It’s been a week of work (on the boat also) and a weekend of moving. I’m merging both days into one for this one as there is not a lot.. and we ended up back where we started as we only planned for a services run.
We ran out of gas several days ago.. so that means that the hob and oven is dead until A) I get paid!.. B) We get to Cropredy to get two bottles. I had hoped that it would last the month and then I can get them swapped out along with a full tank of diesel – but no.
However: It’s winter.. and that means the fires lit.. so.. cooking has moved to the living room and the evening means are being prepared on the log burner. It does mean that I need to wait a few hours before the kettle boils for my morning coffee.. but that’s what has to be done. Cooking is a little “hit -n- miss” also.. as distributed heat from a log burner is a bit of a skill I have yet to master!.. ” Errmm.. I’m sorry.. Who has to master! “
Due to the prospect of needing to make the diesel last until the end of the the month, I also – finally (say’s Anna) – got to sort out the Internet Router power supply which means we dont need to run the Inverter (and it’s overhead draining the batteries faster – as to provide power it has to use power – so if the only thing it’s on for is the router – time to move it off to something else).
The router has a mains adaptor supplied with it that converts 240v down to 12v (yes.. the router runs on 12v – as does the boat) – but I have not plugged it in yet as the difference between the mains adaptor and the boat is the mains adaptor supplies a stable clean 12v (exactly 12.00v) – but the boat can differentiate between 11.8v and 14.1v depending on the state of the batteries and if the engine is running (with 14.1v being the normal bulk charge voltage supplied by the engine alternator)..
So simply connecting it.. and blowing it up when the engine starts and the voltage jumps to 14.1v is not an option!
So.. I need a “buck” converter (a “brick” that takes between 11v and 24v and delivers 12v). I have had this for a while to do this job with.. I just havent been able to get the time to fit it (and run the 12v cable to power it!)
A new shelf has been obtained from B&Q (longer than the other one fitted to the bedroom a few weeks ago) – which I need to edge out so as the boat rocks and rolls, stuff doesn’t slide off it! – but it uses the same hidden shelf supports and can be fixed to the glass cabinet. Cables are hidden and run through the shelf and into the unit and hooked into the lighting circuit, the cables for which are more than enough to run this as the boat used to have 25w halogen bulbs (13 of them on this circuit – which was 26Amps when the lights were on (in just the living room!)) all of which were swapped for LED’s (which now draw 1.5Amps in total when they are all on) the day we moved aboard 2 years ago – so the cable has plenty of room for another 3A draw on it (plus I added a 5A fuse to the router.. just incase)
And now.. its all running and Anna has also moved in more stuff to populate the rest of the shelf – so that’s cool! (but those blasted sticky pads holding the routers Ariel cable to the roof need swapping out.. again.. must get something better at the weekend)
It’s time to move onto Cropredy to fill the tanks, get the gas bottles swapped out and have an evening out – yes, the longest January on record has come to an end for us – even though its not ended yet. We have some money through so can sort the boat out (I will worry about the rest at the end of the month!)
Thought to Cropredy – you will have seen most of the photos from the last entrie(s) – so I wont bore you by adding things you have already seen.. just add a few that were different today..
We stopped in Cropredy on the way to the marina so we could nip out for a pub lunch at the Basenose Arms – which took a bit longer than planned – so it was already starting to get dark when we got to the marina.
Once the boat was sorted and the bill paid (and partly refunded as they tried to charge full whack for the fuel and not the discounted rate we get in winter).. we pulled out and prepped to moor up. Got a few shots from within the marina basin whilst pulling out (it was also after dusk and rather dark – the camera on the phone works well with low light so the photo’s are actually brighter than it was!) – so its on with the running lights, tunnel light when needed and back into Cropredy to moor up.
On the Sunday – set off about 10am to get back to Hennef way before 1pm with luck – as the forcast has heavy rain arriving – and I dont fancy a cold shower in January thank you very much.. so lets get back there as soon as!
Just as we got down the last lock, the rain came.. so yea – got a little wet whilst we pulled in exactly where we left yesterday – and stating exactly, I mean exactly.. we even managed to get the spikes back in the same holes we pulled them out of on Saturday.
But.. were back, settled and someone is certainly comfy now the fire’s lit again.
I’ve noticed the tile workmanship around the stove.