hehehe, i promised to blog more often didn't i...........sorry!
but i am back, and in the mood for writing.

the seasons have changed since i last wrote, and autumn is here.
i am quite sure of this for several reasons -
1) there is condensation on the windows.
2) i have started cooking meals in one pot, nearly all containing potatoes and root vegetables, some containing dumplings.
3) jams and chutneys have been made.
4) the woodburner has been alight for the past 48 hrs.

ergo, it is autumn.

we have aquired a handy little bit of kit a few weeks ago - see our batteries are 3 yrs old now and need replacing, so are not holding charge. this means running the engine to power the 12v. at the moment we don't have the cash for new batteries so we got this thing for about £30 which switches so that the 12v is powered from the 240v hook up. this is very handy, as our water pump and lights run off the 12v. thanks Embo for fitting it!
it is great too because the shower pump will run off 12v and that is the next big job - finally fitting hot water and a bathroom.
it is almost d-day.
we need to get a calorifier - a glorified immersion heater- which will run from the electric or from the engine, a drainage pump, a bath and a shower. there is no point getting a fancy electric shower, the pressure comes from the water pump and the hot water from the calorifier, so we are going for a half bath with a shower mixer tap over.
i was talking to a land-lubber about this last week, who questioned the need for a drainage pump - i had to politely remind him that you can't just drill a plug hole on the bottom of the hull - the water actually needs to go up and out above the water level............not something which has to be considered in any other dwelling i don't think!

we think we have sourced most of what we need, we are trying to find second hand/used bits but it is very diffucult. the expensive chandlers seem to have the monopoly on it all.
try googling 'narrowboat baths', and all you get is marinas in Bath...........
the cheapest we can find a 1200mm x 600mm bath is about £150. the shower mixer from £90 - way up to several hundred, pumps upwards of £80 and calorifiers, twin coil, 55l, upwards of £350.
we already have a small washbasin and taps, so we need to build in a place for it to live just under the porthole in the bathroom.

i have to say that 3 yrs without all this has not bothered me in the slightest, but the sudden prospect of having a working bathroom instead of a glorified series of shelves with a toilet in the room is very appealing!!!

so that is the imminent project, and should be happening in the next few weeks, i will keep you posted!

on a lighter note.........we have a new pup on board! he belongs to my daughter Daisy, he is a black springador, and he is nearly 10 wks old now. his name is Odin, and Loki and him are getting along very well!!