I know wot you dun last summer - part 34

Hello ma pals! I fort I give you a summin up of 2012 and get you in da mood for 2013 when we'll be doin more work on Atlantis again! Yes, I know is 2013 already but we gots to wait for Spring before commencin wiv any of dat!

We didn't get as much done on our lady as we ad oped, mainly because of her still bein stuck in the middle of the river! Well, all that has changed now and we has a new moorin up-river where we can get on and off wifout too much trubble now.

Mum an dad decided not much to be done so we spent most time on board gettin the engine in tip top shape for the move and sprucin her up a bit wif some paint!  Here's a pic of the starboard main deck wiv a nice coat of erm ... well .. battleship grey! 

Bein on the uvva side of the river wif no real piles to moor up again (ooh err obviously) so sometimes we was avin a bit of an angle goin on! As you can see dad demonstratin very well ere:

Hmm more lovely paintin by the mum .. on the port side this time. Err sooooo ... more battleship grey then! 

Oooo ere's mum undercoating ... wif .. yes you guess it, battleship grey, wiv a top coat of battleship grey!! Heehee, maybe she tryin to match her hair colour *runs under table*.

Course there's nuffink like a sunbathe on the deck. Even I managed to get involved wiv the paintin! Yep, you guessed it! Battleship Grey is the new look for Borders! heehee.

It is me or is it hot our there! I fink I'll just close my eyes and fink about how much I love battleship grey paint! Av you seen the mess in ere mum!!? Do you like my dog flap?

Looks like someone found the white and blue paint then! Makes a nice change ;).

Because it's a challenge to get on and off Atlantis, we were spending weekends on board. This mum's little stock cupboard (coz we ain't got no galley - aka kitchen - yet) but that is on da list for 2013! Mum very excited about that! Ahhh bless, look at her little cupboard heehee.

Looks like mum is tryin to sneak off downstairs probably for a lay down! I'm watchin er!

When the tide goes out, it really goes! Then we is on board for da night. Even if we wanted to get off we cuddnt. So best not run out of ma dog food or there be trububble!

Hmmmm our lovely cosy (half finished) bedroom. Nice place to relax. It's below decks too so nice and cool in the summer. Room for all free of us heehee.

Relaxin as night falls over the river. I'm cosy on my sofa thank you! We as a little radio wot we can play for entertainment and dad has rigged up batteries so we as some power to run the lights. 

Well, that's a little update on our Summer last year. More about our trip to Scotland and a few pics in our new moorin next time. Bye!

I fink it's time Captain Dad - part 30

Well ... is gettin to the point where I is almost back where I started wiv dis bloggy. Mum an dad workin hard to prepare Atlantis for our journey from Kent to Essex to our new mooring.

Mum mainly tidied up the wheelhouse while dad installs all the gear we will need for the journey. The windows are nearly all in place now (temporary ones that is) and we have lighting. Mum is sweeping up tons of rusty bits of steel and generally clearing away trip hazards. I am over-seein proceedings and keeping a ware eye on that broom too!

Just a little more welding to be done on the front of the wheelhouse and then the two final windows can be installed.

She’s looking good eh? Well as good as she can for the trip anyway.

Here’s dad just measuring up to put in that last big steel beam to ensure the wheelhouse is fully supported and there’s no danger of the roof crashing down on us. Not that it would. Dad has welded and welded and put in support beams everywhere!

Course, there were a few fings we didn’t av time for. Like a staircase! Pffttttt. So, it’s still the ladder for us. I tried givin my evils and fort I might levitate up there but it was not to be ;).

Even when I tried to plant the seed that I might go a bit Lizzy Borden wiv ma axe heehee.

I decided to call it a day maself; they were still workin late into the night. So I curled up on the sofa an mum wrapped me up in ma blanket but it was darned cold up there.

There was noffink for it but to retreat to the bedroom where there was a little heater an av a chew!

Next day we set sail- just like that! Here’s dad taking us out of the Medway. Can you believe tiny fing he’s got his hand on steers the boat! No wheel or noffink!

Pals, if you want to read bowt our trip up to Essex, you can see it on dis post from ages ago. So, we are nearly caught up now. Ma next post will show you Atlantis as she is now. Ok, I gots to manage expectashuns ere so don't expect too much! We had a lot of problems (and are still having them) with our moorings so dad hasn't been able to do as much work as he hoped.

