Up and down

Went up to Great Haywood yesterday to complete jobs for the winter, especially aimed at preventing problems with damp. Turned off the fridge, opened all possible cupboards and drawers, opened the spaces under the dinette and stood the cushions vertically. Brought away the duvets and some spare bedding. Checked the spar supporting the tonneau cover. Left the new coal scuttle.

Paid for the winterising done by Engineering, and saw workshop people, Dave and Jenny and the marina staff to wish them a happy Christmas. Steve wasn't there.

Were able to complete everything Wednesday afternoon. Stayed overnight at Rugeley Travelodge – basic, functional, much cheaper than Premier Inn. Curry for two at the Ash Tree – happy environment, good value, food a bit slapdash, puddings were good. Breakfast at the Colliers Arms next to Premier Inn – very filling, but the bacon had probably been cooked some time before.

Easy journey home on a bright mid-winter's day.

Clearing out

Yesterday Jon Sharp talked me through what they would do to winterise the boat. Seemed straightforward and fairly obvious obvious, except for what they will do with the calorifier. Agreed that Jenny will let me know when they're going to do it so that, if possible, I can see what they do. Jon said there should be no need to do anything to the toilet.

Today fixed the tonneau and its support. Checked the level in two of the leisure batteries. It seemed fine, but I need to understand what the extra (7th) cap is about.

About £25 left on the meter. The heater is set for frost-protection. Weather forecast is for a lot of wind and some rain, but no snow yet. Friday night looks as though it could drop below zero for the first time.

Getting near to winter

Pump out. It was full, and winterisation demands it anyway.

Bought 25kg of Taybrite (£12) from the marina. Seems a reasonable price even against B&Q's special offer. It's also supposed to be completely smokeless. Calorific value seems about equal to the B&Q stuff.

Engineering to come over and see about winterisation.