the stove for the winter but address it next year and have the installation redone.

We try to use the stove as much as possible as coal is cheaper than diesel, and logs are free. When we use the stove there is little, or no, condensation. However, when we use the heating the condensation is very bad and the windows just drip with water. We were very disappointed with this as we had paid a lot of money to have double-glazed windows and portholes on the understanding these would stop any condensation. The window and porthole frames are formed from MDF, the only MDF used in the build of the boat. With the amount of condensation, despite Brenda continuously wiping up the drops of water, the MDF is beginning to delaminate and split. Another problem we will have to address, but not one we would expect from a boat less than 6 months old.

Brenda went to find a pharmacy to build up a stock. The swelling in her neck had worried the two of us, and so she is building a supply for any eventuality. She found the area not very nice. Full of all nationalities and the pharmacy had at least half dozen people in for Malaria medication prior to returning “home” for Christmas. While she didn’t feel threatened or nervous, she was uncomfortable and relieved to get back to the boat.

God bless our country and all who live here.

I stopped with the boat and got a number of jobs done. The back doors, and frame, were at last sanded and varnished. The engine room deck board had been sticking for some time so this was cut to size. And the port side was blackened, the boat having been knocked about passing through so many tunnels recently. We have also fitted a poppy on to the front cratch.

The boat behind us had problems with his engine overheating. He had been on the 7 day moorings for 10 days and was worrying. It turned out he had a new water pump fitted recently and the engine had been overheating since. I found a number of jubilee clips on water pipes that were loose and the hoses dripping, lots of sludge within his cooling water system and his skin tank 30% full of air.

Harvey settled into the boat very quickly. He has however, become very jumpy with any sudden noise. Brenda was using the vacuum cleaner which sent him into a panic, he caught his paw on the front step and ripped a claw clean out. There was a lot of blood. He is such a trusting little dog though, that he just lay and let Brenda treat him.

Tomorrow we move down to Coventry Basin. The 5½ miles do not have a good reputation so we are going to move at first light. One side of the canal is classed as Coventry, which had their half term last week, but the other side is Bedworth who are on half term this week. It doesn’t seem to sit right, that we have to think this way, but unfortunately, on a boat you do. It certainly wouldn’t come into the equation living a house. Almost an “Assault on Precinct 13” mentality.

Weather: a hard frost in the morning, but a lovely afternoon.