Bartimaeus

While we were out yesterday, the batteries didn't get a full charge for the first time since we've been back on board.  It turns out that the small amount of shade I thought we'd get at our mooring partially shadowed the panels for most of the day.  Unfortunately it still didn't stop the boat heating up in the late afternoon.

So this morning I walked a short distance up the towpath to see what options there were.  Just beyond the canal-side supermarket (many other supermarkets are available nearby) was a section of grassy bank with pilings and rings.  A wall and a hedge separate it from the car park and there are some houses opposite.

The geese were slightly reluctant to let us moor where I had chosen, and have left reminders so we need to think about them whenever we step off the boat.

I went to collect some clothes I'd ordered from a nearby supermarket (I did mention others were available).  The route took me along the canal and past the lock.  Unfortunately, when I got back it turned out that the items were too big - I've ordered replacements and will repeat the trip to change them tomorrow.

I was annoyed to discover that my success in connecting the internet radio to the WiFi was short-lived.  It was now prepared to connect, but after a short time (varying from hours to seconds) it disconnected and fell silent.  The manufacturer of these devices gave up on them years ago, but the underlying system has been kept alive by enthusiasts and is now known as Lyrion.  Looking for a solution I stumbled on a firmware update made available by "Ralphy".  I recognised the name and decided to trust his upgrade.

The change started with a factory reset on the device.  The rest of the process was extremely simple once I had connected to the WiFi again.  The new firmware includes options aimed at stabilising WiFi connections, and reconnecting when they are lost.  I wish I'd known about this a while ago - thanks Ralphy!

By the time the music was playing throughout the boat we started to hear different music from outside.  At first I thought it might be from one of the houses opposite, but I gradually realised it is from the pub a little further away.  We were warned about the pub being noisy by boaters two nights ago.  We assumed that would be on account of the sport-ball, but clearly that is not the whole story.

During the early part of this year I have de-googled our phones.  The only specific benefit I was able to promise Clare was that we would be able to see each other's calendars.  This afternoon I eventually had the chance to complete the final changes, so we can at last both see what the other has planned.

I had a further email exchange with Ortomarine about the control panel.  A number of minor changes have been installed remotely, so it is now a little easier to operate.  It shows that our change of location has brought the batteries up to fully-charged again today.