Danger, danger - no entry for accident-prone mums - part 16

Hee-hee only jokin! Of course she didn't fall down the hole. Mainly, because she wasn't allowed to go near the area until dad had put in new engine rooms floors and made it safe! She was allowed to stand on the ladder and look at the long long upper-deck and take a photo though!

Dad quickly worked to get the roof on and to cover up the hole for safety. He took this photo! Mum wasn't allowed in the area to take photos and he kept forgettin to take photos while she was at work so they ain't got many photos of this part of the work until after! Pfffttt silly sods! Dis photo shows one of da holes!

Well it didn't take long to do put a few sheets of steel up on dat roof and weld dem in place. I'd like to show you da photos of dat but dad ain't got time for photos (he said). Here's a lovely pic of me instead enjoyin a walk wif mum just near da wharf. For your informashuns was April 2008! I dus look quite funny coz i ad bad haircut! Dis was when I was nearly 4 years old! 

Well movin on swiftly, after dad had put up da steel on da roof and over da engine room floor he decided was time to open up the wall dividin the back of da boat (we calls dat the saloon remember?) to da front. Mum very pleased coz it meant she didn't av to come up from da bedroom, go out the back door and walk outside round to da front to go to the toilet no more. Ere dus be the journey for your enjoyment ;).

First up da stairs:

Then walk to da aft (dat is back to you landlubbers) avoidin da obstacle course:

Den back along da outside on da port (left!) side and dat is usually in the dark too wiv torch:

We woz amazed how much it changed Atlantis when she was opened up She looks massive! As you can see we tidied up a bit too! I say we .... I mean mum hee-hee.

Here is view of da front where da new kitchen (galley) will be in da future. You can see da luxury bathroom on da right ;).

Well dat taked us to about October 2008 and fings were bobbin along nicely. Mum and dad make announcement to me! They is goin away for a whole week an is goin wifout me! Some malarky bout a weddin in Malta! Wot appen to me I says! You goin on holidays to some friends they says! Pftttt wot a bloomin liberty ;)). Toon in next time for some more bout everyfink bout Atlantis and our adventures.

It must be frew da ... round window - part 10

Well hello furriends! Is still 2007 - was a very busy year you know? Dad, never content wiv one or two fings on da go at once, decides to buy the drydock where we was living at the workin wharf.

Before he know where he at, he's workin on Atlantis, Auldyn River, anovva houseboat build and boats comin in and out da drydock. Here he is stick weldin on some fingamabobbies wot is called anodes on a boat in dere. Dat his old weldin elmet he did arsk me to point out! (dog knows why!!)

They decides is time to take on more peoples and dad starts a small boat buildin business. Headin up da team dus be ma favouritest person Jared! We also has is bruvva workin for us he has long hair wot dus be called dreadlocks an he likes to run after me in da yard tryin to steal ma ball! We also has annova couple called Fry and Leela  (like from da futurama - dat is not they real names but wot we called dem for fun). They dus let me eat some of dey samwuches but we dussnt tell mum bout dat! Dat is just between us ok???

Mum dus be workin from ome quite a bit an has set up her office in da galley (kitchen). We is quite cozy in dere although sometime she get wet from da hole in da roof where dad is cuttin away old metal ready to make it easier to remove da wheelhouse. She has to wear her cagule. There be lots of noise goin on too but she dussnt mind, she all fixed up wif appropriate cloavin as you an see! Is dark in there so she has to squint ;)).

When mum is at ome I dus make maself comftibles in da galley as well. Is nice and warm in dere most of da time. We turns the cooker on for extra warmf if it get too cold. Mum make sure she sorts me out wif ma comfy cushion next to her in da galley as well!

Course as we knows, before dad cud take off da wheelhouse, he had to build da bedroom and before he cud do that, he had to finish off da back structure (wot we calls da saloon). Oh, I forgot, fings were made a lot easier wif dad's latest purchase - a big crane! Here he is sittin in da cab.

Dad also used da crane to build the two-storey wooden structure wot would go on top of da lighter he was buildin as a houseboat for a customer. Dey builded da structure on da land by da wharf and then wud use da crane to move it onto da lighter which was moored next to Atlantis. Ere dus be da wooden structure. Dem windows is from China!

Meanwhile back on Atlantis, Dad and Jared was workin on preparing da back structure for da windows. First of all they dun painted da structure so it would be easier to mark out da windows. Then they use a template made of some stuff wot is called MDF and cutout all da steel to form da windows. Here dus be a before and da after shot - can you see dem differences?

Before:

After:

Here's da view from da inside after dey had blasted and painted it.

Maybe you dus remember dat it looked like dis at da start back in 2003 and mum is standin in roughly da same place for boaf photos!

I fink 2007 was their hardest year. They worked really hard and achieved a lot dat year. I hasn't even telled you bout all da ovva fings yet! So I leave it there for now with a lovely sunset over da river.

