A big job coming up...

Week 18

 Marten

On Monday morning I went to the boat early to talk about some work to be done. The Gas Installation to be approved after a couple of minor alterations. (Is anything minor on a boat where everything is hard to get at?).

The Gas Approval Certificate is 4 pages long! - now duly uploaded to our insurer.

The bayonet switches were removed and a rotating ball valve installed.

The old gas heater (1982) was removed (we never dared to use it from the very beginning).

I weakened and took advantage of a "special" to have a new diesel heater installed - there goes this year's pension. (Did I ever explain that I'm not entitled to an Aussie pension (because of the Means Test) and the Dutchies won't pay the full amount because they reckon Australia should pay the rest?). A rock and a hard place...(There's no Mean(s) Test over here - they seem quite philosophical about getting it simply because you "earned" it - and I "earned" some of mine in Australia). Janny just shakes her head...

I arrived back at Coffee Break time only to find that Tjeerd had "captured" the Stone Marten - well, he had it almost stabbed with a post-hole digger and was wondering "what do I do next?", just as I arrived.

So I grabbed the cage and we managed to get it in - leaving both of us to wonder "what next?"

"They" say that they should be taken at least 50kms away - I suspect that may well be an urban myth, but Janny and I took it 43kms away with 3 major waterways inbetween! 

One of our clients said that he heard a news report that there was an animal hitch-hiking with a "Wijnjewoude" sign...

(and after all that, Janny came in after taking Boeke for a walk, cursing that she had seen another one out by our rubbish containers!)

On Tuesday we had Lucas' 12.5 year celebration of "working" at our place.

Including a sign in the shop below where he lives...

Our local restaurant put on a pretty good lunch. Lucas and the others enjoyed it and we were very tired (but not hungry) by the end of the day!

I'm gathering all the photos of him from the 12.5 years to put in a photo album - including the photos from the day itself.

Tuesday evening had the Remembrance Day Celebration in Amsterdam - attended by not many people - this on the eve of Liberation Day, which was yet another Public Holiday for us.

There was also a TV news story about the cold weather.

 A Forestry Commission chap explained that everything is late this year - hardly any leaves, so no grubs, so less food for the birds. Even the birds have laid their eggs but are delaying actually brooding them until it gets warmer. I wondered about this, but they said that the birds put a layer over the eggs to keep them insulated until they decide that it is warm enough and that there will be enough food.

Wednesday.

Janny and I went to look at the new heater on the boat - not that we had any thought of going out - it was cold, wet and windy - not at all what we would expect in May.

Janny said that she heard on the news that the Netherlands' wind farms produced a record amount of electricity on Tuesday - which was also very windy - we just hadn't had time to notice it!

Old (gas) heater out...

New (diesel) heater in...

With three outlets...

Wheelhouse, aft cabin and salon

I have to make a new panel for the wheelhouse, but the other two openings were already there.

The step down to the salon had to be taken out so that the old gas heater could slide out. I was hoping to find "the secret of the floor", but no such luck. I really want to look under the floor for rust or other lurking menaces - but I can't figure out how to lift it. I think it was never intended to come out - which is dumb way of doing things, really. (in a boat, at least).

Thursday

Back to normal, mostly, but Janny had arranged the kids a day earlier on Thursday night so that they could be home for Mother's Day on Sunday...

Boeke earning his keep as a tax deduction...

Me earning my keep in the veggie garden...(with help!)

Some of the kids at "work"...

I feel another Big Job coming up...

Janny has been keeping up to date with the neighbour's house alterations - old floor out. re-routing the drains and other plumbing - pouring "foam" concrete (Foam concrete, also known as Lightweight Cellular Concrete, Low Density Cellular Concrete, and other terms is defined as a cement-based slurry, with a minimum of 20% foam entrained into the plastic mortar).

Now, I wonder if this is a "thing" in Australia? One of my ideas is that one of the differences in Cost of Living between the two countries (for normal people that I know) - is the cost of heating and insulation - we have the heater on for probably 8 months of the year at our place, for example. It just becomes part of daily living for households and businesses alike.

Anyway Janny has been sending me photos of the progress - this is our neighbour doing some of the work himself...

It has to be at least 60cm deep to have the full insulating value..

(Janny says that there are some subsidies available for insulating to the recommended level and for doing more than one thing at a time).

Janny has gone even further by looking up our old building plans to see which walls can come out! Oh dear... :-)

In 1999, I put the new floor in with a mate of mine from Dokkum - we met at the learn to speak Dutch classes. He was from Wales and went on to start a business in laying floors.

Anyway, I know what was involved in laying the floor and it will be no easy task in getting it out! And then there's the new kitchen and the new fireplace and chimney and floor heating.

We put floor heating in for Janny's Mum and Dad, as we didn't want them mucking around with firewood as much as Hendrik would have liked it (as do I). 

And we still have a new bathroom on the to do list...

I think I'll just let Janny work it all out and I'll do what I'm told! One of our apartments might have to be available for us to live in or we'll sleep upstairs and use the kitchen out the back.

(The neighbour's floor has been polished (with a rotating "butterfly" machine) so that it can be left as is (it has a colour mixed in the top layer) or later finished off with carpet or vinyl. They're going to try it as is for  a while.).

Laying the floor heating...

The end result, although it still needs a "sealer" layer after a few weeks of hardening. They also put an expansion line in it, to avoid later cracking.

Photos from Ben, still in Madrid until 18 May...