Oostende Voor Anker Pt 2

A big part of the festival is Beer.....I mean music. There are bands and folk singers playing at 2 venues throughout each day. They range from 5 piece Irish style groups to 10 dutchmen singing sea shanties.

Our personal favourites are a group called Hot Rats. Well worth going to see them if ever you get the chance.

This is them on the stage outside st peters church




Derek, our third crew member is a self confessed Hot Rats groupie. Here he is coming back laden with a bottle of specially brewed Oostende Voor Anker beer which we felt had to be consumed during the concert incase it spoilt while sitting in the bottle




They ended each of their sessions with a musical number featuring Phil, their resident spoons player



If you love boats of all shapes and sizes then its a must day out














Our Skipper Steve taking a turn around the deck of Valonia



Sunday afternoon although very hot was also very windy. This tall ship struggled a bit getting into her berth which was in the larger tidal Montgomery Dock. The crew of the three small yatchs behind her got a little twitchy






Finally, hidden very well amongst all the other boats I spotted an English Narrowboat. Sadly they were rafted up 6 boats from the pontoon so I never got a chance to meet the crew. They also blog about their cruising on the continental waterways and it can be found here Wandering Snail






Our thanks once again to the organisers and people of Ostend for a very warm welcome and such excellent hospitality during the weekend.
Sadly no commemorative plaque for me this year but you never know maybe Lady Elgar might make an appearance one day.......in my dreams lol

Oostende Voor Anker

Thanks to Laura and my mate steve conspiring together I was packed off friday afternoon to catch the Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels and then local train to Ostend.
I knew Steve was making the trip in his new boat but being only 5 weeks before the expected arrival of Peanut I'd not made any plans as its a four day festival plus a couple of days either side for the crossing from England.

So it was a very nice surprise indeed to come home from work one evening last week and Laura presnted me with my train tickets. I finished work Friday morning, got a couple of hours sleep then caught the Underground from Uxbridge to St Pancras and just 2 hours later saw me waiting at Brussels Midi for the Intercity train to Ostend. Another hour and there I was, bum firmly in place on a chair in Flanagans bar drinking my first Grimbergen and catching up with the gossip from many old friends made over the years that we have been going to the festival.

It was the 10th anniversary of Oostende voor anker and I had only missed 2. Steve had only missed 1.

some pics of the event

London St Pancras Eurostar Terminal





Waiting at Bussels Midi for the connection to Ostend






Mercator dock looking towards the Station








My Berth for the weekend, MV Valonia an ex 1969 pilot boat





Ill add some more pics later when ive got them off the camera

Homework

While it seem every other boat at the moorings has gone cruising this weekend, We are still securely tied to the bank front and stern.

There is a canal festival going on at Little Venice in Central London but seeing as we had to visit the maternity ward at St Helier Hospital Sunday afternoon it was pointless in casting off and setting sail for Paddington.

Instead we decided to attack the garden, Laura, armed with a rake and fork sorted out the plot ready for grass seed while I constructed a kind of gravel pit where our new IKEA garden furniture now sits looking down onto the moorings giving us a sheltered spot to cool off in the summer heat armed with lashings of ginger beer and 20 Rothmans.

I must admit, ive get very itchy feet wanting to cast off and cruise off into the distance...even if its just for a day......the lure of the water is just too strong

A Grand Day Out 2

My Daughter Rachael and her boyfriend Chaz came to visit over the weekend. They had originally planned to go to Alton Towers but Chaz's car decided it didnt want to drive all the way to Staffordshire from Kent so Lady Elgar and Thorpe Park was the next best thing.

Saturday is never a good day to visit these places and the queue to enter the park alone took us an hour. Once inside they do have some excellent rides. Laura and myself were more than happy to wander around with Rachael and Chaz while they selected which thrills they were going to experience. The sun was out and it was lovely and warm.

Their first ride was on something called 'Rush' basically two huge swings. The queue for this was a mere 15 minutes








Their next choice was 'Colossus' a multi loop roller coaster. The down side for this ride was the 70 minute queue. Rachael and Chaz duly got into line and we toddled off for some refreshment and to sit on a grassy bank to soak up some rays.
We returned an hour later and they were still in the queue.






