Christmas prep

I came up to the boat this morning, in heavy rain but surprisingly light traffic (except near Oxford, but that's normal).  I'm working over Christmas, and the drive to work is quicker from here than it is from home; Adrian is spending Christmas with his mum.  With a bit of luck, we'll get a few days cruising later in the week.

First stop was the farmhouse where the owners of the marina live, to pick up a card which opens the new electronic gates at the marina entrance.  Once on board, I replaced the shower mixer bar, turned on the water and the electrics, and got the fire alight.  I also put the Eberspacher on for some hot water, and turned a couple of radiators on to help take the chill off.  One nice thing is the boat next door is out, so the outlook is a bit more open than usual.

I had lunch, then while it wasn't raining, went out and turned on the gas, lined up the satellite dish, and for the first time since the repaint put the plank and pole stands back on the roof, in order to get the plank and pole out of the saloon.

 Next it was off to Tesco in Wolverton, for a pre-Christmas shop.  It wasn't quite as manic as I'd feared, and it didn't take long to do the shopping.  The boat was much warmer by the time I got back.  Having unpacked the shopping, I started making the boat look a bit more Christmassy.  I'd brought our cards with me, to fill up the shelves, and I got the battery-powered lights out.