Cap'n Spack Jarrow
Brownian motion-type musings on barge renovation, life and other bits of flotsam.
Le Grande Ache Des Ballons...
Well, as I sit here at the bow of Zee wondering how I can mount a large cannon above the foc’sle to wake up bridge keepers with a 10lb shot through the window (more on this later) I have time to reminisce on the events which led to possibly one of the most stressful few hours afloat (and there’s some competition I can tell you, even in our . . .
An Anchor (or two) in Stormy Seas...
Well, it would appear that our carpenter is unavailable to set much of the wall and ceiling battens and refit the floor so we must take the jump and bring Zee back to the UK. We could probably do some of the refit out there but considering the drop in the pound recently, associated costs of living out there and not knowing where to . . .
And now for something completely different...
Those more avid readers of this blog may remember a post about going to Northern Ireland to test fly a couple of Autogyros with a view to purchasing one. Well, aim achieved. The next task for me was to fly said stainless steel and carbon fibre crotch rocket back across the Irish Sea and across Scotland, down through the North of England and . . .
Das Tuten-Panzer...
Poop tank sounds much funnier in German
Apologies to all German readers straight off the bat. My love of Blackadder Goes Forth has ruined any chance of me ever speaking German without sniggering and "Tuten Panzer" (lit. "poop tank") is most definitely a bastardisation, if a slightly amusing one to my 8 year old sense of humour.
The good news is that . . .
The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men...
The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!
So said the eternal optimist, Robert Burns, in his poem "To a Mouse" in 1785. As is no surprise to many people who have undertaken a big project, often life, luck and other . . .
Let There Be Light (and power)...
Light. You need it and regardless how many LEDs you fit, nothing can replace natural light. If you are not careful and don't consider it at the outset, barges can be places of darkness which have you blinking like a mole when you come out from your simulated subterranean lair. You can always close curtains/blinds but if you have not got . . .
I have wood...
Lots and lots of it. Various types. Whole and in pieces. What? That title isn't misleading at all...
It's true. I do have wood. Mostly it is now accumulating in the cargo hold but I still have plenty of it despite more gargantuan efforts to cram 12 cubic metres of stuff into a 6 cubic metre skip. They are not going to be happy when they pick that up...
Anyway, I survived my trip out on Suzy and managed to dodge the . . .