So far we had been in the park 3 hours and they had only been on two rides. Weekends really are not the best times to do these things.

I joined them on the River Rapids ride and we all got very wet.



With just a couple of hours left we managed to get on the 'Nemesis inferno' ride with just a 25 min queue. This is a hang in the air roller coaster with multiple inversions and a very good ride....I liked that one :)






The final ride was one called 'Stealth' There was no way i was going to ride as it climbed up to 205 ft. No way folks.

The ride starts off on the level and then accelerates to over 80mph before climbing 205 ft and then dropping again before coming to a halt.

They queued for an hour






Once of a day we were happy with just the Big Dipper at Blackpool. It seems there is no end to the extremes roller coasters can now take you to, providing of course you dont go during weekends or school holidays.

Cabin Conversions

The work in the Boatmans Cabin has finally been completed making it into our bedroom and converting our Cabin into Peanut's Nursery.

Our bed is now the full width of the cabin which then folds away during the day to allow access from the rear doors and to the storage cupboards underneath. or at least it would if the mattress wasnt too big!

Another cock up on my measuring skills meant I ordered a Mattress way too big and bulky. It my own fault for ordering it off t'internet instead of measuring one up in a shop. Never mind, it will do for a few weeks till I can order a new one suitable for use.




At least Peanuts Cabin is sorted and looking pretty good. All ready and waiting for the arrival day in July.

A Grand Day Out

We took a trip to Portsmouth in March as my birthday treat.

It had been quite a few years since I last visited, in fact it was well before the days of the Mary Rose being found and the only attraction in the Dockyard was HMS Victory so I was very keen to see the new Historic Dockyard Museum.

We arrived just in time to catch a boat trip around the Harbour as our starter and armed with video camera and still camera we were fortunate to see quite a few Warships including the 3 aircraft carriers.






HMS Victory is still for me one of those great ships that justs lets my imagination run away with itself. A period of history I particularly enjoy.

Since my last visit they have opened up more of the ship. Originally the lowest part you could visit was the Orlop Deck, but they now allow access to the Ships Hold which is a vast cavernous area in the very Bowell's of Victory.





I remember when they recovered Henry VIII ship Mary Rose from the depths of the Solent but didnt realise how much of the ship had actually been recovered.
On the television pics of the day it just looked like a few timbers but in actual fact, its almost the majority of the Starboard side complete with rudder. The remains are housed in a special climate controlled building and is constantly sprayed with preserving chemicals and wax so you actually view the ship from behind a wall of perspex. It takes a few minutes to get used to the light but it is a fantastic display and well worth the entrance fee alone.

Time was running out and we ended our tour by visiting Queen Victoria's first Iron Hulled Battleship HMS Warrior

The best part of this ship, not just its size but the fact you can wander its decks unescorted and can get into alsorts of nooks and crannies and have a really good explore.













Our final attraction of the day was a visit the Spinnaker Tower which dominates Portsmouth's skyline.

This Tower rises 170 metre's above the Harbour. Encased in glass on three walls with three levels and a Glass section of floor on the lower level.
Laura nor I have very good heads for heights but we were very brave and we managed to get our backs to the solid wall on the first level not daring to go anywhere near the glass walls or the glass floor.

I then got extreamly brave and got my video camera out and began to shuffle slowly around the deck looking only through the viewfinder so that i didnt have to actually look out of the windows for real. I was shaking like an idiot and so we dashed back to the lift back to the safety of terra firma. Coming back down in the lift Laura was laughing at me because the sweat was pooring down my face....Vertigo, it sounds so silly but its horrible.

We had a quick beer in the bar below and I checked out the video camera to see what sights I had managed to record while up the tower.

It appears all I had managed to capture was our feet climbing the stairs to the lift. In my fear I had forgotten to press record, so when I thought i pressed pause to end the recording I had only then just presses record so no video at all of us being brave in the tower of death. Doh!!

We ended the day back at the Swan and Bottle for a slap up meal.

Welsh Surf n Turf

It has been some time since I last ventured west to visit my matey Paul in Wales.
We couldnt meet up last weekend as he was in Paris watching the mighty Welsh Rugby team lose to France.

