Friends And Fiddly Bits

All sorts of disjointed jobs going on this week. The new steps have had the screw holes plugged, and have had a first coat of varnish which had to be done in three stages owing to the shape. The cooler weather is slowing the drying time which is a bit of a pain. I’ve decided the cables for the LED lights are too long which meant cutting the cable because the plugs are sealed in silicone and as the colour displayed is selectable there are four wires in each cable.

The individual wires are too small for crimps so each one is soldered

sleeved in heat shrink tubing

which is then all covered in more heat shrink

and of course this has to be done for each lamp.

 

Remember the original ash deck boards from the wheel house? Bits of one of them form the front of the steps and a bit more has been used to make the capping to cover any wiring on show inside the steps.

Yesterday friends Tony and Lesley popped over to help celebrate Karen’s birthday (the big 50) and I like to think a good time was had by all.

They were very taken by the new pup Tommy and a head count had to be taken on departureJ. Ian from GCS also popped by for a coffee and drop off the tools for this weekends work party at locks 9, 10 & 11 with our team supported by WRG North West.

( I dare say they think we are supporting them, so don’t burst their bubble. J )

Today has been down at T-A reaffixing some of the flooring over the ballast and removing the old mastic. Still finding plenty of broken screws to remove, slow work but we’re getting there.

Karen has taken a week off work to celebrate her birthday but an awful lot of it has been spent up to ankles in mud clearing the garden for winter - typical.