After staying overnight on the Paxton Princess at Horning, I adjusted its hood supports and then checked on The Little Lady for sale at Percival’s and then spent the day working on the renovation of my shed, jacking it high and repairing it to the standard that my old Dad would have done. An evening foray on my new inflatable before home tired and cold at dusk. I made myself a nice meal and rested whilst watching the television and then telephoned Mum and Freda later.
I was up a little later and stayed on The Paxton Princess for a while to mend and adjust the flying bridge hood. The stainless steel support was a little too long and the previous owner had not troubled to get it adjusted to fit properly. This involved sawing off a short length from one end and replacing the termination fitting which was quite easy to do. Whilst up here, I had checked on the Little Lady at Percivals and they have done a good job of sprucing up its appearance and repairing that boat's hood for resale. It looks quite attractive and I think it might sell reasonably well this Easter. I spent the rest of this morning on the shed floor and whilst I was doing so, I kept thinking of my late father (with tears in my eyes) and of how he would have done the job himself. Every time there was a short cut to be made, I asked myself how he would have approved and then I resolved to do the job properly after all.
** PRESS "Read More" BELOW for the complete story **
Then I went into Wroxham before the shops closed and did a lot of shopping, including getting a few things that I have wanted for some time. These included a host of torch batteries, outboard motor oil, clips and, of course, food and provisions. I had decided to stock up the drinks cupboard and fridge ahead of a planned visit by the Jackson family tomorrow. I also decided to stop at the Wroxham cafe for a restful meal as I was feeling quite tired and worn out from both physical exertion and lack of sleep. Once back at Heronshaw, I put the shopping away and then finished off the shed floor and jacked the whole building up even further. I became worried at this point with the wind because the shed is not yet very stable with its extended sides and lack of cladding or bracing for structural support. Jack came down and was keen on making some metal plates to provide further support and I welcomed this willingly as they would be very worthwhile.
As darkness fell, I took out the inflatable with the new engine and ran it for a while up and down the river Bure. It is very sporty and powerful and can be quite frightening if you are not prepared for it, It seems to speed along at over 20mph and will provide some fun for the future but I will definitely not let Debbie use it as it is far too powerful. Then I tried out the 2HP on the large dinghy. This craft really needs a long-shaft engine of larger power but it does go and showed that my repairs to this smaller engine had been successful. It was very cold and windy by now and was coming on to rain and so I was quite chilled by the time I got back to Heronshaw in the dark. I made myself a nice meal and rested whilst watching the television and then telephoned Mum and Freda later.