Later

Are two plain photos of a swan (posted earlier), the skipper’s only output of a blog this week? I rather think it is, as he’s just shot off up the road.

Well, I call it a disgrace if that’s all he can manage. Don’t you?

He looked all enthusiastic a couple of hours ago, just as if he was going to write for ages. He had that silly excited look on his face. You know the one he has....

But then all of a sudden after posting the pictures, he upped and disappeared ....  Knowing him, he probably decided the pub was a better bet.

He’s gone off anyway and everything’s quiet .... and lonely!

Couldn’t even be bothered to turn the computer off. So I thought I may as well make good use of it.

I do admit though that he does have a bit to celebrate down at the ‘Railway Tavern’, because today things have been happening on board .... I’ve been a bit excited too.

At nine o’clock this morning (Skipper hadn’t been up long), there was a knock on my outside bulkhead and such a nice young man was wanting to begin work putting back the tongue and groove sheathing in my engine room!

Well! I couldn’t believe it and the skipper nearly had a fit too, choking on his breakfast.

John, the name of the young man (such a nice name too don’t you think?), must have thought the Skipper was a nutter, the way he grabbed hold of him and pulled him on board and afterwards, the way he wouldn’t let go of his fleece jacket, I think in case the mirage disappeared .... Just shows what a mental state the old codger’s in doesn’t it?  Poor old boy!

Anyway after John managed to get loose and straighten his clothing again, he did a marvellous job getting my roof back in .... Almost finished the job in fact with the original timber that the Skipper had removed at Stretton.

At that time the boss had put a special number in pencil on the back of each length so he’d know, when it came to putting back, which bit went where. It was just as well he did, as they’ve been stacked in the corridor and in the way ever since. They’ve fallen over so many times as he’s kicked them (and cursed) and therefore they’ve got into a frightful muddle over the period. So this morning he and John managed quite easily to lay the jigsaw out on the quay so that John then knew where each bit had to go.

And he’s done a brilliant job, John has.

But in spite of this optimistic day there’s actually no definite date as to when the engineer is arriving to replace the calorifier. All the girls in the office will tell the Skipper is, that it is imminent. He’s laid it on the line quite forcefully that we want to move on by the end of the month, so I think things will happen quite quickly now.

I do hope so ....

I wonder when the boss is coming back .... In the early hours of the morning I expect. I hope he doesn’t make a lot of noise .... You don’t think he’ll be rowdy do you?

Engine room ceiling that the Skipper painted yesterday....

.... and with the sheathing partly replaced today