Busy Weekend

I spent the weekend on the maintenance point with this view:

And took down my ceiling:

Considering the bedroom ceiling was so easy to come down I thought the sitting room would be the same. It wasn’t. I don’t know what was holding it up, but the two places that were holding it up were doing a surprisingly good job! It took about 20minutes to pull the whole thing down once I found the weak points. It was a shame to dispose of the wood, and such a waste of resources, but that is what happens when you don’t do something properly. I hope that when I put the new one up I do it properly.  I am using ply rather than tongue and groove.

Then I moored up next to Mark so he could do some welding on Monday. It was too hot to cook so we all had a BBQ.

It was a fantastic evening because Marks neighbours are musicians. Maffi had a go on the guitar and a tow path walker, Keith, did too… he was pretty good and him and his wife Linda joined us for most of the evening – they were passing through on their boat Voyager

Yesterday Mark took the flue off the stove while I was at work as it was being particularly stubborn and Boots had a lie down:

And then he welded up the hole:

I was chief fire putter outer as we were welding inside, and then outside.  The only casualty was Boots' bed, but I put that out before it was wrecked or set fire to the boat.

The angle grinding looked great from the inside:

So now I am almost back on my mooring – I decided it was a bit warm so I moored in the tree’s. Needless to say it isn’t so hot today.  At the weekend I am going to put the new ceiling up. I have decided on Ply for the main bit and skirting board down the sides (ply is 4ft wide and the roof are to be covered is more than that). I will put the lights in the skirting board. I have been trying out some new lights over the last few days, but they are mood lighting so I will use them on the edge, and I think I may be putting a main fluorescent light down the middle. Whatever I do I need to decide quickly!

The ply arrived yesterday so this week I will put a protective paint layer on the underside (the side that goes against the insulation and won’t be seen), although it has been suggested that I really don’t need to.

I will fit the stove in its new position next week too but I need to get some parts over the weekend. – a new flue as the old one had rotted through, and a new reducer and lugs and fire rope.  I am going to be in Surrey over the weekend so I will be able to pay a visit to Uxbridge Boat Centre if I had time. I love that place!