Working and Boating

Well there I was aboard the great ship last night with the temperature set at a steady 5degrees as I tucked into a tin of rice pudding waiting for the fire to warm the boat up. I ran out of water a couple of days ago, and having returned home after dark there was no time to move the boat and fill up. This raises one of the problems of boating and this working malarchy (which occupies the daylight hours); there is little time to move the boat or, as is also the case this evening, charge the batteries. As a result of this latter issue I had to make a decision - the fridge or the lights. The fridge won - not least because it could provide emergency housing if the boat got any colder. All hail the ecofan was my cry for the evening as its magic warms the dining room up quicker and that is important because it is the only place I can sit with my hurrican lamp and not set fire to a hat, book or scarf, or heat up some tusks. There are times when boating makes one feel so alive, and last night was one of them.

I was wondering how to get warmer, and was thinking of taking advantage of the fact that heat rises and clear the kitchen worktop so I could put my chair up there, but thankfully there was a knock on the door and a chum arrived. Unable to offer him tea he made do with beer. My friends really are very kind - he sat at the table doodling, not complaining, and we had a lovely evening.