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An early start with Steven Bloom for the drive to Potter Heigham for the boat auction, picking up a CQR anchor and then chatting with Jack Edwards and Mr Howlett there before returning to find Amis had excavated most of the dyke extension.
Home to Paxton by 6pm to be ready for a HDC Southern Area meeting and then off to the pub for a drink with Sally and Derek to give them some advice and make some amends for my recent absence in Norfolk
An early start by arrangement with Steven Bloom so that we could travel from Paxton to Norfolk for the Potter Heigham Boat Auction. This meant that we were away soon after 7.00am without breakfast until we stopped at the road-side kiosk at Wymondham for a bacon roll and mug of tea over an hour later. Through some traffic in Norwich and then we stopped off at Wroxham for me to pay in over £100,000 into the building society that I had received as a repayment from National Savings. The weather was quite fine and mild enough for the auction.
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The milder weather gave way to wind and rain as I surveyed Heronshaw to try and work out a scheme to jack it up. Then fitting the new canopy to the boat and buying it a new helmsman seat from Jeckells. Back home for a meeting of Southoe Parish Council.
I had stayed up very late last night, pondering on how to jack up Heronshaw. The earth-moving digger had been bouncing around on the site making the old place sway terribly. It seems that the sedge peat is like an island with waves propagating through the ground because Mrs Vincent was equally worried about her bungalow Romany next door. In the end. I thought of a way of bracing the boat-shed with steel that would not be intrusive and could be achieved with piles from outside the line and I felt like Archimedes or Newton making an outstanding discovery! I concentrated mainly on the Paxton Princess today, tidying it all up and putting everything back into place, ending up by vacuuming the insides thoroughly.
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Another pleasant working day at Horning, borrowing Jack’s chain saw and trimming the boundary branches as Amis finished off the first batch of piles and then pulled the piling rig out of the way so that they could start the digging out for the extended boat dyke to go under the boat shed.
I even took an electric light into the boat shed later this evening and re-installed the cupboard shelves and doors now that I had removed the refrigerator. Then to Wroxham to get some plaice and chips and then make some telephone calls in the layby to Diana and Steven
I was only away from Heronshaw for a short period to get some milk and provisions, but I did drop in to see Jack Edwards and to borrow his chain saw. Dolly gave me a cup of coffee and a home-made biscuit which was nice of her. I had just tried to see Mr Howlett at The White House to return his papers but found him just leaving Jack's as I arrived! I worked the whole day, cutting down the overhanging branches from next door and chopping them up and stacking them for the next skip that I organise.
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A welcome milder day after recent the previous harsh chill and one where the Amis crew were busy sinking the new piles for Harnser (as I had decided to call the new boatshed). After finalising my detailed design plan, I dropped off copies with the structural surveyor and District Council offices in Cromer. More work on the Paxton Princess in the afternoon re-installing the gas cooker
I was very late to bed again and slept well. The weather had turned milder again after the harsh chill of yesterday which was a blessed relief. I was resolved to ensure that the new boat-shed (which I am considering calling "Harnser") and the restored Heronshaw are both very well insulated and protected against the frost because the cold north-easterly wind comes straight from the continent this far east in Norfolk. I was a little ponderous in getting ready and the Amis crew beat me to it. I got dressed in jacket and trousers and drove off to begin my list of visits and chores.
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