Nature is bloody noisy!

 We've spent the last  couple of days toing and froing (NO idea how to type that) between Marple and High-Lane.  MAINLY so we can moor up away from boats and work on the roof.  

I won't dress it up - it's been a total ball ache...and not only them are aching but parts of our bodies we didn't know COULD ache.   It's funny how when you stop 'doing stuff' your body adapts to it.  The problem being that when you START doing stuff again, you realise how inflexible you've become.  Crouching, kneeling and squatting on the roof with a grinder/sander/scraper has pretty much incapacitated us... can't believe I used to crawl around the fairground workshop floor on me knees doing stuff for months on end.  

Use it or lose it eh?'

That expression finally makes sense and has spurred me into taking steps to be more active.  THAT said, I  always am in the summer - single handing boating does require a decent level of fitness... certainly in regards climbing ladders.  I can't imagine how some of the oldies (no offence intended there) actually do it.  HATS off!

The roof LOOKED rather rubbish when we started... in fact, the top coat (over the non-slip rubber granules) had flaked off.  Rather Naively, I thought it would be easy to scrape it all off.   School boy error there.  It's been purgatory.  Imagine scraping repeatedly  over painted wood chip off your nan's back bedroom wall - in postage stamp sized bits.   Whilst it appeared the whole roof had failed, the reality was that quite a lot of it (99.5%) was REALLY well adhered.

Luckily, having a Balkan aboard does have it's uses.

That said - there is a down side too.  You see, the Balkan approach to many things is bull in a China shop  quite enthusiastic!  Ergo,  I've learned a few things:  1) Never give them an angle grinder with a flap disk on unless you want lots of deep holes,  2)  Don't let them sand un-supervised unless you want lots of deep holes,  3) Under no circumstance leave them with a sharp scraper in their hand and turn your back for top up your drink (unless you want even more deep but smaller holes).

You can't fault his work ethic and I have to accept it's my fault for not providing proper instructions.  I've never been good at teaching... even when I was computer training in a former life I was rubbish.

ANYWAY - teasing a side, we've worked like troupers and 2/3rds of the roof are now sitting in anti-corrosive high build primer.

I HAD planned on getting some undercoat on this morning but the forecast is for rain soon - tomorrow is looking like a better day for painting.  It's nice having a clear roof for a change too -  over the years, I' gotten used to always having 4 bags of coal, 2 car wheels (for the shroppie Shelf) and a few plant pots.  It'll be a shame to have to put them back on but needs must and all that.

Right - I suppose I had better make myself look busy...  we've a couple of weeks until the first customer arrives so perhaps time to play tourist and enjoy the area.  Might even go hunting a catapult to try and shut the geese up.  Lord knows WHAT use they are... just loud, shit producing flappy lumps.  Same goes for the Cockrill in the farm nearby... he has NO idea what time it is and pretty much just cock-a-doodle-dos ALL The time... what with him, the geese and newly born lambs bleating through the night, it's a wonder we've caught any sleep at all... and don't even get me started on the dawn chorus. 

"Alexa, add ear-plugs to my shopping list".

Until next time...