Seems we have a new storm and therefore a new name 'Kathleen' is hitting us as we are aboard Percy for an unprecedented long weekend  after only just being here two weeks ago - Five months no visits then two in two weeks !!  Part of the reason is to fettle the donk on Percy. Five months is a long time to leave an old engine so I want to get inside and oil up the journals just as the 1929 vintage book advises.  Not done it yet... typing this Friday night before the storm hits but will update with a few pics when it's done and we have the engine thumping aways all oiled up !! A bi ..read more

It seems like an age ago that we were watching the tv and being told of an impending disaster as the Toddbrook reservoir spill way was in danger of breaching and the town of Whaley bridge was being evacuated. As in all good disaster movies the event was avoided and all was well.... apart form the cost to C&RT for the repair . I took the opportunity to have a ride that way the other day while out for a longish shopping trip to Screwfix !   What a work of art it is to incur costs to all canal users.... banksmen on the road below trying to stop traffic  - I rode by. All the sit ..read more

My last couple of posts have been about batteries  - the things on boats that are a another disposable item (recyclable for money) but are essential to make being or living on a boat a bit like being in a house... It's a good thing now more houses are getting like boat dwelling in that for some or all of the time they are also now being powered by batteries.  In the boat situation cheap solar and now lithium  - for the wise, have opened up the options of living like connected to the grid. Lithium is so powerful and so flexible in charge and discharge properties compared to old l ..read more

While I was waiting for the main house batteries to be sorted and to give some blackout cover at the cottage I purchased an Ecoflow Delta 2.  They are sometimes what is incorrectly called a solar battery. Its so much more than a dumb battery. It is a 1024w 51v LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate)battery  which is married to a 60v 15 amp Mttp solar controller, a 1kw battery charger plus a 1800w inverter ( 230v out) it also has USB type c x 2 USB type A fast and slow ports. A 12v 10 amp cigarette style port. It can be fast charged up to 1100w down to 100w by the app  - yes its all ..read more

Yesterday was a bit of a long day. My youngest son Callum came over to the cottage for 7.30am and by 8am we were removing the two solar panels I'd put up on the North East facing workshop roof.  The two panels were a trial to see what I could get before the main panels on the south west facing roof. It was an encouraging trial with the two 375w panels giving a good start to the solar harvest each day. So much so i upped them to 5 x 425w panels. One of the two panels coming off the roof may go onto Percy to replace the 15 year old 175w panel... my Victon 15/75 controller will take that nic ..read more

It's always a bit of a concern to be visiting the boat after so many months being left all alone. This made more concerning after dreaming Percy had sank in a lock !! In fact on checking we were last with Percy on the 9th October 2023.... See here  I'm so ashamed I/we  left the boat all winter  - thats 165 days or over 23 weeks  - more than 5 months. Wind rain snow ice. The storage box had twisted in the wind other than that externally she looked very well. Inside the same  - we stripped the bed and turned and vacuumed the mattress. I cleaned the bathroom after filling ..read more

We should have been on Percy for our 39th Wedding anniversary - in fact it's one of the few years lately we've not been aboard. All was planned then v2 of this covid type cold virus hit me so I wanted to be near a bath instant hot water and stable heat - yep a complete wuss !  We have so much 'on' at the moment it's hard to get the time to give Percy our full attention. It'll get easier as we progress into spring as odd overnights arn't so bad as temps make overnighting easier. Many years ago I blogged about big decisions and we need to make one soon,  we need to be able to get to Pe ..read more

Lots of stuff on however  impacted and restricted by me tweaking my back in the garden.... moved a ton bag of top soil from the back yard to the front garden - ok. Cleaned out the pond snd filters - Ok, last job just move that 20kg bag of top soil - hinged and twisted and pop went my back !!  So two weeks later I was able to get in to the garage and get the wheels off one of my bikes  - Honda NC750x and on picking Rachel up from a nice brrak in Bath with her long time friend we called and had two new tired on my 'loose wheels' £304 lighter they sat in the garage waiting for me t ..read more

Sorry more bike related. I have an adventure bike  that was designed and built and tested in the Himalayas and the mountains of Wales. It is a belter and those of you who have found my YouTube channel will have seen some of its adventures.  Anyhow a week before Christmas when I was feeling $hit with the man flu I got a call from the bike dealer I brought the bike from inviting me for a day of Green Lane'ing in early January. I wasn't sure it was for me but I said put me down as a maybe. On Saturday I was frosty and 1 degree and  I had doubts but it is times like that you have to ..read more

OK not boating but another passion.... Due to family commitments, a horrid virus and then Rachel getting the virus my time on two wheels lately has been limited. Today was the first day when I got the chance to turn a wheel. It was a Screwfix visit to buy another angle grinder and disk to remove the old mortar on one of my chimneys as its got a leak !! Normally a 20 minute run to Ashbourne ( or Leek) but todays was Ashbourne but it gave me the opportunity to go the longer way via Ilam and Dovedale. As to be expected there was a lot of surface water on the lanes and a lot of mud. Tool ..read more