Sitting tight, bright and breezy

The wind only really got going this afternoon, so we could have boated today after all, but we don't mind. The day has been put to good use and Bugsworth is such a good mooring. We toddled off to Tesco after breakfast and did a modicum of shopping, mostly for perishables like salad stuff and bread.

Back at the boat, we had a leisurely coffee break then did something I should do more regularly, probably. This was to check the state of the bottom of the diesel tank by taping the suction tube of the one litre oil extractor to the dipstick, poking it down the filler to the bottom of the tank and drawing up some fuel. Sheila, meanwhile, stood on the port gunwale to make any water down there collect below the filler.

Clean red diesel emerged straightaway, no water at all, very reassuring. In future, I'll make a habit of doing this just before we leave the marina in the Spring, when the likelihood of water having collected as a result of condensation in the tank is at its greatest.

This took us up to just short of lunchtime, what with cleaning up and putting away stuff. After lunch, we made a start on a thorough clean of the boat in preparation for the Open Day. We'd bought a window cleaning kit at the hardware store in Marple; the cloth wiping bit is ideal for washing the ceiling, spraying the wiper with Osmo cleaning solution so that the wood will be left with a film of oil over it.

We've started in good time, knowing that these jobs are best done in stages. Today we did the saloon and dinette; next we'll do the galley and study bedroom, then finally the bathroom and bedroom.

After that it will be the turn of the walls to be Pledged, then finally the floor to be given the Osmo restoration drill, first a wash then a light re-oiling.

I also found time to go back to Tesco for a cauliflower (we're having a meat-free Monday cauliflower cheese tonight) and to fit the new fender hooks with suspension lines.

Tomorrow, we plan to set off at around eight, winding in the upper basin, watering on the way out and stopping on the towpath just a bit short of Marple.