Bartimaeus

At first sight, Kidderminster doesn't have a lot to offer, but we have managed to find plenty to do here.  The carpet museum is only open for a short time, two days a week.  We made sure to get along on Saturday morning.  The star of the show was a long-retired factory owner.  We chatted after his demonstration of carpet making and the topic turned to boats.  It turns out he was a keen boater, from canoes up to sea-going vessels.  He has navigated his way to Shrewsbury by canoe, and knew the Bristol Channel very well.

We enjoyed the concert in the park in Bewdley the previous week, so on Sunday we decided to repeat the experience.  The route is a similar distance by bike over the same hill.  This time we put two deck chairs in the pannier so that we would have more comfortable seating.  We called in to the Bliss Cafe again before taking our place in the park for the Wyre Forest Big Band.

This morning we didn't have such a clear agenda, but while it was cool I did a little bit of painting.  The ceiling skirting had been showing knots through the paintwork which had offended Caroline when the boat was at Ortomarine.  I had belatedly agreed that it should be treated and Caroline had put an undercoat on to hide the stains, but run out of time to finish the job.  The paint was one of the things we'd collected last week.  I had to take care not to disturb a cricket hiding above the kitchen window.  It didn't take long to tick the painting off the list.

Clare escorted the cricket off the premises, it was very hard to see once it was in the grass.  Later we had a visit from a butterfly, it was easier to release - I lifted the window out and let it fly up and away.

We went back to the Eazy Lounge for another Turkish themed lunch having enjoyed it last time.  I also edited OpenStreetMap so that they are now on the map!

Another job on my list is to try to stop water leaking in around the propeller from slopping all around the engine bay before the bilge pump ejects it.  The motor now has a handy platform above it to make access easier.

The job I was doing was directly under the platform though, so the first thing I had to do was remove it.  Fortunately this is an easy job.  The two bolts can be undone while resting on the platform, then with a bit of careful foot placement the platform can be removed.

Almost all the water that ever gets in to the engine bay does so by dripping past the propeller shaft.  There are square pipes allowing water to move between that area and the lower parts of the engine bay further forward.  I'm hoping that by putting a dam on either side I will be able to contain the water so that it pools around the bilge pump and can be ejected.

I glued in two small pieces of closed cell foam.  A later check showed that the seal was incomplete, so I obtained some sealant from a nearby discount store (other sealants were available) and added a generous amount.  When that has had enough time to cure I will check the seal again.

Meanwhile the dry weather is starting to take its toll on the canal network again.  The North Stratford Canal will be closed from early next month, and its use is discouraged between now and then.  We've hardly travelled any distance so far this year, we'll have to consider our options carefully before we move on.