I've gone off painting

 I used to quite enjoy painting... during 'the fairground years'  when the weather didn't have a bearing on progress.  These days however when I'm trying to get the roof done before the first guests arrive, it's proving rather frustrating.  It wouldn't be so bad if the weather forecasters could actually get it right once in a while... all this doom and gloom weather warnings about end of the world wind and rain are rarely on point... but the one time you ignore the forecast (based on the previous days totally opposite weather to that predicted) your fresh paint gets rained on before it's even gone tacky.

We left Marple and headed up to Bugsworth Basin once the noisy stuff was done - calling in at New Mills Marina to top up with diesel... having taken a mortgage out to fill the tank and have a nice hug off Sue who I've not seen for a few years.  I do like it up here... ok so it's shallow and a lot of boats don't seem to move around much (live and let live is an aspiration of mine), (one I rarely manage if someone is selfishly handily unfortunately broken down on a water point) it's friendly and the views are nice.

Bugsworth used to have a man on a boat who's wife sold coffee and cake etc but apparently CRT got rid of him.  He used to help keep the place tidy and suggest folks who overstayed, move along.  From what I can tell now, it's a bit of a free for all.  I suppose at this time of year, it doesn't matter.  The little book exchange/shop stall no longer is open... probably due to the fact no loos are available now .  I GET the reason behind closing the toilet facilities around the network - I've often thought how much money could be saved not having to clean and maintain but whilst broadly approving of the decision, there are occasions when exceptions could be made and I feel here is one of them.  Marple perhaps too - especially given all the money they must have spent building a BRAND new service block recently - only to close it!

We did manage to get the 1st gloss coat on the roof ... it's a good job we're not at home to 'Mr. Perfection' ...adopting more of a 'it's near enough for a country spot' approach.  The roof wasn't perfect before applying the paint but as it's going to get sand on and 2 more coats I hope the imprecations will not be too obvious.  At the end of the day, it' gets a lot of clambering around on anyway so will be dirty soon enough anyway.

Dob also wanted to paint the shroppie shelf wheels (I could be repeating myself here - I said "I  could be repeating myself here") - vectra space-saving spares that get in the way all year round but come into their own on the shroppie.  Some people get away with using wheelbarrow wheels but for Ellis that didn't work... we must be too deep.  ANYWAY - that don't look too bad with a band of black left.  They double as plant pot holders anyway to stopo them blowing off the roof.

Having made a trip to the nearby Tesco on Sunday morning... using the weather forecast (will I ever learn?_ as a guide, we'd hope to get a dry window between 12 and 2pm... the plan being to cover up the patches on the port side and slap some blacking on down to the water line... we DID manage it but a rain shower broke up the process.  Like I've mentioned  (or not, I can't remember) we're not doing a proper job just a tidy up until the full repaint at the end of the season.

Having done that, we nipped to the tap to fill up and then relocated further into the basin so as to be able to repeat the process on the starboard side.

That had to wait until yesterday morning as a) we were knackered and b) it kept raining and we'd thoroughly had enough.

The aches and pains have not yet subsided but it has proven to us we need to put more effort into maintaining mobility the algorithms on my phone already picking this up and bombarding me with exercise videos.

hmmf!

Until next time...