Bartimaeus

The cold and dismal weather in February didn't make long bike rides very enticing.  I managed several rides a week despite that.  Some days I spotted a gap in the rain, sometimes even a sunny couple of hours, and headed off on my own.  I now know that I can reliably be on a train home from North Berwick less than two hours after deciding to set off.

The Fountainbridge Canalside Community Trust (FCCT) meets approximately fortnightly.  When I joined them, we started with fire extinguisher practice.  The annual inspection of their extinguishers is also an opportunity for volunteers to get a feel for using them.

We went for a short cruise afterwards, breaking the ice as we went.

One of my planned cycling days with Sally saw us heading for Dunbar at a gentle pace.  We came out from lunch in Gifford knowing that we would arrive in the two hour gap between trains.  I remembered that this would be snowdrops time in Barra Wood, which we would be passing.   We left our bikes at the top of the glen and descended on foot through the flowers to the loch.

Before we got back to the bikes a sharp shower started.  We benefited from the sparse shelter of the trees, and didn't have to wait long for it to finish.  The rest of the ride was in the dry with the sun peeping out occasionally.

The following week, with later sunsets and more miles in our legs, we planned a longer journey.   Four of us set off from Carstairs.  The sunshine promised in the forecast was at best patchy, but we managed to avoid being rained on.

Kenny and Bruce headed north to Edinburgh before we reached Peebles, but Sally and I continued along the Tweed as far as Walkerburn. Sally opted to get the bus home from there as it took her to the right side of town.  I carried on solo to catch a train at Galashiels - the longest ride of the year so far for me.

The following day Kenny spotted a gap in the weather in Fife, so we did a loop to St Andrews from the station at Leven.  My mileage in the two days was over a hundred miles.

Discovering that I can enjoy riding over fifty miles again is a delight.  This weekend Kenny and I joined Billy, an erstwhile colleague, for a loop from Dunblane taking in Dunning.  Yet again the weather was not quite as good as forecast, but we stayed dry, and kept warm, even in shorts.

On my most recent trip with FCCT, I opted to go aboard their smaller boat, Waterwitch.  This time there was no ice to break.  We again simulated an engine failure, pushing the boat to the bank with the pole and deploying the ladder as a gangplank.  I also had a short go at driving, including winding at the Leamington Lift Bridge.

Sitting in the bow in the sunshine, it started to feel like spring, and my thoughts turned to Bartimaeus.  We have had a further update from Ortomarine, Unfortunately, although there has been some progress, we're not going to be able to get back on the water for another month at least.

The welding of the new skin tank under the saloon floor was completed on Friday, so the heating system can now be plumbed in.  The problem with the frame for the motor has been resolved too, so we hope it is plain sailing from here.

The next significant step will be moving Bartimaeus outside.  The current location is too close to another boat to allow the blacking to be completed on one side.  Also the forklift is unable to lift the generator into place because the ceiling is in the way.

It's clear that other work is progressing in parallel. and the bits we've seen are looking just as we'd like them!