Bye for now pals fanx for readin ... in da next episode ..... mum and dad get a bedroom complete wiv bed!

We're all goin on a summer olidays init! - part 7

Is bin so long since I dun bloggy bout Atlantis I did forget where I was up to! I had to go back and has a look. Ahh right I am livin in da life of the luxury(ish) after bein rescued from da horrible man wot shud never of had a Lexie!

The year now dus be 2006 and we in middle of anova cold winter, sleepin da wheelhouse! I won’t bore you wif da details, I’s already telled you bout the kind of fing that appens, you know! Fings like:

· Frozen water pipes
· Boiler locking out coz of cold (boiler was housed in engine room what was very cold)
· Wakin up in da middle of night freezing coz is bout -2
· None of us wanting to go to the toilet in da night
· Ice in da shower
· Wearing four layers of clothes (I did have a coat too!)
· Mum wearin hat in bed (dad say he still fink she sexy!)
· Slippery steps of death (as previously mentioned) 

Dat last probly bout da first three munfs of the year! You know the drill, lots of layers, dad escortin mum back and forth to the car for safety (mum and ice = fallin over).

Mum still workin miles away in Witham wot is bout 60 miles from da boat. She workin from home one sometime two days a week. I dus really missed her. No matter what time she got in from work, she always takes me for walkies to da beach. We even wud go out wif torch (and dad if mum in danger of fallin over).

Durin the daytimes me and dad wud snuggle in da boat for warmf or if was not too cold he wud go and do some work on da boat. I would accompany him in ma supervisory capacity unless was too cold for da Lexie! I hads ma own door by then so I cuds come and go as I liked.

As the weather warmed up, dad continued wif da work on the new structure (remember is called saloon!). Most important was all da welding to make the structure good and solid. All da supporting beams across da roof was welded in place. 

A crane barge arrive to move da crane from the main deck to the roof of the superstructure so dad could use it for installing the skirts.

He was also busy with putting the skirts around the roof to give her nice curves. Dad had been workin on his own and was havin to wait for mum to come home to help before he cud do fings. In da end, they decide to employ a young lad wot live in the marina to elp! That was Jared. He is ma lovely friend wot loves to play wif me and always had time for tummy tickles – for me not dad! Heehee. 

Dad and Jared (he is on da roof in dat photo aboves) had the crane moved onto the roof of the structure so they could use it to put the curves in and could tac them into place. Here’s dad and Jared workin on the back curve.

At weekends mum and dad worked on putting a new generator they had acquired into the engine room. Dad liked to save all the dirty jobs for mum! They cut a hole in the side wall of da upper engine room and use a chain-hoist to slowly manoeuvre the generator into lower engine-room. 

Me and mum was spending lots of time walkin around da area and finding fun places to go. Our best walk is to da local power station which walks all along da Medway riverbank. Goes for miles and miles and involves lots of mud, swimming and ball throwin! I can walk for a long way now coz mum has built up ma stamanina! Not sure if you knows this, but I loooooves to swim! heehee ;)).

When mum at work and dad and Jared busy, I fnd maself a nice place to relax an has a little sleeps! 

In August, mum take me to the Lake District to see if I got this walkin fing sorted! She say we goin on walkin holiday Lex! I say, to maself coz I can’t talk hoomins, oooooh I never been on olidays before, this should be fun and I loves to walk now. I not the little doggie wot scared of everyfink and everyone no more! I ready to take on da world, is they ready for Lexie?

Dad decide to stay at home and do more noisy, dirty work while mum is away. He has to cut out more of the engine room, to get other equipment in that he has. He say ‘me and Jared can make a mess, lots of noise and not worry about you and Lex! Go, have a good time!’

So off we goes to the Lake District – me, mum and our friend Pelicia wot is from Malaysia! Oh, let me tell you, I never had seen such wonderful fings like all dem hills and lakes! Was wonderful!  Dis is Pelicia, she lovely! We was at Lake Windermere.

We go to Grassmere (Wordsworth was being all poetic there wif his I wandered lonely as a cloud and all that jazz). We stay in lovely doggie-friendly hotel. I was allowed to stay in da room right there with mum! We climb up hill and down dale!

Here's me and da mum posin! I never knew life cud be like dis! Is I dreamin? I scared dat one day I gonna wake up and find it was all a dream and I still locked on dat boat wif da orrible man and his shoe wot he beat me wif!

When we gets ome dad and Jared has been workin ard on Atlantis! Dad also met a man wot is buyin a oooooge boat called a coaster. He wants to turn it into a recordin studio an he heard that dad is an hexpert in dis area of boat conversion! He wants dad to work for him and he wants to film it all!

Here is the boat and in da next chapter we tells you wot appen wif dat boat! 

