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The PC had a major malfunction, normal service will start again tomorrow.......hopefully!

Boys Toys

Not a lot to blog about really, I was going to write about how many wash loads we got done today but then I could be accused of stealing another famous bloggers material.

So......

I fed the swans.....

.....They are rather partial to my fingers! 

We then went to B&Q to buy a new ceramic valve for the dripping tap, whilst there I bought a rechargeable drill.....because I haven't got one and Elaine let me buy one.

Next stop Aldi for some cat food but ended up coming out with  a jump start thingy with built in flashing lights and a compressor. So now when we are wild camping in the Pyrenees  in the motorhome and we flatten the batteries or get a flat we are sorted, I think the compressor may well explode before it pumps up the tyres to  80psi!

 Plus the flashing light will stop us getting mown down by a rampant Spaniard driving a Seat Ibiza

Check it out here

Oh the tap no longer drips!

Oh My Goodness Gracious Me

Today we had a Monday boaters afternoon tea with a difference, it was a bring your own curry day.

I made a chicken and mushroom curry, Elaine a lentil dahl, we kept them simmering away on the multi-fuel stove, ahh the smell of curry wafting through the boat. 

 

It was a very successful day with lots of different curries, accompaniments and desserts. We also had Indian beer and some very nice Moet & Chandon champers.  

Aston Marina is owned by the Webb family who also owns a very large plant hire company in Stafford. 

He had lots of his toys at work today driving some piles. We believe they are building a BBQ area.

I had an email from the fundraiser for The Christie hospital to say that we raised 3004 pounds yesterday! Not a bad result, and all in loose change.  

All In A Good Cause

Yesterday was another woeful day weather wise, so it was another day confined to the boat.

I did a couple of small repairs to a door and a tap whilst Elaine painted some rocks which she then leaves in strategic places around the place.....Guerilla rock painting!

Then a strange thing happened, Jaffa the cat put a crisp packet on his head (he really did!)

... he is a bloody stupid cat!

So to today, Sammie was as eager as ever to go for a walk ...

Then it was back to the boat to quickly feed the locals ...

The Christie Hospital in Manchester is such an amazing place ... treating thousands and thousands of patients a year, so I decided to go and do some fund raising for them.  Ray from NB Ferndale said he would like to come with me. 

So today we drove to The Manchester United football ground, grabbed our buckets and tee shirts and joined about 40 other volunteers.  We shouted ourselves hoarse trying to get the incoming crowd of supporters to donate their loose change to a worthy cause!  We spent about two and a half hours there and collected 245 quid between us!

Not a bad result !

Social Merry Go Round!

Yesterday we went up to Manchester to meet up with Elaine's surgeon for the follow up chat after her op, it was all good news. 

 We arrived back at Stone just in time to catch up with Elaine's sister and her hubby who had popped up from Kent on a lightning trip to see Elaine.

It was a bloody awful wet night but nothing could stop us from going to The Exchange for a drink.  I introduced Paul to the Titanic real ale range - he reckons that the 'Steerage' was the nicest ale he had ever tasted.

We then went to an Italian restaurant for a very nice dinner, the only downside being the very over attentive waiter who had the most appalling BO!

This morning Paul and Julie came to the boat where we had a long chat before heading off to The Hollybush at Seighford for a late lunch. It was an amazing pub - it seems that it was going to close down so the villagers bought it and the Titanic Brewery run it. 

After a late lunch Paul and Julie headed off back down the very busy M6 to Kent.

before we went back to the boat we headed off to meet 'The Aston Marina hardcore boaters' who were having early doors at the Exchange!

Bombo crashed out on Sue as he had been up all day and was getting weary ...

Sammie was also feeling a bit tired from the pub crawl ...

Poor boys ...

It was a very funny afternoon with a most amazing bunch of people.

Diane got very friendly with this poor banana!!!! 

Birthday Girl

Today is Elaine's birthday - we were going to do lunch but the weather is so atrocious she didn't fancy going out in it.

She had a lot of cards and internet e-cards and greetings but the ultimate birthday card came from the Prime Minister and his missus ... apparently he follows the blog!  Who would have thought :)

Sue from Nb Festina Lente bought her a lovely daffodil plant, plus lots of old English sweeties ...

They were presented in a dog neck cone (wound healing neck protector) ... this is to stop Elaine gnawing at her stitches!  Seems to be working well!

As we missed out on lunch we planned to go out for dinner, but the weather was still absolutely appalling, so I nipped down and got a yummy Thai takeaway.  I managed a swift one in The Swan whilst waiting for the takeaway!

Random-Acts-of-Kindness-Day

We are trying to go bed earlier these nights to make more of the next day ... we are slowly getting there - we made it to bed at midnight last night!

RAK number 1:  Ray and Diane bought me a bottle of Man Flu mixture, as they know at this difficult time I cannot be laid up with the worst disease known to mankind!

RAK number 2:  On our way out to Stone this afternoon we dropped by Ray and Diane's boat NB Ferndale for a cup of tea and yummy Tim Tams, then Diane stabbed Elaine with a 'kin great needle! Actually it isn't too big, but she has to have a jab every day for a month to reduce the chance of a blood clot after her surgery.

RAK number 3:  We drove down to Stone and found a nice parking spot quite close by.  As we were walking up the road the traffic warden was putting tickets on some cars - he nicely told me that where I was parked had now turned into a school pick up zone and asked if I would like to move the car across the road, so I didn't get a ticket.  Nice chap, could have just let me walk away.

RAK number 4:  Next we had to go and see a solicitor to get a couple of certified copies of our passport for some business back in Oz.  No probs ... he photocopied the passports, stamped and signed them for us.  However, upon asking how much we owed him he said "nothing"!!  A solicitor that doesn't charge!  Another nice chap.

Then I stealthily crept away and bought a card for Elaine as it's her birthday tomorrow.  I couldn't find her a present, but I bought a book for myself!  

We were thinking that we didn't have to go to Manchester for about three weeks but the Surgeon's secretary rang today to summon us back there this Thursday instead.  Oh well. up the M6 again.