A bit more boat-related shopping......

This morning, Jackie disappeared into the depths of Pippin's engine room and mopped up about two litres of oil which had leaked from our very sickly gearbox. This was carefully tran-shipped from the bucket into a suitable receptacle for taking to the Re-cycling Centre's waste oil disposal point.

Jackie also put a new jubilee clip on the weeping skin-tank-to-engine hose, bled the air out of the skin tank and topped up the coolant with anti-freeze.

So where was I while Starship Pippin's version of Montgomery Scott was de-coking the Warp Engines?

Shopping, actually.

Yes, when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.........

Actually, I had been sent shopping, by The Chief Engineer, which makes it okay......

Our neighbour Rhoda, from wb Hullabaloo, is going to service her Beta engine soon. Jackie has given her all the notes she made during her Beta 50 diesel one-to-one maintenance course she did with Pete from RCR this spring, along with a list of serial numbers of filters, belts, etc etc.

So Rhoda was off to Jones's boat yard at St. Ives to raid the well stocked Chandlery there.

Jackie asked Rhoda if I could tag along, as 'we needed some bits too'.

(I do have a sneaking suspicion that all Jackie really wanted was to get me out from under her feet so she could fettle in peace....)

Anyway, off we duly trolled to Jones's, shopping lists in our hot little hands and money smouldering gently in the pocket.

I was impressed by Jones's.

There is a chandlery in a nearby cathedral town which is much closer. However, I have refused to shop there since one of the staff was very rude indeed to Jackie.

None of that nonsense at Jones's.

The boss there went through Rhoda's shopping list carefully and helpfully. They mainly deal with Vetus motors, so didn't have all the Beta stuff in stock, but promised to get it asap.

I mooched about, looking at expensive toys.....

However, my own list involved
-one more leisure battery
-some oil soak mats
-some diesel.

I got two more batteries!

(Well, six in the leisure bank is still only half what Pippin had, and you can never have too many amps, I feel.....)

I also purchased three mats, 60 litres of red and a replacement seat and back for a Nauticalia Talleyman chair bought from Emmaus for a fiver. (Photos to follow)

When they totted up that little lot, I paid up like a man and hardly whimpered at all.

Actually, as Jackie bought the other four batteries, it's only fair.

Good job I got paid on Friday, that's all.....

We spent the remainder of the afternoon working on boats: Jackie rubbing down more of Caboodle's paintwork, me filling various diesel tanks.

When I finished, I helped with the rubbing down. We are very close to finishing the primer coat. If we can get it done before winter sets in, then good.

Spring-Time for Topcoats!