…and a very pleasant day it has been, with bright sun, very little wind and a cold, bracing quality to the air. We had a very lazy start but then got stuck in to getting sorted out. On the way round to the boat we noticed what could have been a snagging team from PineLog, so after a call at Midland Chandlers for something, popped into the office.
Here we were told that it was indeed the PineLog team who might or might not get round to us today. Accordingly, Sheila returned to the lodge whilst I carried on to the boat. Here I opened things up and set to cleaning the Squirrel. The flue wasn't bad but there was a heap of muck on the smoke baffle.
All was easily cleaned up, after which I installed the parts from MC, a pair of coal saving wedges in the firebox. Coal doesn't need the large open area that wood does, and indeed burns better if kept over the grate. These wedges down the sides of the box encourage it to stay in the best place.
It took two goes to get the fire going, not an effect of the modification but the result of the fuel being rather cold and damp. I left the stove ticking over and went back to the lodge for lunch. Having hung about for a while waiting to see if PineLog were going to visit, I found the guys working on the lodge next door and asked.
The boss came and looked at our jobs (two door catches and a non-flushing loo to sort) and said he'd be back tomorrow morning to do them. This meant that we could take a walk round the marina in this glorious weather, calling at the boat to close up as we went by.
A quiet night tonight, then a busy day tomorrow moving all our stuff back. It's been a very pleasant ten days here and we've learnt a lot about operating the lodge, but it will be good to be all snug in the boat once more.
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