Friday 22 January 2016

It's been a month

I thought I should let everyone know we're still here and thriving. We had a great Christmas in the boat (tenants in the lodge) and New Year in Walnut, in both cases sharing with Elanor and Sally. We've now moved back into the boat for the lodge closure period from 14 January to 15 February. We're taking the opportunity to do some routine maintenance in the lodge, cleaning and oiling the floors and waxing the furniture.

In other news, routine OP appointments have gone off OK, but less good is that when Sheila rang her orthopod consultant's secretary to check where she was on the waiting list for her second op, she couldn't be found on the list :(. We're waiting for a call back to find out what's going on.

We've just come through the chilliest bit of the winter so far, using a 1.5 kW oil filled radiator to make up for not having the Hurricane working. It was OK, sort of. We're getting through a lot of solid fuel and electricity.

With regard to the wretched Hurricane, we've taken the decision to abandon it. When we get away in the Spring, we'll nip up to Braidbar, get them to take the beast out and install a Webasto Thermotop instead. I'm sure Calcutt could fix the Hurricane again, at a price, but it just gets too stressful waiting for the thing to fail again. It had been behaving oddly all summer, occasionally failing to fire or firing a little late with a whoomp, but never consistently enough to merit more than routine servicing, checking the fuel supply and the like.

With our changed living pattern for next year, summer cruising on the boat, winter living in the lodge, we don't need the domestic type heating and a Webasto should do the job for us just as it does for so many others. It's very disappointing about the Hurricane – great design, lousy build quality.

Heigh ho, I'll try and do another of these occasional posts next month and plan to resume daily posting when we're cruising again. Here's to the Spring weather!

4 comments:

Nev Wells said...

Good to hear from you Bruce, annoying about the Hurricane - we are still dithering about replacing the wood burner with a diesel squirrel (dust allergy) but the more I read about anything other than KISS the more I think simple is best. I look forward to reading of the Webesto as this is also another option for us - keep the stove and split it from the back boiler heating circuit so we have both..... What are your cruising plans for this year ?

Take care

Nev NB Percy

Bruce in Sanity said...

Hi

Plans are uncertain yet again until we get Sheila's foot op sorted. We'd hoped it would be all done by now. We know we won't get to Crick this year, at least by boat, as I've got eye appointments both sides of the Spring Bank Holiday.

We'd still like to do the Droitwich Ring and the Liverpool Link sometime, maybe one or other this time...

Cheers

Bruce

Dogsontour by Greygal said...

Oh roll on cruising time....it's just not the same without you in blogland.

All the best to you both

GG
x

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