A go nowhere day

We had a no moving day on Thursday moored just through the bridge before Gayton Junction - reasonably quiet considering - and did a few chores:

• changing an inner tube on the bike
• David had had to get advice from Tim on how to detach the rear wheel without having a plethora of chains, gears, brakes scattered about the boat (you could put money on it that if we had managed a plethora of bits, we would have some left over when we put it back together)
• getting the wheel out of its axle mount was simple, removing the tube, once we'd employed a dessertspoon to lift the tyre away from the wheel, was pretty easy. Inserting the new slimed tube wasn't too hard, getting the tyre back over the rim was easy peasy. BUT
• getting the bloody brake cable reconnected with its oh so simple catch proved to be impossible, and caused sore fingers (one person), much swearing about how hard could it be given Tim just flicked it off earlier, frayed tempers (2 people). None of it was helped by one person not being able to see the mechanism he was aiming for through the tangle of frame, spokes, unicorns and multiple fingers ...
• in the end, I had to loosen the cable and of course, the little crimp on the end came off and the cable slipped its mooring. I reconnected it and then thought it didn't look robust enough, so looked at the front wheel brake assembly. Aaahh, the cable goes through a wee hole! Situation rectified, and then the tightening process began to make sure the brake pads hit the wheel but weren't obstructing it.
• QUESTION: HTF does Mick manage to fix a puncture in about 7 minutes?
• I was going to suggest to David that he went out for a test ride on the towpath, but when I went and sat on the bridge sides I noticed (with my toes first of all) that there were lots of hawthorn clippings on the path ...
  
  
• filling the stern gland with grease
• David took this on with the aid of a teaspoon from the cutlery drawer and a dessertspoon that I have previously commandeered for paint stirring
• we did ask the advice of a boater walking his dog that David had chatted to at length the previous afternoon while consuming G&T in the sunshine
• job done after a time chatting with the advisor and a fair amount of parallel processing brought on by reminders from the person in the galley preparing dinner,
  
• information gathering from Carol on Still Rocking about mooring places on the Thames 
• The lovely woman spent a good couple of hours on the phone with me giving me chapter and verse about mooring spots, durations allowed, cost, wild moorings and lovely pubs. 
• I was only able to offer her the information that there was a lovely Thai restaurant just across the Maidenhead Bridge where David, Barry and I went one night. 

• going for a walk to the Rothersthorpe Flight and deciding to have that adventure, so phoning Jan and Dave Carrington and inviting them to dinner once we are in Northampton 

• fasting
• that was reasonably easy - when we are busy, time moves quite fast, so to speak, and the things that helped were
• Tim being with us and sorting out some wiring issues that had him looking askance at the safety implications and not leaving till about 11am
• sorting out the bike (it was a mixed blessing obviously that it took so long ...)
• my being on the phone for a couple of hours with Carol 
• going for a walk
• David filling the stern gland

• making a fasting dinner
• supplies of salad veges were getting low on board, so I did wonder what to make to go with chicken, 
• aha! a stir fry with non salad veg, so
• chicken sliced and back into its bag with some soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and garlic, 
• carrots and onion sliced, broccoli, orange capsicum, celery and cabbage. grated ginger, salt

Dinner was followed by dishes washing and then bed.

We had mooted leaving early the next day, but I didn't wake till after 7am - doing not much had obviously been tiring!