About Me

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At the moment I am caring full time for a family member and when the time comes I will be selling up and living on a narrowboat.I enjoy reading,especially about those living on narrowboats and their daily lives.The tug Nb Resolute in the above picture is NOT mine but is owned by Dave Moore and is something I would aspire to own one day although I am going to look at many boats before I make a decision on the style and interior.Tugs are looking good at the moment but have yet to look around one. My interest in narrowboats started some 47 years ago. As a lad I cycled from Luton to bridge 111 on the G.U.by the Globe to fish and watch the Morton and Clayton boats go by,full of coal with a family on board and always wondered how they kept their balance on the planks that ran above the coal and why the the dogs didnt jump in the canal.That fascination has stayed with me so when I am able I will be there on my narrowboat joining in the great community of boat owners. Find me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/brassiclint or listen to my music site.Use earphones or earplugs depending on your musical taste :) http://blip.fm/Dave_Winter

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Saturday, 4 May 2013

Central Heating Installation

The water heater in the bathroom finally stopped working so it was time to catch up with the romans and get central heating installed. After much research on the internet and getting some quotes from heating engineers it was decided to give the job to http://www.flamegas.co.uk/index.php . after reading about this company on checkatrade..  http://www.checkatrade.com/Search/?cat=10&hiddenIsCap=&location=Leighton+Buzzard&postcode= 

I was impressed by the reports by satisfied customers, and the skill base of the employees. I had got a quote from British Gas but this took a month to be presented where as Flamegas took one day and was very reasonable being £2000 cheaper than B.G.  I was not disappointed in the results.

They had to install seven radiators, remove an old gas water heater from the bathroom and two gas wall heaters in the bedrooms, make good the holes left in the walls and connect up the water and boiler to the existing bath/shower and wash basin.They also painted the outside walls where the heaters were removed and the flue exits.

It was good to see that in these days of austerity they employ an apprentice who was brilliant at installing the boiler.The workmanship in cutting a hole in the brickwork for the flue and condensate was good. As you will see in the following photographs they had to cut through an existing grill without damaging the pebble dash as has happened in other properties in our area. All this was completed in THREE DAYS and it all worked perfectly. A great job done and would recommend them without a doubt.

Heating runs in the floor before insulation was put under the pipes.

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This is C.J. the apprentice who installed the boiler.

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This is Steve who is the co-owner of the company and has just commissioned the installation.

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Pictures showing before and after the exhaust flue was fixed in position. A neat result.

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This picture shows the condensate outlet pipe joining the down pipe and the pressure safety pipe above.

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This is the Lime beater 2 fitted to prevent damage to the boiler by lime scale.

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and a Spirotech MB3 magnetic filter, not necessary in a new system but I had it fitted as a precaution.

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This is one of the radiators fitted in the hall.

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So if you need any plumbing done in the  Beds, Bucks, Herts, Aylesbury, Leighton Buzzard, Milton Keynes, Hemel Hempstead, Dunstable, Luton,Tring,etc of the UK have a look at this company, I am a happy customer.

Wednesday, 10 April 2013

Two dogs enjoying their walk from Appledown Rescue

What a nice change to walk the dogs in sunshine with no cooling wind. These two I walked today and are looking for a forever home.

This little girl is called Lucinda and just wanted to play.

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This boy is called Neville Long Bottom (don’t ask).

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If only I had the time I think I could take pictures of peoples dogs and create funds for the dog rescue centre at..

 http://www.appledown.co.uk/

Wednesday, 3 April 2013

Owen the dog at Appledown Rescue Centre

Today was so cold but I had to give a dog a walk at http://www.appledown.co.uk/ and this week it was Owen who was the lucky one to see a bit of freedom. It was a good job he had plenty of coat on him as the wind felt it went right through us with the cold.

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He is a small cross breed and loves to play. Who could resist.

Friday, 29 March 2013

Microscope to help Appledown Rescue Centre

Starting this weekend Appledown are holding an auction to raise funds so this is going in and hope it raises plenty for the dogs.

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It’s an Olympus microscope together with a PM-6 film camera and a variable light with transformer all in their own wooden lockable cases.

Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Bird Hide,Narrowboats and Boat for Sale

This week it was deemed too cold to walk the dogs at ttp://www.appledown.co.uk/, so I decided to have a short walk at Marsworth to see if anything was moving in this cold weather.Walking along the towpath towards the Aylesbury Arm I saw a for sale notice on a cruiser stern narrowboat.

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and this is the NB Brianthea for sale.
 
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I walked up the Aylesbury arm and the sun was shining for a change which makes me want to take pictures,so I took another one of the lock keepers cottage at Lock 4, Black Jacks lock which is a different view to which I took in the rain earlier on last year.
 
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Just a bit further on I took this of a narrowboat with the cottage in the distance.
 
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Now I have to watch the time so I turn around and decide to have a look at the bird hide on the reservoir and on the way saw NB May moored in a popular point next to the reservoir.
 
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This is the hide at Star Tops reservoir..
 
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and inside is a plaque explaining those responsible for installing and looking after it.
 
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Here are details of those named on the plaque..
 
and lastly the new
 
 
a new organisation which replaces the old British Waterways.
Have a read of these organisations as without them our enjoyment of the waterways would be greatly diminished.
Then I had to rush to get the weeks shopping done before my time out was up.
 
Next week weather permitting it’s back to walking the dogs.

Wednesday, 6 March 2013

Visit to Working Narrowboat Hadar

This week I managed to get to Marsworth and after tracking Hadars progress through Keith's blog http://narrowboathadar.blogspot.co.uk/ and Jo’s blog   http://diaryofaboatwoman.blogspot.co.uk/              managed to catch up with them to have a good chinwag and pick up tips on living on a narrowboat. It must be two years since I saw Hadar and it looks as good as new which takes a lot of time and effort to keep it looking spick and span. Mooring just by the Bluebell Tea Room was ideal for parking and walking over the lock gates to see them.

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After about an hour it was time to go and leave two happy people who so much enjoy their life on the waterways and me to do the weeks shopping.

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Next week it’s back to the dogs although looking at the weather forecast that might change.