Woodwork

Rob was round early this morning to fit our units in the saloon and what an excellent job he has done, we are over the moon with the new look. Below are some before and after shots.

The way it was. 

Not very attractive.

Taking shape

Perfect.

The units actually look a lot better than the photo's I've taken, we couldn't be more thrilled with the quality of Rob's workmanship.  

We are booked on the ferry for home tomorrow but with all this wind there will be some disruption to the service.

Chester

Had a touch of beer flu this morning following yesterdays Christmas boaters get together, I can't remember the last time that happened, it was possibly the mulled cider with rum or the mulled wine with whisky that Dot made that did it.

There was a frost first thing this morning but we missed it, we didn't surface till 10:30! As it was a bright sunny day we decided to go for a drive to Chester as we have heard it is  a pleasant place to visit.

Chester really is a handsome city

 Sand sculptures

Eastgate  clock apparently the most photographed clock in England after Big Ben

Built to commemorate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee.

Another gate!

Walking around the City walls

The River Dee

We had lunch in the Red Rouge Cafe and headed to Tattenhall to check out their marina.

Tattenhall Marina

Beeston Castle overlooking the Cheshire Plain 

The Ice Cream Farm.

Where the  ice cream comes from.

Welcome home committee.

The Jolly Boaters

This morning while Sue went shopping for ingredients to make some tasty bites for this afternoons boaters gathering I got the house work done including washed the windows.

I helped Sue with making breadcrumbs and frying the Russian chicken patties and fish cakes while sipping a couple or swerves.

The Jolly boaters of Aston.

Dunelm and Uncletricide

Friday was a dreary dull day only highlight was playing with the new Dyson, which was capable of getting the previous owners grime from the carpets as well as our own. Apart from going to Dunelm in Stafford for a winter duvet we did little else of note.


If the act of killing your own father is Patricide has Kim Jung-Un committed Uncletricide. Perhaps after culling his own relatives,  he will then be able to surpass his dads achievements which included turning winter into spring, making rainbows spontaneously appear,  getting eleven 'holes in one' in a game of golf, never defecating his whole life and inventing  the hamburger.
Amazing how with the amount of information available at the stroke of a keyboard these narcissistic dictators aren't shot on the spot by the nearest person brandishing a brain cell and a gun.





Saturday we awoke to bright conditions with just thin wispy broken cloud cover, Sue did some baking and a couple of wash loads, the first load worked on the shore power ok , the second load stopped half way through so we had to revert to unplugging the shore power and switching the engine on.!!!  Nothing much else happened just chilled out really.

The cheek of Google

We went into Stafford today to do some shopping and this guy was entertaining the crowds.

I thought he must be using some sort of steel framework and triangulating it though the brolly until he changed position and swung the umbrella over his shoulder.

I bought another cordless Dyson today this one has a motorised brush head so picks uploads more than the other one did. States a 20 min battery life from a full charge which is more than enough to do the floor area. The old one had me crawling around the boat on my hands and knees to gather the dirt. I prefer the colour of this one blue as opposed to gold and I don't need to get up close and personal with the muck. .. oh and it reaches into the bilge in the engine bay.

.

Look what Google + have done to one of yesterdays photos, I didn't ask for it to be done, good job I quite like it . Just in case it doesn't show after I press the publish button there is snow falling.

Birmingham and a World Record

After reading our neighbours blog we decided to be copycats and get the train into Birmingham and see the famous Frankfurt Christmas Market, it certainly has a German theme to it with plenty of Frankfurters Bratwurst, Schnitzel and Bier being sold at various stalls. Pretzels, chocolates, fudge, cheese, gingerbread, crepes and marzipan sweets were all very tempting...but we gave them a miss. 

We did partake in a mulled wine, hot apple drink and a steak roll each. 

All that was missing was the lederhosen, accordion music and wenches with arm fulls of frothy beer but that will probably come out in the evening.

St Martins in the Bullring.

This view looked spectacular, all grey with shards of misty light...... until I photo'd it, now it looks pants.

Bier keller.

 Salt rock stall.

The future !

The library

Had a stroll down to the canal at Gas Street unfortunately  the cafe boat was shut.

Part of the cracker team.

In Brindley Place we came across a Guinness World Record attempt for the largest group of people in one place pulling Christmas crackers, I believe they broke the existing record by 150.

Cracker G.B.R. attempt.

