Up and Down...stairs, ceilings and other jobs

This past week I've been up and down to Rotterdam like a yoyo, yet somehow I've managed to get a few things done besides the normal paid job.

I don't know if any of you remember, but this time last year, I wrote a post reflecting on my watery life, in which I described how I would just gaze around my barge looking for all the ways I could improve it. Funnily enough, it's become my most-read-post ever and still gets a steady trickle of views as the months goes by.

Anyway, in that post, one of the jobs I said I wanted to do was to neaten up the panelling above my bed and re-paint it. There was a gap in the middle where one of my offspring had removed a section but not replaced it, and following a shuffle round with the wall that covered the water tanks, the electricity cable was left running across the middle of the ceiling where previously, it had been behind said wall.

Rather a noisy photo, but the gap is now filled

It's taken me all these months since then to decide how to sort it out, but I've finally done it. Over the past few weeks, I've moved the cable to the edge of the ceiling, repaired the gap in the ceiling with a nice piece of trimmed wood, filled in the plethora of screw holes and painted everything a creamy colour instead of the green it used to be. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Well, like most things boaty, it took a lot longer than I thought it would, and was much more work and much less efficiently done than my  imagination had...erm...imagined? Even now, I might say it's finished, but it isn't really. I would still like to have a conduit or housing for the electricity cable, but I haven't yet found one big enough. I might need to improvise, though, as I did in fact buy one, but it wasn't deep enough for the cable which is quite thick, and I haven't seen another one with the right dimensions.

Everything is now painted a creamy white instead of green

Another job I've managed to do is to put a shelf in the top part of my hanging cupboard. I realised fifteen years down the line (I don't rush these things, do I?) there was some wasted space in there as I don't wear long coats and dresses. It occurred to me (better late than never) that an extra shelf would come in really handy. So, after lowering the hanging rail, it was a quick matter to find a piece of left over wood in my store and make this shelf. And guess what? It's already fully occupied and it's only been there a couple of days. What's that they say about always filling your environment to capacity? As a footnote to this, I've also repaired one of my stair treads which had virtually collapsed under a long ago visitor's weight. For several months, I've been harping on a bit like the London Underground's 'Mind the Gap' man with my own version of the mantra called 'Mind the Step'.  I even thought of recording it and setting it to play any time anyone opened the hatch, but I didn't get round to that either. As a result the hammer and nails were out in full force this week and not before time.

Last but not least, I was inordinately excited to receive a package in this week's post containing a very small, but hopefully powerful fumigation 'bomb' to finally put the mockers on the woodworm in my little back cabin. It probably sounds a bit sad to be so excited about something so utilitarian, but believe me, this is a problem that's been occupying my mind and energy for so much time, I'm hugely relieved to have what I hope is a real solution to the problem. Even better, I activated it this morning with much ceremony, aplomb and coughing. After a couple of hours of letting it all penetrate every part of the cupboards and ceiling (during which time I beat a hasty retreat),  I now feel I can get on with replacing the floor and putting the room back in use. Before that happens, however, I think I'll have to give everything a detox first. I've used so much woodworm killer in it I'm risking ending up like a doomed bug myself...on my back with my legs in the air! I actually hate using persticides, but it was really necessary in this case as I have already completely lost the floor to the little burrowers and was in danger of losing the original cupboards and panels as well. This will, I'm praying, be the end of it.

So...are you all now totally enthralled with my Mrs Fixit activities? Yes? Haha, I know the real answer to that. Suffice to say, it all fits in with my aim to make sure I do something for the barge every week. In a way, I'm glad it's never finished, and never will be really. Planning, preparing and doing all these small jobs is my relief from work. While I'm teaching, I rarely have time to write, so these DIY efforts are my relaxation and also my reward. And did I mention that I love my barge? I do, and with something approaching fanaticism, but I try not to be too noisy about it.

Just to finish off by looking back to my last year's post, I now wonder what I'll have done by this time next year? I have so many plans it'll be interesting to see how many of them make it to reality!

Have a good week everyone!

Still fair for faring

The weather is definitely becoming more autumnal now and the trees are turning such a beautiful colour, but despite a few days of very heavy rain and chill winds, we are still having some lovely sunny days. So much so that we have had yet another quick spuddle out on the canal this weekend.