We also tells you bout mum’s job and how unhappy she was! Her old boss what she love did leave and she was put under anova orrible manager who was making her life hell! Quit! Quit! Quit! Dad say. So she did! 

Fanx for reading friends! See you on da hustins (wot is they?)!
Lexie-loo!

Lexie discovers BBQ sausages - part 6

We is back on da boat theme again and anova chapter in the life of me, the mum, the dad and of course our vessel, the lady Atlantis.

I fink I sticks wif 2005 because I didnt really tell you much bout wot mum and dad was doin that year, da focus in ma last post was all me!! So I say, enough about me for a change! I moved offishully on board during the summer and mum and dad were in the middle of buildin the new back structure. Dis back structure is gonna be wot is known as the saloon (dis be lounge or living room to lubbers of da land).

They arrange for about 10 tons of new steel to be delivered by crane barge to da boat. Here I am ensurin dat the steel is of acceptable quality! I has growed up a bit since den as you can see, and, perhaps some might say I filled out a bit heehee! Dat is good livin ma friend!

First of all dad welded all these lickle triangles to the deck which would become da supports for da beams wot go up! They were all measured and and tacked into place. Mum particularly enjoyed the fact that they are about ankle height and she manage to catch her ankles just about every time she move around the deck. Oopsie! Dat be her tho she always fallin over fings, trippin up fings and wot not.

Ok so once dem triangles all welde in on boaf port (dat the left to you landlubber) and on da starboard (dat is right landlubber) side dad start weldin in da beams wot becomes da erm fingies for da walls. I forget da word I ask him later but he is out right now! Here is dad admirin his handywork in da sun and smokin a fag!! He dussnt smoke no more!

After the straight bits is in place, den is time to put supportin beams across between the uprights on port and starboard. Member wot dat mean? Oh good ... jus testing! You can see in this ere picactur that da beams is goin across to da over uprights. you can also see orrible boat wot I was prisoner on. On da right of dis and the picture above you can also see the beautiful lovingly crafted anti-Lexie door mum and dad put up to stop me jumpin onto the ova boat (dat is called Mamba). Mmm no expense spared eh? heehee! And they callin dis their luxury yacht! Bless em.

Ok next fing wot they dis is to put the walls in place usin the hiab. They then clamp da walls to the beams (clever eh?) then dad does bit more tacking wif stick welder as is called. This is temporary weldin just to hold da metal in place until he does big weldin wif da Mig welder wot is big machine wot let you weld for long time big welds! See I could work in a shipyard no problemo! Here are the walls goin into place.

Dad had meticliously measure all dese fings and did draw it all first usin his autocad software wot elps him design fings da right size, shape and place on da boat. Clever ain't he? Member he has tefal head as discussed previously! Me and dad give everyfin a quick check, make sure we can walks along da side of da walls nice and easy like. Is perfect for Lexie! I also fort I check to see if door is over in case I wanna jump onto Mamba for quick bit of fun!

Next fing dat appen is to put on da roof of da structure. This was made up of four plates wot they had to crane into place. Here is one of da plates being craned in place by dad. Mum took photo's whilst directin dad coz he cud not see what was appenin! She was very crossing her paws dat it would not just slide off da boat into the water! Luckily enuf it did not! heehee.

Once all da plates was in place and da walls was done on boaf sides, time for dad to do some serious welding! Here is some welding wot he dun on the roof of da new structure. He use the jack wot you can see on da roof to bring da plates togeva so he can do nice big strong welds. Mum was his assistant and I had to stay on the maindeck coz of hot welding and sparks, for ma own safety!

Here is da view from inside the back structure. You can see is really taking shape now! Was a great place to go and cool off from dat hot sun of da summer. We all did sit inside eatin our ice creams and drinkin beer an cider (water in ma case humph). 

Mum cook evenin BBQs and I did get lots of lovely nommy sausages. Life for me was totally different. Mum did take me walkin EVERY DAY! And she teach me bout swimmin so we can go to the beach and have fun there too. At night we wud all sit on back of boat relaxin. I wud sit on mums lap while she give me tickles. 

They wud larf all the time and av music playing. Was so nice not bein locked up and free to roam around as I liked. Mum show me where to poo and wee in case we can't get off boat and them she just clean it up after I bin. No shouting, no hitting! Dat will take some gettings used to.

This photo shows the finished roof and how much welding dad did. Was very safe to stand on there. Mum and dad take me there sometime up the ladder. They did buy a little boat so we can go for trips out to sea! Is very good fun!! Da wind dus blow in your face and spray from da sea is all over you. Is very tickly and funny.

Dis is photo from anova pontoon wot show the whole of da boat. You can just about see the new structure on the back. Dis work took them most of dat year to complete and by the end of Autumn they were ready to move on to the next stage.

Tune in for da next episode and find out more about ma first holiday to the Lake District!

Lexie out!