What a Year!

 Well, what a year it has been up to now! It's been surreal, like living in a bad movie that flopped in a spectacular way at the box office!

As a key worker my shifts have not changed through the Pandemic, I guess on that score I should count myself lucky to have a job but it has been stressful at times. I just wanted to get away from it all on a regular basis, apart from it being a scary time with the threat of catching the virus, dealing with the public was sending anxiety levels through the roof! 

I have however been very lucky, the staff and management in the shop are a great team and we have all been muddling through together. I have also been more than lucky to have the love and support of Alan through all of this, he as always has been a star. I really do think I would have cracked only for him keeping my spirits up.

We also kept busy working on the boat. once the inside was finished we decided the blacking of her bottom was well overdue! I contacted the owner of the marina and arranged to be taken out of the water, luckily it coincided with the bank holiday weekend so as I don't work weekends or Tuesdays it was 4 days to get stuck in. The marina jet washed the boat that just left the scraping grinding and the painting on of the black stuff. The anodes were not too bad bow and stern but it was suggested we had new ones midship so we agreed and had them fitted.

Alan never stopped and in no time we had 3 coats of blacking on, her engine bay scraped and primed and finally, adornment on her bow and her tunnel band fancied up! Something I had wanted doing for years. We decided on a none traditional design so we chose a diamond theme.

Tickety Boo waiting for work to begin.

Below, The boat with her 3 coats on looking far smarter! We then decided to do the pattern on the bow and the tunnel band. It,s basic but we love the simplicity of it. Alan repainted under the gunwale as it's easier to do that bit out of the water. The cabin sides we will do next spring and then finally have her name on her again!

The boat is looking loved and cared for again, Alan will never quite understand how special it is for me to find somebody interested in seeing her looking her best and enjoying seeing her take shape.

I had started to lose interest which saddened me greatly but thanks to Alan my faith and enthusiasm have been restored! I am loving seeing her looking so swell!
 

 The tunnel band smartened up. Diamonds added to the bow.

Tickety finally back in the water where she belongs!

Working on the boat kept us busy and not thinking too much about what was going on in the world! I moved in with Al while we revamped the inside of the boat which as I have said before made the job so much easier. Staying with him has been easy, lovely and feels very comfortable, kind of right. We laugh a lot and just pootle along nicely. I miss the boat but would miss Alan more so I am really grateful and happy that he puts up with me!! 

We stay on the boat as and when we can and enjoy the tranquillity of the Marina, it's a lovely place, friendly people a lovely cafe and the grounds are beautifully well kept. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff and we know help is on hand anytime we need it.

As bad as the year has been I can honestly say Al and I are getting through it. We have each other and a great strong relationship so life can throw as many hurdles as it likes, we will get over them together! We both have lovely supportive families, granted we can't see much of them but we know they are there!

We can only live in hope that next year the virus will be more controlled with a vaccine, in the meantime, we will keep on smiling and make the best of the situation, it's all we can do really.

Our dancing classes have started up again which we love. They are much needed as the weight I have put on during lockdown tilts the boat far too much!!!! Alas, the dancing may be put on hold yet again as the government have brought in more lockdown rules which may put paid to our classes. Practising on the patio, weather permitting, will be the order of the day!

As seen in my previous post the interior decor is finished and I am finding it hard to stop adding to the soft furnishings...

I spotted a smaller rug I liked which I think fits the saloon better.

I also spotted a canvas I liked so it would have been so rude not to get that too!

I love this abstract Elephant, the colours are perfect to match the decor.

The only problem was there was a matching picture! Too big to have both in the Saloon but it would fit in the bedroom! So off I trot back to B+M to pick up this one..

 

As I was in the shop a beautiful fur throw and cushion couldn't bare to be parted from the Zebra so they came too for Tickety Boo's bedroom! That's my story and I am sticking to it...

Positively indulgent I know but they all look lovely and will just make our overnight winter stay overs cosier!