But before I get to that, I wanted to add some photos here of the very special sailing barge event that we went to last Sunday the day after I wrote my last post. I'd read that the Bietentocht (as it is called here) was starting with its traditional 'warm-up' event at the town of Goes, not that far away from where we escape to at weekends. Bietentocht means Beet tour and it is just that: a tour of sugar beet loaded barges that sail from one town to another in Zeeland over a period of four days. The boats are all traditional Dutch sailing barges and the event begins when they are towed by magnificent draft horses from the lock (sas) at Goesesas to the harbour in the centre of Goes itself. The horses used for this event were Belgians, apparently. They were not quite as tall as some of the English draft horses I have seen, but still noble and beautiful.

Koos and I agreed we would like to go and see the event, so we jumped on his motor scooter and sped 50km along the highway to arrive at the start just as they were beginning to match horses to barges. In the sunshine, at the water's edge with the bright autumn light, it was a truly captivating scene, and I think the photos speak for themselves:

Horses taking up the slack lines

And then pulling the barges

Without too much effort at all - one gentle
nudge was all it took

In their Sunday best

Bargees in traditional costume

And glorious paintwork

More dressed up gee gees

Barges in the lock waiting to be released

Barges waiting to enter the lock from the
estuary

Well of course, we had to wait and see them arrive in Goes, and that was also a terrific sight. The barges were literally crammed into the harbour.

Well, having seen this and after being so inspired by it all, I decided I wanted to see the end of the tour when it reached the small town of Willemstad, which is in Zuid Holland on the south side of the Hollandsch Diep. I knew they would arrive on Thursday, so after work, I met my daughter and her family and we set off to see the barges coming in. What a difference! In contrast to the previous Sunday, it was pouring with rain, and we had to make for the safety of a café, but not before I managed to snap a few pics of the boats crowding into this small harbour.

Reversing in to the harbour was the only way

Clippers, possibly the most beautiful and elegant of the
Dutch barges

Barges like sardines in a can

Wonderful shapes and colours

The clouds started to clear just as we left

But that wasn't entirely the end of the barging week. We had a couple of days of excessively high water in Rotterdam, which is always quite exciting. Would the water wash over the side of the harbour this time? It never has and didn't this week either, but it did lap over the steps where the café puts its tables, and many's the time they have had to evacuate that part in the past.

Water lapping over the top steps of the café opposite

Getting close to the top, but not quite there.
We can relax...

Back in Zeeland again, the sun peeked through the clouds yesterday and the air was balmy and sweet. We were supposed to be cleaning the Hennie Ha, but the pull of the open water was too strong. It was still fair enough for faring! So we cast of the ropes and took to the canal. It also happened that friends were visiting in their camper van on the other side of the bridge, so we picked them up and took them for a spuddle too. It was unexpectedly lovely and a real treat. We made it back just before the heavens opened again.

Today has been a bright, clear and sunny too, but much colder and I really feel that autumn is upon us. It's dark in the mornings until eight now, which makes hauling myself out of bed even more challenging than usual. In another week, the clocks will change, which will give my body clock time to catch up a bit; the leaves will be falling hard and faring will be fully finished (or maybe not if we are brave). But what wonderful trips we've had this year to feed my soul through the winter....and as I still have a book about it to write, I can live it all over again. Aren't I the lucky one?

From fighting to faring in a week

I expect you're wondering what I mean by the title and it's not as bad as it sounds - well, the fighting bit isn't. To you, anyway.  My fights are not against the world, or countries or even people. As anyone who has read my recent posts knows, I have taken on the task of beating the beetle, lambasting the larvae and thoroughly whacking the woodworm on the Vereeniging.  Little bugs in the greater scheme of life, I know, but boy can they cause some (brain) damage.

As I mentioned last week, I'd ripped out the floor of my small aft cabin (we call it the roef) as it was riddled with woodworm. I've now cleared everything else out of the room, only to find they have started attacking the old cupboards and seats too. Luckily, these are all varnished, so they haven't got too far, but it's awful - a nightmare in fact. I have just now managed to order a smoke bomb from the UK to get into all the nooks and crannies that I might have missed, so I hope that once I have it, it will be the end of the little blighters.

