Mobile cappuccino could be solved

During our three month trip I reported on the number or lack of good cappuccinos that could be found within walking distance of the canal. It showed the very bad state of good coffee around the country. Well our son was given a Bialetti Mukka Expresso (from Amazon) cappuccino maker by his girlfriend that could be the answer to our prayers. It makes 2 cups of superb cappuccino just by placing it on the hob with no messing about with milk steamers at all and only for £47.50., a great bit of Italian engineering to solve a serious problem. This could solve Andrew Denny's issues as well on Granny Buttons. This is going to be a must buy before our next trip for the occasions when I cannot find a land based one!

Mice strike back in unusual place

How about this for a weird event.

I went to top up the screen wash today, in the car that we used to go up to the boat the other week. There is a cup like indent above the shock absorber struts on each side and in one of them were about 30 red berries. They could not have been blown or washed in by wind or rain as there is a bulk head in the way. They are not berries from home, they are like the ones near the car park at the marina. They must have been put there by somebody or something- its about 2ft above ground level and you couldn't reach it with your hand. It must be a winter stock of food for MICE- aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Plans did not go to plan

We went up to the boat last Sunday to hopefully go out for a few days during the week - but boating never always goes to plan.
On arrival the temperature inside the boat was -3c, we had mice visiting and our main water pump which supplies the taps and toilet was playing up.

Soon got the fire going and the temperature soon increased and stayed alight for the rest of the week.

We had moored the boat with the stern towards the reeds last time we were up and I noticed that there is a gap at the bottom of the rear doors which is probably how the little perishers got in. Mouse traps were purchased in Southam and set. As I was doing this I disturbed a field mouse that had decided to nest in the bucket hanging up in the electrical cupboard- unfortunately I was not quick enough to catch it. The traps were set and over the next four days we evicted 6 !!!, and turned the boat around so that the bow is now into the reeds -but no further sightings or signs of them during Thursday or Friday night. Hopefully we have seen the last of them but just in case have left the traps in place.

On investigating the pump it was wet around the pump and the floor in the cupboard. My plumbing skills are zero but after talking to the marina manager I decided to have a go and disconnect it. The pipe joints were all ok it was a seal within the pump itself. A common fault it would appear on Shurflow pumps, luckily I had a replacement ( as I had identified it on my critical parts list) so swopped them over. I will try and repair it to use as a spare in future.

With all this excitement we had stayed in the marina and with Wednesday weather not looking so good we decided to do some shopping and therefore over several days visited Banbury, Northampton and Stratford upon Avon. The redevelopment around Stratford basin is really coming on and they have just completed the topping out of the RSC building with landscaping due for completion next summer and the theatre due to open in 2010.

So no trip out but a very pleasant time as always spent on the boat doing boaty things and back home Saturday afternoon.