See you next time pals!

You have the bridge number one - part 29

Now .... I like to make sure fings are proceedin appropriately so this bloggy is about me keepin ma beady eye on the dad. He's got a deadline to meet to make the wheelhouse (aka the bridge) as sea-worthy as possible for our trip to Essex (yes I am still bloggin about the past, which is really weird).

As you can see, I like to stand on our gangway fingamabob (wot dus av chicken wire for safety purposes for da mum).  Chicken wire very andy for me coz I can do zoomies across fast when I decides I want to chase a rat. Apparently, I needs to practise ma tecnique a bit coz barkin at rats gives em a bit of a heads up you is after em!

I can also nip up to the bow - well sort if nip up if you exclude the fact that mum has to carry me up a ladder heehee - and av a look at the marina next door oh and err .... erm .... check the ropes for dad ;).

Dis show wot appen when you dussnt read your tide tables  an set off in good time! The boat on the right just missed making it into the marina and ended up on the mud until the next tide! Got a bit of a lean on init? heehee.

Time to check the anchor chain. All lookin ok and now the anchors are in place an the chain is on the winch we can forget about that until we is out at sea! A job well done for dad!

The wheelhouse is certainl takin shape. You can see (i ope) how much bigger it is too! Ang on I have to getto you annuva pic to compare. Right ... nip ere and as a look .. don't forget to come back!

Before:

After:

I'm pretty sure I sure somfink down there you know! It might of been a ball, probably jus annuva rate *bark bark*. Oh .. it seems to have gone now ;). I feel like Kate Winslet in dat movie.

Arggh elp!! We as bin invaded by ... oh no .. sorry ... as you were ... is only dad in his funky new welding elemet. He don't av to flip it up an down coz of it knows when you dus be weldin so goes dark when it needs too. Hope that weren't too technical for ya heehee.

Sooooo, we gots annuva ladder eh? Exacly when is you plannin on puttin proper stairs wot can be used by the Lexie! I am fed up of bein carried up an down ladders. Looks a long way down for me to jump tho so I guess I'll just wait ere for ma lift.

Close up of some beautiful seam welds (dad made me say that) for the bottom of the wheelhouse.

Ooops! Fink someone (not sayin it was mum, nope, not at all, not mum) might of measured and drawn this up wrong first time round! Good job dad always follows his own advice, measure, check, measure, check and cut!

Sparks (no  ..... not the 80's pop duo):

Tempry windows on the port side (left). These be ones dad cut from perspex so we dussnt av to spent lots of money on da final ones as these will do for sailin to the new mooring so he can see fings! Always andy!

Inside the wheelhouse is realy takin shape. We gots lights! Well .. ok .. A light! heehee. Still got a long way to go before is luxuriush wheelhouse wiv all da mod cons an dat tho.

Well, dat it for now. See you for da next chapter.

Who eated all da pies! Dad ppfttttt! - part 28

Hello! Is me! Well, let's crack on shall we? I've lost track of time .... an we almost come full circle wiv da Atlantis bloggy. I fink dis be early 2010. 

Mum an dad are gettin ready to move Atlantis to her new mooring in Essex. We had been takin trips up there to check out the area (even tho they knows it well as they boaf lived there before Atlantis). 

We had a wander along the Blackwater River at Maldon so we could see exactly what it's like for when we bring her up. Looks pretty narrow dad says!

So, it's back to Atlantis down in deepest darkest Kent for dad! Looking at the Blackwater has really motivated him tho and he starts working on the wheelhouse windows. Windows are always useful to be able to see where you're going ;). He's cut out a wooden template so he can use that to mark up the steel and cut the windows out.

Here's dad marking up some more windows. He offers up da wooden templates and marks up, then cuts. Oh an err .. nice builders bum!! heehee. You can see the winch in front of im in dis photo. That's for the anchors obviously! 

Ere dus be me avin a look at mum who is avin a look at me. We is on the foredeck wiv dad, watchin im but he don't know!

Our ramp! It go up and down with the tide. When the tide is in we rise up about 4-7m dependin on whether it's a spring or neep tide. I telled you bowt dat before! That pole on the right stop the ramp from breakin up as sometimes Atlantis moves back or forward especially if it's a high tide. The ramp has chicken wire on it for safety. I am sure you can guess who that's for!