Other than that, I've been working, as in teaching some very nice courses at the university, and also continuing with operation paint pot in my sleeping nook  on the barge. It's becoming almost smart now, so I'm really pleased about that. More photos soon, but I forgot to take any this week.

Now I'm back in Zeeland again, and there are other jobs to do. At least that was the plan. Today, we intended to go to the Hennie Ha where it is moored up and give her a good clean. But roads and good intentions have a way of getting diverted down a slippery slope. We arrived at the marina, and the sun was shining, the sky was what skies in holiday brochures look like and the canal called. What could we do? There really was no choice, so we took ourselves off for a bit of a faring fix. It was just wonderful as these photos will testify.

leaving the marina

Himself in relaxed mode as always

A regular at the Cargill plant

large commercial heading towards Terneuzen

Us steaming across the canal

to s small side branch harbour

where we watched the ships pass

Also heading for Terneuzen

Coal barges being pushed south

following the biggies

for a distance up the canal until we turned

And headed back past the regular visitor
and back to base

We managed some cleaning when we got back to the marina, but it was a half hearted affair. We were much too euphoric over our faring forth! Hoping you've all had a good week and wishing you some continued sunny weather.

Another one of those weeks

Yes, I know, it sounds as if I never stop, but I do. Not much of the time, I'll admit, but it does happen. This last week has been another one of those weeks that I had the week before. Got that? Good, because I'm not sure I have. The point is that it seems - the week that is - to have been more than usually busy (I think I said that last time too, didn't I?).

However, I can readily confess to being a very non morning person, so don't imagine for one minute I'm up with the lark. I never am and I cram everything into the day that's left after crawling out of bed at the weekend at somewhere around 10:00, sometimes later if I'm especially tired. During the week, it's earlier of course as I have to work, but I'm definitely not one of these 6a.m. risers. I'm not at all nice to know until I've had at least two cups of coffee and time to haul my brain out of the sludge that was sleep. But it was ever thus, so I'm used to it now.

Anyway, I digress. On Monday morning, we had to shoot up to Rotterdam from Zeeland horribly early to meet the man from the energy company so he could check the geyser in Koos' little flat (that he rarely visits but keeps as security), at which time we discovered the upstairs neighbour's loo was leaking into the bathroom and had ruined three towels, which were black and rotten. Not nice. In fact, fairly yuk. I'm a bit squeamish about such things, I've discovered. This unexpected crisis entailed meetings with the neighbour, phone calls to the owners' association, and attempts to make appointments with the plumber to come and assess the situation - none of which were immediately successful, but that's another story. Meanwhile off I went to work on my bike. Yes.

The autumn had sneaked in over the weekend and the temperatures had plummeted. It was simply cold. And the wind was blowing a hooley. But it was all rather deceptive because the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day and I wasn't expecting to struggle so. I battled over the Erasmus bridge this time and to give myself some breathing space, I took a few photos.

Then the next day, I had to brave the big Brienenord bridge again. Once more, it was a struggle and all the pleasure I'd had the previous week in climbing it without too much effort was over. It's the wind, see. It's a demon in this city and like to put anyone in a foul mood. One of my friends admits to swearing at the wind as she cycles. Well, I almost do too. The only solution is to stop and take some more photos; lovely isn't it?

Whatever I have to say about the wind, though I just love this city and its fabulous river. On Thursday afternoon, I was free, so I lured Koos into helping me remove the last floorboards in the back cabin of the Vereeniging. It's all gone now, and I'm just praying the woodworm have not burrowed their way into the old, varnished cupboards. I'll have to keep a close eye on them. The bare steel floor needs some cleaning and oiling before I put a new floor in, so there's quite a bit of work to be done still.

Worm-eaten floor removed

Koos manfully chopped all the wormeaten boards into small pieces. They are destined for a fiery demise.

Chopped into small pieces

A manful task

I also managed to give a second coat of paint to the ceiling above and the panels next to my bed.  I had to fill in a number of holes created by moving and removing screws at various times during the games with musical beds the various family occupants of the Vereeniging have played over the years. It'll all need another coat of paint before everything is smooth and even, but I'm pretty pleased with the result so far. And at least woodworm don't like paint...Am I getting paranoid about woodworm do you think? I probably am.

