Not much to report...

...but I'll post something anyway!

We've had lots of jobs to do over the past week. As well as the inevitable cleaning to get rid of the sawdust which had crept into every nook and cranny while the galley was being rebuilt, we've worked on cleaning and revarnishing the extractor unit above the cooker, which looked rather tatty next to the new woodwork. The recent heavy rain had found its way in around three window frames, and they needed an application of Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure. Our new kitchen floor cupboards and drawers have a smaller footprint than the old ones, so there were screw holes in the floor made visible which needed to be filled to match the floor. I did a number of routine jobs on the engine. Grace stripped out all of the seal around the shower basin (suffering from the common problem of black mould), and replaced it with new. One of the new oak working tops is needing to be oiled; it seems to soak up the oil more than the other oak surfaces, and still has dry-looking patches. We're getting the Danish oil to do that with this afternoon.

While we were out shopping on Tuesday, we went to see Cock Robin Wood, a nature reserve on land bought by Sainsbury's when they built their huge supermarket a stone's throw away. If the weather had been brighter, perhaps the wood would have been more welcoming, but as it was I wasn't impressed.

It's very small, with limited car-parking, and it has no focus apart from a pond. It needs places to sit, and features which are at least visually interesting. I fear it may just be a place for people to let their dogs run free.

Howard and Linda came to visit on Wednesday, bringing good weather with them, and we took them out for a cruise up the canal, lunching just past bridge 27, and winding after 28.

The weather was kind to us, and we had a very enjoyable day with them - always really good company. Both of them had a turn at the tiller, but I promised Linda not to report what happened while she was driving! So I won't.

The weather since then has been wet and windy - especially windy! We're hoping it will improve by the end of next week. Christine and Mike will be with us for a week, and we hope to cruise up the Ashby Canal, taking in the Coventry Basin, too, if we have the time.