Brummies having fun on the ice rink.

Frankfurt  twinned with Birmingham in the 70's and this market has been going for 12 years, maybe there is a Birmingham Market in Germany around this time of the year too!

A.P. McCoy

Sunday we slobbed about a bit apart from some hoovering from me and a nice Sunday roast from Sue, There was a fantastic sunset but did I get my camera out..of course not.

Monday afternoon was spent in the Royal Exchange with Dot, Gordon, Diane, Paul and Roly getting loyalty points on our Titanic brewery cards. but did I get my camera out ..of course not.

Tuesday we had a another trip out to the Uttoxeter Horse Races to try and win some Christmas cash. We had a result in the admission queue, a chap sold me his spare premier ticket for £10 which is less than half price, we bought one more at full price and we were in the premier enclosure for less than the cheap seats. This allowed us admittance to the Champagne Bar and Silks Restaurant in the Platinum Suite, prices were a bit steep in there so we had a bap from the hog roast stall and a Guinness in the Champagne Bar!

Sue picking up her winnings.

Studying the form before deciding on  a back marker.

Last time we came here it rained on and off for most of the day, today it remained dry.

Champion Jockey A.P. Mccoy on number 5

We both had one  winner and a place each. We ended up with only £5 in winnings towards Christmas... but we had a nice day out.

Kill Shot

Today was overcast with the  odd  cool drizzle of rain. We did some chores then read while listening to Ken Bruce, I'm just finishing the second book of Vince Flynn 'Kill Shot'

An enjoyable afternoon was spent in The Royal Exchange with Gordon, Dot, Diane, ourselves and later Roly. lamenting about the cruising season just finished and stories of all our pasts. A few pints of Plum Porter, Mulled wine and other beverages were consumed before we returned home at 2030hrs, to a nice spagboll.

God bless Nelson Mandela the only politician of my generation who displayed any dignity while in office. I just hope the dickheads that are in office around the globe now can learn from his legacy.


But I doubt it!

Xmas Ale

Wednesday was get the build up of washing done, for some reason the on board washer drier won't work when the boat is plugged into shore power, we have to detach ourselves from the umbilical cord that gives us 240v, start the engine and then the washing machine works fine. I think the problem is something to do with what the inverter does to the current passing through it, the delicate electronics in the washing machine recognises the change as a problem and shuts down. Elly and Mick have the same machine and the same problem.

In the evening we went to the Three Crowns for tea, game pie and belly pork, both were very good. I had the Marstons Pedigree while Sue had a glass of Xmas Ale.

Thursday Rob came around first thing to do some more measuring, he will start the fitting in two weeks time.
We are both knackered because for some reason we didn't sleep well last night, we are used to getting the full 8 hours and more these days.

We went into Lichfield to do some window shopping, Sue wanted to pick up something she window shopped last time we were there!, on the way home we went to the Tesco superstore at Rugeley to stock up the food cupboards and the beer corner, the three ales for a fiver deal has stopped..booo ...and has been replaced with a four for six quid deal.... hooray. ... .

Today the gale's came, rocked the boat and toppled the satellite dish off its magnetic base. If the wind doesn't abate we won't be able to watch 'I'm a Feckless Knob off the Telly ...Get Me out of Here'

Barton Marina

Bit of a grey day and the temperature has dropped a tad but it stayed dry.  This afternoon we took a drive over to Barton Marina to check out the opposition and had lunch in their Waterfront Pub. The marina has a quay with various shops, tea rooms, restaurants, cafe's, pub and a cinema.

The Waterfront

Barton marinas huge basin.

Estate Agency office on a boat !

The Mug Tug 

Trentham Estate

Lazy Sunday, the weather was good with clear skies and no wind, I must start getting out on the beer hunter again for some towpath exercise. Elly and Mickpopped in for a cuppa and chat in the afternoon.


Monday and the skies are still blue. After changing a dodgy socket in the kitchen, washing the soot of the roof and filling the water tank we took ourselves off to Trentham Estate shopping village, a collection of log cabin shops selling all sorts from ceramics to cookware, contemporary art to outdoor clothing. Sue bought some boots and we also purchased thermal hats and socks for when the winter sets in.




 There was a Pieminister cafe but unfortunately, they had sold out of the Matador pie filled with beef steak, chorizo, olives, sherry and butter beans that  I wanted so we left and ended up in Cheapo Weatherspoons.