An early start to prepare for a large delivery of roofing tiles on to our barge at Horning quay, the delivery lorry having a good crane for loading below and the barge coping well with the load. Di took the girls and Andrew Bloom to Norwich Aquapark swimming in the Range Rover and I stayed on site organising the work, stacking timber for drying and clearing away rubbish. Some trouble with the girls going to bed on the boat later.
I managed to get up soon after 6.00am and had breakfast ready for Steve and I fifteen minutes later. By ten to six Tony, the bargeman arrived, and soon after the two roofers; who joined me on the barge for the trip across to the quay whilst Steve went ahead in The Jolly. As we moved the cruiser to tie up, the lorry arrived, its driver leaving Pontefract in Yorkshire at 3.30am to get to Horning so early. What's more, the crane on the lorry was able to extend down into the bottom of the barge and load all except two of the pallets of tiles down there. The barge, heavily laden with 8 tons, was low in the water and I was concerned as to whether it could get along Ropes Hill Dyke; the tide being low water. I need not have worried as it hardly churned up the mud.
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The whole operation was over by 9.00am. Di took the girls and Andrew Bloom to Norwich Aquapark swimming in the Range Rover and then went to the park later whilst I spent the day organising the work and ordering materials. I also had to re-stack the drying racks and tidy up the site after the workmen had been accumulating rubbish and this involved another trip to the civic tip. The men were working on the soffit again today and should be finished this tomorrow. This evening Di and I went to Norwich, planning to go to the cinema but, being late for the performance, went to B & Q instead where we looked at furnishings together. The girls would not go to the boat when we came back and, having told them several times, I smacked them both about the head which I regretted later. A bath, hair wash and then to the boat with Diana when, after my journal, to bed a bit early.