Amsterdam 20/8/13

We took the park and ride from the Amsterdam arena home of Ajax which included train and buses for 8 euro (5people). Chelsea lifted the Europa league trophy there in may.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Amsterdam, apparently it is horribly overcrowded at weekends but today it was fairly quiet and we could get around comfortably. Highlight we're the obviously beautiful canals and impromptu reggae trumpeter on a rowing boat and the architecture - lows were the seedy bar and red light areas.

Netherlands via France and Belgium 18/8/13

We decided to visit our daughter who is living in Tilburg for a few days. We used the Dover ferry and drove slowly to Tilburg - Much to the annoyance of the lorries who kept flashing me to speed up. One observation about Benelux is the effortless flow of the traffic due to variable speed limits and probably lower volumes of cars - taxis appear to be a rare sight as well - we had no hold ups in all 5 days.

The pace of life is much slower out here -  employees are given a lie in on Monday morning,  the population is low - most cities have a population below £500k, there is no free healthcare and green policies like priority to cyclists is promoted. Diesel fuel is also 30% cheaper than petrol. The food is basic, healthy and fresh and people are polite if a little reserved. The bars are relaxed and have a vast selection of beers at reasonable prices. There are many parks and lakes as well as the canals. Farming is basic and fictional with equipment of a vintage nature.

Our most enjoyable time was having a picnic at one of the numerous lakes.

Shardlow at night

Rail for small shelf

I have been looking for a solution for the small shelf below the control panel. Due to the boat rocking, especially when boarding the boat/when rushing about, I needed a rail fitting to stop objects falling off it. The solution was to obtain some sort of rail, but, sourcing it proved difficult. In the end I bought two brass handles and fitted them adjacent to the shelf - works ok and stops my dab radio falling off - one broke recently.

Back to the future

Great scot - saw this badboy when stuck in a traffic cue last week

Fishy business

Randomly, i decided to buy a fishing licence - gives me an excuse to visit the boat now that most of the jobs are done. Here are a couple of my catches - mostly skimmers but a couple of perch and a nice roach. I think most of the big fish i.e. the carp, tend to stay in the marina nearby.

 Regarding the boat I removed the rest of the peeling coating from the toilet window and fitted a brass bar to keep the curtains flat to preserve modesty. The curtains are a tad short but I didn't want the bar too high.

More exhaust work

Carefully unwrapped the upper exhaust bandage and as I suspected the upper exhaust was broken as the lower exhaust. I bought another fixed repair clamp and fitted it - sorted for now. Unable to source a flexible pipe.

On a positive note the boat started ok, the cable to the solenoid was loose and is now secure and the starter looks fairly new.