As you probably know by now, dad likes nuffin betta than a bit of multi-taskin! Whilst preparing the new windows in the wheelhouse he also had to go into the bow and plate over some small bow windows we had originally intended to have. We'd decided against them in the end because they are so near the water line. Here he is cutting the frames out again so he can plate over the holes. 

We see you!! If left open (there is one on the starboard side too) these small windows could cause Atlantis to sink. They is fine if you are moored in a marina and have no intenshun of every going out into the high seas. 

In the end, we decided we'd either put sealed ones in or put deck portholes in for extra light. 

Dad avin well-earned coffee and break in our luxury saloon (one day). Those sofas are so comfy tho even tho we rescood em from a skip. Our built in sofa is that wooden stuff behind me in this photo.

Mum has been tasked wiv tidyin up the walkways so that we have easy access to ropes and fenders when we is sailing. I fink she dun quite a good job on the port side. Funny she ain't taken a photo of the starboard ;)). 

This photo shows a good profile shot. You can see how much she rises up on a good tide. You can also see the wheelhouse windows in this pic. She's also showing a great shape now that she's got her skirts on around the wheelhouse.

Let's see what's frew da ............. square window!! We gonna put temporary windows I'm glad to report!

Watchin proceedings from da stern. Believe it or not this is tidy! heehee. That black fing on the floor to my right dus be a bit piece of rubber wot we gonna cut up into large fenders.

Dad takin annuva well-earned break and eatin ma favourite fing! Sossidge rolls! Mmmmm.  I just give him a little pat in case he forget he's sposed to share which he seem to do on a regular basis! pffffftttttttt.

More next time ma pals! Fanx for readin.

What appens when mum gives dad camera responsibilities - part 22

Hi ma pals ... ow fings? heehee Well, where was I? I fink we was in da middle of buildin a new wheelhouse. Is Spring 2009 and fings are comin along well.

Mum workin in London agin so bin away from ome durin the day a lot. Now at dis point, we as to let you know that she anded over responsibility of photographin progress to the dad. BIIIIIGGGG mistake! As you will see ;).

To make fings easier, dad had cut a hole in da roof (or floor dependin on how you dus look at it) so they could access the wheelhouse from inside on the main deck. This is where the stairs will be in the future but for now we has to use ladder.

Mum has the pleasure of avin to carry me up an down when I wants to go up to av a look at developments!

It was still pretty cold durin April so mum, bless her, tried to make the saloon (wot you dus call livin room) a bit more comfy. A friend of ours gived us some sofas wot he was gonna frow away so dad put em in da corner so we cud av a comfy place to sit. Check it out!! Those curtains are bin bags hee-hee.

Ooohh sofas! Ow luxurious! You dussnt av to arks me twice to test em out so I give em a quick try! Yep, dey be up to da Lexie standards I am pleased to report. Mum says I be dussin ma Tommy Cooper impresshun 'just like that'!

(Stage right mum whispers: *keep going Lex, I don't think anyone has noticed the lack of wheelhouse photos*). Ahem .... right!!!

Oh .. hang on .. think I found one. Here's a photo of errr ..... the port-side wheelhouse lower wall and the walkway! Woohoo!

Oh and ... err the crane!

Oh no wait I think we have a pic of the wheelhouse coming up! Yes, here she is, rather more advanced than you were probably expectin! heehee. Even so though, check her out!! We fink she really looks great wiv her new wheelhouse. You can see dad has cut the windows out and put some temporary wooden windows in for protection.

Right, dat is it! Mum, told dad he is verboten from takin any more photos wifout strict supervision! He said 'well I was buildin the bloody thing'- fair point dad.

Ere dus be annuva angle wiv our 007 powerboat on da back! As you can see is a nice big deck on da back. Lots of sun-bavin potential!

Oh and finally .... news on da ball front .... i got annuva new ball coz we lost ma blue one. I got a red one!

See you next time when we dis stop wheelhouse work stops as they work furiously to strip the old galley so dad can get to the bow and install anchors. We move into a HOUSE (eh what?) an all work focusses on gettin her ready to move back to Essex (crikey!!).

Ta-ta!