I just must apologise to regular readers of my blog. Unbeknown to me there had been lots of comments left on my last few posts. I had no idea! I used to get notifications to let me know I had comments so I could authorise them for publication but the notifications didn't come through. I thought you had all got fed up with my waffling! Thank you so much to you all for your lovely comments, they mean such a lot and I now know it's not just my Mum who reads my posts! I now know through the blog settings how to see comments and answer them! Thanks again xx  

Tickety Boo Transformation!

I have, for a long time, wanted to change the interior of the boat. I have gone through phases with her over the years. To then meet somebody who was more than willing to help with that transformation was so exciting to say the least! Alan has transformed the boat and enjoyed doing it. Tickety Boo has never looked so good. The look I was after was modern uncluttered moving away from the cottagey look and Alan achieved exactly what I wanted. I will let the photos do the talking so to speak..

The original Tickety Boo was a typical narrowboat interior all wood warm and cosy, that was 15 years ago.

I then decided I wanted to paint the walls to make the boat look airier and lighter. I absolutely loved this new look I wanted it to look like a floating cottage and had it like this for some years.

Now for the transformation. Everything is new, spotlights and light fittings changed from brass to chrome.

The walls are painted in a lovely pale grey and all the woodwork white. As you can imagine the boat was a right mess while the work was being done, it's hard to keep such a small space tidy while redecorating so I stayed at Al's while work was in progress it just made things so much easier and I was very grateful for that!

Most of the time Tickety Boo looked like this but it was small price to pay for seeing the transformation slowly taking shape!

My fifteen year old stove was looking tired and tatty so I painted the stove black and the plinth so it looked lovely against the fab new tiles Al fitted.

                                      My gorgeous new tiles but a tatty stove...before

                                and the after, freshly painted stove. I wasn't sure about painting the plinth black at Alan's suggestion but I went ahead and it looks so much better.

                                                          Next the carpet tiles.

               I wanted new wall lights but was at a loss to find any I liked so we decided to keep the originals and spray the brass silver to go with the rest of the colour scheme.
 

I decided to do away with curtains and just have off the peg Venetian blinds. Luckily they all fit without having to be cut which was one less job to do. The kitchen units went from being duck egg to white and the new grey subway tiles Alan put up look great with the white units. The next problem was the worktops. When the boat was first fitted out we had a piece grafted on to the worktop as I wanted a dogleg shape to incorporate a small breakfast bar with stools. To buy a new worktop that width would cost a fortune so we came up with the idea of painting them. As much as I loved the solid wood in beech it just wouldn't go with the new scheme. It was a bit nerve-wracking painting the tops black as once done no turning back really!
                                 
                                       Alan took the plunge with the black paint.

                                          After! We were really pleased with the result
                                           and it tied in  well with everything.

                                         
                               

I wanted accents of yellow to go with the grey white and black but Alan wasn't too sure. As luck would have it we were gifted a rug and cushions in just the colour I wanted. Alan really liked the colour once he saw it in place, so we were really happy with the colour choice.
Finally, everything started to take shape, all the hard work Alan had put in was paying off. All the little jobs that had never been finished he finished off. Those little details made such a difference!

The side hatch on the boat had always been a pain, it had never fit properly from when the boat was built it leaked really badly and it was drafty. Alan came up with the idea of a double glazed window. I wasn't at all sure on that score as it's not really the done thing but I put my trust in him and I wasn't disappointed. Not really conventional but I think it's quirky and neat!

                                             Trying the window for size! This photo makes me smile.

                                               
                                                     The window is now sprayed green
                                                     outside to match the boat and white
                                                     on the inside.

                         Next job a nice new floor in the galley! I wasn't sorry to see the old orange coloured wood effect cushion floor go!

             

So finally after all the hard work Alan had put in transforming the boat

I got the lovely job of  clearing all the diy stuff out and adding the 

finishing touches a job I was loving every minute of!

The finished result! Over the moon doesn't quite sum up how pleased we

are with it.

The finished result!

Storage boxes from good old Home Bargains, great for storing pan lids tea towels etc.

Finally the bedroom is all finished too!

                                                                    Before.

After.

                                         
                                             

Alan has done a fantastic job he has made Tickety Boo a boat we can be proud of. 

Now to look forward to taking the boat out and enjoying her!