So that has been the week that was. Tomorrow, I am off to The Hague to take part in the second of our English Writing Festivals. There are six speakers altogether, and I will be talking about my Skipper's Child as an example of a Young Adult book. Wish me luck allemaal!

One of those weeks

I've been all over the place this last week - literally and figuratively. Following my rather close relationship with gravity and tendency to embrace concrete too warmly (see previous post), I've been nursing my bruises carefully and taking life rather cautiously. That said, I've been very busy with work so my blogging rounds have been interrupted and I see I have a whole list of them to catch up with.

Just as a round up, I had to go to Amsterdam on Monday to teach at the university there. This is something I do regularly, but not often (if you see what I mean). The courses I teach for UvA are mostly online, so I only do the first session face-to-face, meaning I only need to be there about six times a year. Anyway, as I was walking from the station, I had to follow one of the lovely grachten (canals) that the city is famous for and I thought of Jenny Woolf, who asked me about the houseboats in Amsterdam a few weeks ago. So, here are a couple of photos to give an idea of what it's like there.

Looking through a typical granny bike at the canal

One boat that doesn't move very often, I fancy

An old hull with a practical build-up

On Tuesday, I was back in Rotterdam, starting a new course at Erasmus MC, the largest hospital in the city and an important part of the university too. I am teaching a group of HR staff there who have to help people from all over the world, so English is the common language. It's fun and they are lovely, so we all have a good giggle. They liked it especially when I took out my Swiss St Bernard's rescue dog pencil case. Always an ice breaker.

Then on Wednesday and Thursday I was back at the main Erasmus campus, but this time teaching academic writing to PhDers, so as I said...all over the place.

In between these sessions, I've been prepping for lessons, but also trying to work on the Vereeniging. You may remember that earlier in the year I posted some photos of the woodworm effect in the floor of my little back cabin. 

Since then, I've been keeping the bugs at bay with regular doses of anti-woodworm spray, but I realised I'd have to remove the floor after all - it really was way too far gone. However, this was a task far easier thought about than done. I've got most of the honeycomb-that-was-a-floor out now, but there are still two planks I can't seem to budge that will take more drastic measures. Once I have them out, I'll be installing a new floor made from thick plywood. Apparently woodworm don't like it, so it's the safest option, even if not very authentic. I shall paint it, though, so hopefully no one with a critical eye will notice. I'm also doing some more renovations inside, so watch this space for the photos.

So that's been my week! I'm back in Zeeland now and have Hennie Ha jobs to do too. As they say (and I've said too) koop een boot, werk je dood. Well, there are two in our family...my days are numbered, I think... what about you?

The dangers of resuming work

This last week has been very busy and highly risky. It's September, the academic year has begun again and not only do I have to work more or less full-time, but everyone else is doing so too.

As a result, the traffic has been a nightmare. On Tuesday morning, I drove up from Zeeland to do my usual stint in Rotterdam and got stuck in a traffic jam that meant I spent an hour and a quarter doing a distance that I usually complete in roughly seven minutes. This of course made me short of time arriving, and so I hurried to get where I was going. In my haste, I twisted my ankle and fell heavily on my left hand, hurting it quite badly...well badly enough to make it look as if I had donned a boxing glove and was a right bruiser (excuse the pun)...but yes, the swelling and bruising were considerable.

What makes it worse is this is the third time I've fallen in the space of a week - a phenomenon I put down to the pressure of having to work again after such a wonderful lazy, cruising summer. Yep, I've decided work does not suit me and is far too hazardous. For example, the first of the three falls occurred when I was busy prepping for lessons on my laptop. I got up from the sofa, caught my toe on the charger cable, stumbled and fell. This did not do said toe much good and it swelled up to the proportions and colour of a juicy vienna sausage.

The consequence of course was that I had to wear flip flops (normal shoes refused to fit) when I cycled into town later the same day to buy some printer paper for producing those lessons on which I had been working when....well, you get the picture. Anyway, getting off my bike, I caught the heel of my sloppy sandal on the pedal and down I went again, sprawling and with the bike on top of me for added effect. Talk about the Battle of Wounded Toe...given that it was now the biggest, fattest thing on my foot, it got it again and now had black and blue added to its livid red colours.

