One day before the second booze cruise, and one week before we start the Four Counties Ring, we have power issues. Someone who will remain nameless (Debs) managed to drain all the batteries – starter and domestic – and it appears that now the shore power isn’t charging properly, at least as far as the starter battery is concerned. There are quite a few permutations of the various switches and circuits, what with shore / onboard power, at least four on / off switches and a bridging circuit between domestic & starter batteries. As it stands the starter battery won’t charge properly, either because it’s shagged or because we’ve got part of the configuration wrong and somehow prevented the charge getting through. What I do know is that we can start by using the emergency parallel switch (at the moment), and once the engine’s running the alternator is putting out whatever it needs to.
So I’m treating this weekend as a bit of a test. If the five hours to Gunthorpe charges the battery then it’s either the settings or the charger, if it doesn’t I’ll swap one of the domestic batteries with the starter one & see if that helps. We need to get this sorted before we leave our base for two weeks, obviously.
Such things are sent to try us.
One day before the second booze cruise, and one week before we start the Four Counties Ring, we have power issues. Someone who will remain nameless (Debs) managed to drain all the batteries – starter and domestic – and it appears that now the shore power isn’t charging properly, at least as far as the starter battery is concerned. There are quite a few permutations of the various switches and circuits, what with shore / onboard power, at least four on / off switches and a bridging circuit between domestic & starter batteries. As it stands the starter battery won’t charge properly, either because it’s shagged or because we’ve got part of the configuration wrong and somehow prevented the charge getting through. What I do know is that we can start by using the emergency parallel switch (at the moment), and once the engine’s running the alternator is putting out whatever it needs to.
So I’m treating this weekend as a bit of a test. If the five hours to Gunthorpe charges the battery then it’s either the settings or the charger, if it doesn’t I’ll swap one of the domestic batteries with the starter one & see if that helps. We need to get this sorted before we leave our base for two weeks, obviously.
Such things are sent to try us.
We’re a couple of weeks away from the big two-week cruise of the year, & we’re torn between the Four Counties & the Leicester rings. The former offers 110 mile & 94 locks estimated at 55 hours cruising and at a fairly leisurely six hours a day should come it at well within the allowed fortnight. The latter is listed as 157 miles & 102 locks and at about 75 hours means we’d have to keep pushing to make the distance in the time allowed. The Four Counties also offers a 3000 metre tunnel which might be the decider.
I’ll have a look at what each has to offer by way of attractions, bearing in mind that the girls are insisting on at least one night in a hotel during the holiday.
Time to consult Google, I think.
Let’s take this from the top, the sleeve is dreadful. The ‘Lord of the Manner’ portrait (no gatefold, no inserts, we’re hardly trying here) doesn’t hold much promise, even with the pre-Goth undertaker feel to the outfit. After the two year hiatus since ‘Bule Moves’ we were expecting big things, and had spent the interim coping with the possibility that ‘that was it’. ‘Shine On Through’ is a nice enough opening track but I’m not looking for ‘nice’, and things don’t improve much with ‘Return To Paradise’. I don’t think we’re even trying, and Jesus, are those trumpets? I am also firmly of the opinion that any drummer should be shot the moment he reaches for the easy listening brush-things. ‘I Don’t Care’ is a bit more like it but sadly I do, and I’m still waiting. ‘Big Dipper’ comes across as a Tumbleweed Connection reject and I hope that the closing line ‘Another reason for squeezin’ your Big Dipper’ doesn’t mean what I think it does. And even Bernie Taupin can’t convince me that ‘reason’ rhymes with ’squeezin’. Skip on a couple & ‘Part Time Love’ starts the feet tapping, and ‘Georgia’ is almost there but we’ve got that cod-American thing happening again. I can also imagine people (metaphorically) holding their lighters in the air, and that can’t be good. Things are OK until we get to ‘Reverie’, a one-minute instrumental interlude (that’s more like it) Taking us straight into ‘Song For Guy’ – Life … isn’t ever-ee thi-ing, isn’t ever-ee thi-ing. I’m sorry Elton, but it is. Let’s take a moment to think about Guy though. Pity no-one wrote his last name down.
And that’s it (until the extended album rant), I stand vindicated and have no need to investigate the following thirty albums. Elton, go for a drink with Paul McCartney why don’t you. You’ve done enough, and had done in 1976.
So, on to The Who from My Generation to Quadrophenia. Or maybe not.
- Off looking for this – http://j72fw.tk #
- About to hunt down whatever's died in the fridge. I may be some time, think well of me if I don't return. #
- Stačí nalézt zajímavé nové tlačítko na Tweetdeck. #
- Join me in a tea break? http://twitpic.com/bbi89 #
- Just been phoned by no.1 daughter and told off for closing milk lid too tightly. Bad father. #
- My Monday morning.
http://twitpic.com/azicd #
- After. http://twitpic.com/avqd7 #
- Before … http://twitpic.com/avqc5 #
- Debs leaving her NTU office for the last time. #
- Killing three & a half hours while no. 1 daughter watches Harry Potter without me. Oh joy. #
- The girls are now free for seven weeks. But I'm not bitter. #
- No 1 daughter has plans to see the new Harry Potter film with her mates and I'm not invited. I am at the top of a very, very slippery slope. #
- Downloads just don't have the same appeal. http://bit.ly/z8oKu #
- Drinking tea, eating toast & watching a laptop blue screen. #
- So much for Buffy Season 7, on to the Season 8 TPB. #
Following the first ‘do’ we were left with the boat moored outside the pub, and by some judicious planning we both had today off work. A brief errand followed dropping the kids off and the rest of the day was our own. We retrieved the boat, took it for a quick spin to a winding point (where we met the only other boat of the day at a blind corner – bloody typical) and back to the marina. The return part of the journey was spent in company with Mr Near Collision who was traveling solo and had a singular outlook, not really caring who or what he hit or indeed who or what hit him. It was refreshing in some respects, since I do worry about other people’s paint jobs, but stressful in others. It almost becomes a competition about who cares less. His boat diagonally across the lock? No problem, a quick shunt from mine will soon straighten it up. He was however very happy & friendly, and more than helpful. He even let us go on our way & insisted on tethering his boat & sorting the lock without us.
Followed by a bacon & tomato sandwich on the deck watching the world go by.
One day, every day will be like this.
Since Debs is on the way to pastures new (9 days, 3 hours and counting) there have been several leaving dos planned. Today was the first, which involved me leaving work early and ferrying the newly clean boat (which was not trashed by the booze cruise, I hasten to add) the twenty minute journey to town to be enjoyed and surveyed by various primary education lecturers.
The first batch were duly impressed by Debs’ skillful and casual stance as we moored, and I left them to it to retrieve the girls.
Debs looked very pleased with herself, and I retrieved 72p that I believe we dropped last week while enjoying the sights.
- No. 1 daughter now owns a mini skirt. #
- Angel, Season Four. Done. #
- My wife has rediscovered her socialist leanings and is now maxing out to Billy Bragg. #
- In the pub. http://twitpic.com/8zgta #