We have been close friends for the last 20yrs.
Paul managed to escape from London and return to the land of his fathers several years ago. He found an old barn in Monmouthshire which was being converted into a house and within a few months had finally moved in and settled down to enjoy the fine views across the Wye Valley.






I arrived at Pauls about half past 8 friday evening and was greated by his two dogs Wellington and Katy.
A few sherberts later in the local hostalry saw us sitting up till the early hours talking and catching up on each others news. Katy however was ready for bed well before we were



Saturday dawned bright but breazy and our plans were to drive to the coast so that Paul and another friend called Jeff could show off their Surfing skills.....in march!!!.....We loaded up the car with 2 surf boards on the roof, large bags of wetsuits 2 dogs and 3 blokes.

They both regaled me with tales of daring do while riding the surf. I was impressed and firmed up my driving with much anticipation.
As we approached Cardiff the weather had turned and was now drizzling. After a two hour drive we finally arived at Ogmore beach with yells from the dudes of " yeah, lets surf" They jumped from the car skipping and leaping towards the sea wall where spray could be seen being whipped away on the wind. They came to a sudden stop. Their shoulders dropped as they looked across at the sea crashing against the cliffs and rocks and not a square of sandy beach in view. The tide was in. Being brave sufer dudes, not fearing wind or rain, they now huddled down into their jackets and we slouched back to the car and the heater.

Paul viewing the waves




Not to miss out on their water based activities, Paul suggested another beach further up the coast. We piled back into the car and headed a few miles further west. Upon our arrival, both Paul and Jeff surveyed the waves.



All seemed well until Paul spyed the Parasurfers and realising that their image might not stand up to the scrutiny of these aparant professionals we again retired to the car with excuses of "its too windy"



One final choice...Porthcawl near Bridgend. Very unlikely to have any snobby para surfers and the boys would finally be able to impress the local girls with their skills on the boards....Not....The tide was still high, the wind whipping the spray as the waves dashed against the rocks.








The intrepid adventurers gave the dogs a run across the cliffs and we then drove the 2 hours back home and headed off to the Pub to impress the locals of our tale of excitment and adventure.
After much quaffing of ale and long tales we finally returned home and enjoyed a fantastic barbeque of huge tiger prawns, and steak...it was only midnight and the night was still young.

A fantastic weekend. Our journey to the sea, although not a surfing success was actually a great little road trip with the three of us thouroughly enjoying the day.
I can recomend the Wye Valley beers and to top off the trip, Paul agreed to be Bestman this coming september.
Back at home now and the back cabin conversion resumes tomorrow.

Emblem again

When I sold Emblem I had some engine spares for the old Gardner 4L3W

For months they had been sitting in my mates stable in Wales and then in the boot of my car waiting for the new owner to arrange collection.

Eventually I got fed up of waiting and managed to lodge them at my daughters hse in Ramsgate thinking i might as well try and sell them on Ebay





Imagine my suprise when i gat a call from Ludwig, the new owner of Emblem asking about the engine bits...It turns out he's been very ill and was unabke to reply to my messages.

At last, I pleased to announced the parts will be going to Emblem to keep her running.

Time is catching up

It seems like everthing on board Lady Elgar is giving up the ghost just about the same time it was fitted aboard.

Last week the Loo cassettes finally had enough, and yesterday the washing machine decided it no longer had the energy to run a spin cycle.

On top of that, the grill on the oven no longer wishes to grill and one ring on the gas hob has decided it no longer wishes to remain lit.


Anything else?....oh yes.....the water pump is playing up.

Not to be down hearted we decided the gas oven and hob can keep us going till next year, the water pump is still just about working so we've ordered a new one as standby incase this one finally sighs its last breath. The washing machine however has had to be replaced.

We went to currys in Slough and chose a rather nice silver dryer model within our budget which had, written on the label......"last one instock...take home today"

The lady who came to our assistance informed us, we could have it delivered tomorrow (thursday) and take advantage of free delivery which also ends tomorrow, so we said....."oh yes me old hearties"

She then handed us over to her assistant who promptly made a complete hash of the whole affair. He told us it couldntbe delivered till next week....not a big problem....but when we asked..."how about if we take it now" he said "there isnt any in stock"....i took him and showed him the label on the machine we wanted and he said" that shouldnt be on there"....yet his collegue said it was in stock and we could take it today if we didnt like the delivery date!