It was for reasons of my poor embattled foot that I was also wearing sandals when I fell for the third time on my way to my class (see above if you've forgotten). Since this was 'proper' work and I needed to look presentable, I wore some wedge-heeled open sandals instead of my flip flops. Now I don't know about my fellow female readers, but I always thought wedge heels were somehow safer than normal high heels. As I lay spread-eagled on the pavement, where for two pins I'd have shut my eyes and had a kip (it seemed easier than getting up), I  realised I was probably wrong. And then again, ever since this incident, I've been hearing about how dangerous they are. Do you think it's true? I'm not sure.  In my case, though, I think it's work that's dangerous and I should definitely give it up for my own safety. Don't you agree? After all, now I have both a handicap and an impediment (sorry...awful puns I know).

Gone blacking

What a busy week it's been. Something I didn't mention after the fun of World Harbour Days was that last Sunday, I met a long time Facebook and Blogging buddy, Lucinda E Clarke, who came to Amsterdam for a few days' holiday. I am a great admirer of Lucinda's books and being another former 'African', we have lots in common.  I took the train to Amsterdam in the morning, arrived at midday, following which we found a café near the station and spent more than three hours nattering non-stop. Her poor, patient husband was just that...very patient, but he was very interesting to chat to as well having lived a fairly roving life too.

Lucinda and me in amsterdam

Then on Sunday evening, we charged down to our Zeeland harbour in Sas van Gent because we had to take our Hennie Ha to the boatyard in Terneuzen early on Monday morning to be lifted out for its insurance inspection. On the way, we took a detour over the Zeeland islands on a road we haven't followed before. It took us over a huge dyke with a massive set of locks in the middle that separate sea water from fresh water - a very complicated locking process. As there was an outlook point, we took the opportunity to stop and admire the evening view. It really was rather lovely.

The Krammersluizen (Krammer locks) centre.

Dyke road

The Krammersluizen (Krammer locks)

The outlook point from below. We climbed to
the top

We left the marina on the Hennie Ha on Monday morning at eight fifteen, a bit worried that we'd be late for our ten o'clock lift out, but the brave little barge went so well, we were actually there early. It's only thirteen kilometres from harbour to harbour, but we'd counted on taking nearly two hours. Here are a couple of photos I took on the way of what I call the coal art. The whole canal is lined with loading bays for various materials, much of which is occupied by coal heaps. I find it quite beautiful, but I know not everyone might think so.

Coal mountains at the canal side

Frosted coal

A coal depot

I also enjoyed this view of a truck spraying the dust to keep it down and the ferry across the canal that carries workers from the village of Sluiskil to the industry on the other side.

Dust laying truck

Ferry across the sea canal

When we arrived at the yard, we waited a while, but then everything started moving and before long, the Hennie Ha was floating high above the ground where it was cleaned with a high pressure hose before being put on a monster trolley and shunted into a position where we could work on it. The following photo series shows the whole process.

Thoroughly sprayed with most of the old blacking off

An hour or so after we'd settled into position, a beefy Suzuki motorbike roared into the yard, off which tumbled - sorry dismounted - our dear friends, Jackie and Noel, last seen on the Canal de Roubaix in France. They were on their way back to Belgium to collect their belongings from the barge they have now sold before heading off to pastures further and newer. It was a farewell meeting but we had our usual fun and laughter with them. I shall miss these two immensely. We only met up a few times, but it was enough to cement a firm friendship.

Favourite folks - Jackie and Noel on their way.

Tuesday brought the insurance man, who tested the thickness of the hull in strategic places, pronounced it fit and barring a couple of minor details in the engine room, gave us a thumbs up for the next six years. The rest of the week has been spent scraping, sanding and painting the hull above the water line and also blacking the bottom. It's been hard work as always, and Koos did a truly sterling job of the underside of the hull, which involved lying on his back and rolling the bitumen paint on above him. I was allowed to just do the pretty bits this time, in other words the green sides and red trim. It now looks like this.

Happiness is a beautiful black bottom

Like this

Tomorrow, we will be going back in the water again and taking the Hennie Ha back to its own berth to finish off the decks and other paintwork that we don't have to hang over the side to do. That reminds me - I also have to finish off the paintwork on the Vereeniging...ho hum...a boat lover's work is never done!