The disappearing blogger

Since my last entry on The Kite Experiment, the internet stick has taken to the water, disappeared into the depths of the River Soar, lost, not to be found until Time Team excavate the area in 300years time. We tried with all our might to fish it out the water using magnets and string but alas the little bit of metal did ne'er connect.

This explains the disappearing blogger episode.

As of late, The Dove of Belgrade and those who sail her can be found along Beeston way. We had all the work completed, the engine serviced, the battries fully charged, the pump out completed and water tank full and set off down towards Trent Lock. (I have some lovely photographs due to be placed online in the near future so do come and look again!)

Heading through the lock at Cramfleet we were on our way along the River Trent. At Beeston marina, we admired the riverside properties all very distinct,in amongst trees and ivy, like real secret hidey-holes. We passed through Beeston Lock onto the Nottingham Canal and found an idillic setting opposite some willow trees. We have been moored here for just over a week now and are relishing the area.

I frequently see Heron's flying past the boat, beautiful small Gul's hovering in the air before they swoop into the water. Fish, jumping in the canal water, Coots, Moorhens and their young churping away. To be surrounded by all this activity and with the recent spell of fine weather day to day living has been a joy!

I am in the process of working on a collection of poems at the moment. The fire for writing is within me so I am reworking a selection which will hopefully see light of day some time soon.

Leigh is in the process of making a new track for a Japanese compilation and the initial ideas sound great.

And Delia, what can I say, she eats, sleeps, suns, chases, plays all the days through.

Quite alot of too much sun

We have decide to stick around at Redhill and get the last bit of steel work done to the boat. This time it's the side doors. Soar Valley Steel boats are at work again after their great work on the stern. Here is a taster of what Dave from SVSboats got up to today...






Leigh worked on the bilges, mopping the water that has got in from when the old boards were on top. We are planning on treating the rust inside and giving it a good paint job so that it is easier to see what is going on in the depths of the engine bay.


We discovered early last week that the engine wouldn't start. The service was due in March and we still hadn't made arrangements for a mechanic to give it a once over! Time just seems to fly by! This meant that on Wednesday we had to pole (gondala style) over to the other side of the river to the electrics to enable the work to commence, that was a bit of fun indeed!

Leigh and I were going through a process of elimination of what it could possibly be and thus came to the decision that engines were not our strongest point and got on the blower to Papa Bear.

"It's got to be the batteries if the engine wont turn over, try fully charging them first and see how you go... No, I don't think it's the alternator..."

Under these wise words I climbed into the engine bay, working out how to undo the connectors of the batteries (set up in a series of three leisure batteries) with Leigh's help. I pulled out the multimeter to measure the DC voltage of 11... but what is the full charge supposed to be??

Dave the welder wasn't too sure but added his tuppance saying that he knows of problems where Diesel can get into the oil on Lister engines...

Leigh promptly checked the dipsticks of the engine and found the gear oil's were fine but the main oil chamber was rather black. Andy Bailey the builder was called and we arranged the service for next week!

And so with the batteries, we were leant a charger to run from mains electricity and upon initial hook up the battery showed itself to be as flat as a pancake! We suspect that having left the switch to the water pump on for a long duration of time has drained the battery, there will be further investigations once all three batteries are fully charged.

Then this afternoon, I got my hair cut in preparation for tomorrow's "Hen-Do". Nice.

Here are a few photographic delights captured by Leigh from aboard our boat the past day or so...