We eventually agreed on a date next week and he swiped our debit card and then told us it needed authorising....after several attempts at getting through to the authorising phone number he then told us our card had been declined!!!!!!
It was our boat account and we had over £1000 in CREDIT!!

He then tried to tempt us to pay with a credit card but we pooh poohed his suggestions and we high tailed it to the bank and told them the story.....the bank clerk informed us there wa nothing wrong with the card and our account was healthy.

We then decided to return home and order our choice on the internet...I typed in our post code and model number and was informed that we could order our selected machine for collection at either the Slough branch or the West Drayton branch.

Not wishing to deal with Slough anymore.....having been told by them it wasnt available......i clicked on the West Drayton branch and the message came up that it would be ready for collection in 1 HOUR!!!!!

I then spent the next hour disconecting the old machine and sure enough...we went to the West Drayton branch and collected the reserved washing machine.....we use the same account card and it cleared without any request for authorisation at all.

7PM saw the new washer installed and going through its first wash with a minimum of fuss....I must admit however, If it hadnt been for a kind chap offering his help at the boatyard to lift the damn thing, It would still be sitting in the car even now...cant expect Laura to do lifting things.

So, what was the final thing to go wrong?
The bathroom light fitting gave in......is it because everything was fitted at the same time?......who knows....is it because Lady Elgar knows peanut is on the way and she want to have everything working prior to his/her arrival?

As you mayve guessed, my work in the back cabin has come to a stop due to all the other things suddenly needing attention, except that is for the Boatmans stove which is now sitting in the shed waiting for our neighbour simon to take possession

Pennies from Heaven

Aint t grand when you suddenly have a crisis, and you have to fork out for something which doesn't fit into your budget. Then, all of a sudden you remember 'Piggy' sitting on the shelf which, for the last few months has swallowed all your £2 coins.

On counting 'Piggies' contents this morning we found we had enough to replace the 'Elsan' porta loo plus spare cassette and a new water pump.

The 'Elsan' cassette's have a large handle at the front which one pulls out in order to dump the deposit into the holding tank.

We had in total 3 of these cassettes on board Lady Elgar which mustve been about 15 years old. well, the last one finally gave up the ghost yesterday when the handle finally sheared off.

Piggy to the rescue and a quick visit to Denham Marina, coz Highline and Uxbridge are closed on mondays, and we are now the proud owners of a Thetford465 plus spare cassette.

The water pump....well....its been getting slower and slower so tomorrow i will pop into Highline and order a new pump, again courtesy of piggy.

I like Piggy Banks :)

Its still winter

Time has just flown by since I last posted.

Below is a pic of the sofa/futon/bed we had in the saloon.




We now have so much more space ready for Peanut and the Stove has once again become a feature of the room rather than just a heat source




I have to confess my time on the PC has been taken up playing an old game of mine that i recently upgraded. Its a WW2 submarine simulation called Silent Hunter 3.....very addictive and time consuming.

So to combat the time spent in front of the PC we took a trip to Reading over the weekend and visited the Hobby supermarket.

I bought some Hessian sheets and a Rag Rugger with the intention of making a Rag Rug or two. I delved into my wardrobe and removed all clothing that I hadnt used for over a year ready for cutting into strips for the rug.


Laura decided she would try her hand at Latch Hook crochet and cross stitching,

Here is her Latch Hook masterpiece so far




After several hours work she has completed half of her picture. She has, thoughout those several hours had a go at me requesting to see how my rug is coming along.....Alas, those several hours have been spent cutting and stripping clothes ready for the big rag rug event....ps...the co-op cloth bags that you have to buy these days instead of plastic carrier bags make ideal rag bags to keep your strips of cloth in.

Rear cabin has now been measured and my plan is forming for converting it into our master bedroom. Work is due to commence at the end of this month.

Peanut's next scan is 23rd Feb. That will be the 20 week scan.

Current size is a small Grapefruit