Day 113: Painting, Gate and Magnum's

Dear family, friends and followers.

How is everyone doing?
How are you getting along with the new normal or whatever you wish to call it?
Have you gone back to work or are you still at home?

We are still at home and have no plans on going anywhere, anytime soon, so more jobs are getting done.

As you will know if you have been reading my posts, I have been working on the gas locker lid. After a couple of days of preparing the metal work and under coating, I finally got round to doing the gloss coats.

After a coat of primer undercoat, I have done two coats of gloss on the red, white and blue. It is not 100%, but it will do for now and will keep Mr Rust at bay.

 
On Wednesday afternoon, it was so darn hot, that I spent the rest of my day after painting sitting outside under the parasol. I called it my office for the day. It was an absolute joy to sit outside listening to the bird song and the flippen roadworks, which seem to get louder and louder everyday.

With the boat painting on hold for a couple of days due to it being windy, I decided to turn my attention to painting my wooden box from the saloon.

This box I put together myself. It used to be a bigger box, but did not fit in the saloon, so I took it apart, cut it down and put it back together. A couple of years ago I painted it cream and varnished the corners, but it is now looking a little tired and requiring an update.

I rubbed it down and opted to repaint it sage green. It is the same green I have used in the back cabin and I love it. I have not finished the box yet, because the weather has decided to blow a hooley and dump some showers on us, but hopefully it will be finished in the next few days. I think I maybe obsessed with painting. if you see me with a paintbrush in my hand, move quickly, because you may end up being painted. I have always done the paintwork on the boat. I am unsure how or why that has happened, but Keith is more than happy to leave me too it. I do remember the one time he helped with painting he found it very hard to let the brush flow and is more or a rubbing the brush into the paintwork, which is not a very good look. To be honest I love painting, even though I am not that good at it. I am not an artistic painter, but hey painting a boat is not that difficult.
Having sat under the parasol, keeping out of the hot sun, it gave me loads of time to catch up with e-mails, Farm Town and Facebook. What has struck me of late is how little other news there is out there, since the virus struck. I am sure there must be lots of other news going on around the world, but we do not seem to be hearing it. I wonder why?
Thursday dinner, was a Thai takeaway from Totally Thai. They had text us to say we had not had a meal with them for a while. We actually had a meal with them on my Birthday in April. They offered us a 10% discount on a meal, so it would have been rude not to have ordered from them. There food is wonderful. I love the subtle flavour's of Thai food and it is always so beautifully cooked.
Friday dawned and the sun was pouring through the porthole, which meant another lovely day, but the downside was it was blowing a hooley. It was most definitely not a day for sitting out under a parasol, painting or even gardening. What to do? I took it upon myself to go through the food cupboard and given it a good clean and line everything up in its rightful place. I know, I know I must be going ever so slightly stir crazy, when all's I can find to do is clean the food cupboard, but hey it looks fabulous now. All tins are stacked with labels showing at the front, just like I used to do when I worked in retail. I found a basket for the vegetables and potatoes and the UHT milk is all neatly stacked in date order. There was a reason for doing this, we were expecting a Tesco delivery and I wanted to make sure that everything was rotated properly.
The food delivery was book for between 9 pm and 10 pm. Our phone rang at 8.30 pm, Mr Tesco was sitting outside the gate with our delivery. He actually apologised for being early.

One of the essential items in the shopping this time was a box of eight Magnums. We would of preferred Mint Magnums, but with none to be had, we settled for the classic. Oh my goodness it was so nice to have been able to get them, because they are our treat until the next delivery. We are allowing ourselves a treat in each delivery whilst this lockdown is still on going.
Saturday was a dull affair, with a chilly breeze blowing down the Arm. Job for the day was to put a new gateway into the fence on our pontoon.

We have a gateway at the other end of the pontoon and now have a new gateway at the stern of the boat, so we can use the other steps up to the gate. At the moment it will come in handy when a delivery arrives, because I have to sprint along the pontoon through the gate, up the steps and then sprint to the gate before the delivery driver leaves without leaving the parcel. I kid you not, some of the delivery drivers do not even bother to stop. They see the gate is shut and just leave. There is a notice on the gave saying we are closed due to the virus, but they should ring the telephone number and someone will collect the parcel. Unfortunately some drivers are to lazy to bother reading the notice, so just go away. On Thursday, I had been on the boat making a coffee, when I heard someone shouting. I dived off the boat, to hear a man shouting at the top of his voice "Is there anyone around", I shouted back "Hang on, I am coming". There I was legging it along the pontoon, along the pathway, up the steps to find this parcel force gentleman standing at the gate with a parcel. He thanked me for being there. I explained to him about the telephone number on the notice. I then said "If all else fails, look over the bridge, if my back doors are open, just shout out and I will come up. He thanked me for my help and left me with a parcel for boaters who were at the other end of the Arm. I strolled down the Arm and delivered the parcel. I classed all of that as my exercise for the day.
What is the flippen point of putting a notice on the gate, if people do not read it. The ones that have read it, use the phone number to our site manager, who then rings me and i go and collect the parcel. It is not rocket science. The worst of the delivery companies seems to be Hermes. My grey undercoat, was delivered supposedly twice and I bet they never read the notice. Thankfully the third time we were in luck and I got my paint. I of course realize that delivery drivers are on a set schedule, but with the roads quieter, there is no excuse. If Mr Tesco can turn up early, then the delivery drivers must be finding it easier to get around, especially as everyone is supposed to be at home.

Anyway this is the gate which will be hung once the brackets and catch arrive, not by carrier, but by Royal Mail care of our site manager, who goes and collects the post twice a week.
With this job done, the rest of my day has been spent watching films on 5Star. Death Becomes Her, Beaches and First Wives Club all fabulous movies. At 9 pm Pretty Woman is on. My idea of film heaven for the day.
On that note I will wish you a lovely Bank Holiday Weekend. Stay at home and stay safe :-).

Pop back soon xxx