A productive day trip to Norfolk on a hot and sunny day, Diana and taking the Rolls Royce and ending up driving with the hood down. Daniel helped me work there and received £20 petrol money and some lunch and the work on the Harnser boat shed was getting on well.
We collected Della from Great Paxton and Debbie had looked after herself, making tea and doing her homework and so I played tennis and went swimming with her in thanks
It was another beautifully-sunny day which started quite warm and then got warmer still. I was sharp up at 7.00am; completing my tasks and getting ready for leaving within the hour. Diana and the girls also got a shift on so that we could leave them reading in the garden until it was time for them to catch the bus. We took the Rolls Royce which ran well apart from the air conditioning not working. To start with the air vents were sufficient but then the heat was such that we opened the windows and, finally, opened the power hood to go convertible in Norwich. We had a little time in hand and so we had stopped at the roadside snack bar for coffee and then at the Xerox Copy Centre in Norwich to get some more plan copies.
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By the time we had arrived at Heronshaw, both Daniel and the carpenter were there to see us. I spent about 45 mins briefing the carpenter and then let him take home a copy of the timber list and plan so as to be able to estimate the time the job would take after which he would quote me for a weekly rate. Then I got Daniel to help me move his speedboat out of the garage and behind the garage so that I could try getting the Rolls Royce in. It went in for size but the ledge to get in was quite a problem. Good old Jack came by and suggested that we use our spare sleeper to make an angled ramp and this started Daniel and I sweating and digging to cut an angled trench twelve inches in front of the garage to get it in.
We did it in the end but poor Daniel got more than he bargained for in work and so I then took him and Diana into Wroxham for lunch and gave him £20 petrol money afterwards. We waved him goodbye and then Di returned to her job of cleaning out the boat and I first had a long chat with the Amis workman about the plans and then settled down to get another coat of varnish on the rubbing strakes of the Paxton Princess. They are coming up very well but still need a few more coats before they can be considered well protected. Diana had both hoovered and dusted the inside of the boat and removed all of the spiders that had found it a nice winter shelter. The work on the boat-shed has now progressed beyond the quay-heading so that most of the ties are in and the workman is starting to dig out the boat dyke for depth and back-fill.
There is plenty of ways of losing the dredging spoil and so I am encouraging them to dig out as much as possible rather than worry about levelling and grading the surface. There is lastly the matter of what to do with the old willow tree trunk and where to get the man to bury it when his boss is not looking. We had fitted in quite a lot for a day trip and Di relaxed as I loaded and locked everything up afterwards. As we pulled away, Mrs Bernice Dunham called to us and I stopped to introduce her to Diana before we finally left and made the trip home in just over two hours. We then had to collect Della from Great Paxton and return home where Debbie was being very good in looking after herself, having had tea and done most of her homework. I made it up to her by playing tennis with her on the lawn and then swimming briefly with her in the pool. In fact, I had become so hot and sweaty that I enjoyed this chance to cool off. A little time in my dressing gown typing up my journal and then tired and weary to bed with Diana.