Down the wooden hill to bedfordshire at last - part 12

Hello! Fanx for continuin wiv reading bout our story. Here quick refresher: da year is 2008 and will become known as Year of the Bedroom! Is also known as Operation Wheelhouse!

Now last year we was all sposed to move into our new bedroom but fings bein as dey dus be, it didn’t appen. Wot I fink I explains now is dat boat building time not like normal time. Fings always end up bein more complicated dan first imagined. Sometimes some big problems come up wot dad has to deal wif before he can finish somfink else.

Like the time when they did strip out da bow bedroom in the early days and den they accidentally broke da pipe wot did go from da galley (dat is kitchen remember) to da outside of da boat. It was unrepairable coz of bein so old, so dad had to fabricate new one and weld in place!

Anyways, before we cuds move into da bedroom dad had to have somewhere where he could do a lot of the bedroom preparation work. He needed a big room to build the bed, parts of the walls and make the doors. He did make the doors himself from scratch! They decided that first of all they wud ave to do some work in the saloon to get ready for making fings for da bedroom.

They worked in da saloon all frew da early munfs of 2008 – January frew to March. Was very cold there and to access the saloon at the time, they did av to go outside and walk along the walkway to the back door. 

There was no direct access from the galley or wheelhouse at dat time so it was a cold walk from the galley around the outside of the boat to the newly installed back door in the saloon! Mum and dad considerately put annuva dog flap in for me but I preferred to stay warm in da galley during those winter munfs! Plus I had builded up ma coat to protect me ;)). I calls it da  Larry the Lamb look!

Dey was workin on puttin da walls in place and workin on the doors. Was very cold in there as the windows let in lots of cold air so they work hard and fast to get everyfink ready. Dad was concentratin on da walls and the curves, den he started  building the bed frame along wiv a small wardrobe wot they cuds keep mums clothes in.

Dad didn't need to keeps his clothes in dere coz they too dirty and orrible he say! Is for mum's work stuff so she can keeps it all clean. You can see da wardrobe and part of the bed in dis pic. Not very big wardrobe is it? Dad say space is always at a premium in a boat, even one as big as Atlantis! I fink is his way of stoppin mum buyin too many outfits!

All da walls are gonna be has cherry veneer wot dad dus then stain and lacquer an den polishes (mum dus that bit) to bring to a bootiful colour and shine. Here is da befores an afters pics of wot dad dun wiv da walls to the en suite shower. You can see wot dad dun step by step to get a bootiful colours wot you can sees your face in it! Pay attenshuns, here come the science bit (heehee I nicked dat from advertisement wot I seed one time).

Step 1 - laminate da wall out of plywood
Step 2 - sheath in veneer (North American Cherry and very expensive!) using contact adhesive
Step 3 - give Lex a sossidge (haha just put dat in for fun, so I check you readin!)
Step 4 - stain orange
Step 5 - stain brown
Step 6 - laquer
Step 7 - colour-sand (make it smoove) and polish
Step 8  - do all of dat again (from step 3!) about 10 times

Hey Preston! You has your bootiful walls thusly:

So tick tockety tickety tick ---- bedroom is coming!!!! Mum and me gettin really eggsited bout it too! Dad workin really hard and tryin to get everyfink done quick. I fink I mighta said dat already ;). Here dus be the bed all ready for da mattress wot gonna be put on top! Mum never telled dad til later but she imaginin herself fallin off it! Dad built everyfink himself. He has to custom builds everyfink coz you can't buy dis sort of stuff in da shops. Da more obserbant readers will notice that dad has been testing the bed out (pillows and dad shaped dust!) for size!

Mum not overly impressed wiv da access dat dad has had to hastily arranged! She finkin of those nights when she has to go to the loo up the ladder. Mum an ladders are a deadly mix!! Dad tell mum she just has to put up wiv it! He has not the time nor the inclination to put in a staircase. Deal wiv it he tell her. She get da hump dat is for sure and go off in a strop!

Wot dad dussnt tell da mum is he wanna surprises her. She has to go away for a few days to do some training and he bin tellin her dat the bedroom not gonna be finish for a few more weeks, so she just has to be patient. Patient she say! Ha --- she bin sleepin on a floor for 5 years, dat is patient ain't it?! Harumph and off she go for her trainin.

When she gone, dad an Jared (wiv some elps from da Lexie - mainly testin fings and dat) finish off da bedroom double quick. Dey put some nice lightin in and finish off da wardrobe wif rail and lights inside. They dus some shelvin so mum can put her nice fings on dem like her smelly candles wot she like. Dad get a new telly and dvd player so she can watch her favourite movies in bed if she likes. Dad finish off by puttin in da mattress and makin the bed up all nice. Mum gonna love it we finks!  Don't it look cosy!

Den he and Jared work hard to builds new staircase for runnin up and down as much as we likes! I test it and it is all good! Better than the ladder. Dad was only doin ladder for joke and know wiv mum track record she cant be goin up a ladder in the middle of the night. They finish off da staircase and everyfink ready  for when mum come home. She is now officially got a real bedroom complete wiv bed and staircase access!  Hoorah!

So they offishully move in an spend their first night in their new bedroom. I be in there too but I am free to go up and down the stairs when I likes. Mum has put ma bed nearby so I can sleep in it if I wants but I lie wiv dem anyway ;)). You be pleased to know she has never fall out of dat bed yet! Although she did spend a fitful night wonderin if she would! Silly moo!

Tune in next time to find out about how they finally gets rid of dat old wheelhouse and open up the back of the boat when dad removes the upper engine room.

Abbysinya! (there is a joke about dat but I forgets it now!)