A day that continued sunny and started still but then became quite breezy later. After attending the opening of the first Little Paxton Bottle Bank at The Anchor, I set off for Norfolk, had a snack lunch at McDonalds on the Norwich ring-road and arrived at Barnes Brinkcraft to see Mr Thwaites.
Unfortunately, I had to insist on some repairs to their work before setting off for Horning as the wind rose. The rest of the day fixing the bilge pump pipework and modifying the sewage system outlet until I scalded my foot and suffered overnight.
Tory Councils are keeping the Poll Tax levels artificially low by depleting their reserves and spending less in the coming year than even the central government assessment of perceived needs.
A nice sunny and still start to the weather which was just as well for what I had planned for it. A little slow to get up and had to have breakfast in my pyjamas. Then phone calls to Hilary Knightley about this morning's arrangements for the opening of the first Little Paxton Bottle Bank and others to political colleagues on the Poll Tax situation in view of me being away until Monday. The local Tory Councils are keeping the Poll Tax levels artificially low by depleting their reserves and spending less in the coming year than even the central government assessment of perceived needs. I then loaded up all my things for Norfolk and drove over to The Anchor for the bottle-bank opening. It was cold and breezy but bright and sunny and it was an ideal morning for the photographs. The paper's photographer did not turn up, but we took some photos of our own and there was a journalist there at least.
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The occasion over, I drove on to Norfolk and stopped by the McDonalds on the Norwich ring-road to get a snack for lunch. I had telephoned ahead using the new car-phone and Mr Thwaites of Barnes were expecting me after lunch. When I arrived, I checked the boat and found a poor job done. The holding tank had been left unconnected with a leak and there were other problems as well. I waited and insisted that things were put to rights before taking off for Horning. I cruised there and arrived O.K. but it was still quite windy. I then first tended the faulty port bilge pump which had been pumping endlessly on "Automatic". I found that the outlet pipe had come adrift from the hull and so put it back and it was all right. Then the sewage system: I went into Wroxham and bought a two-way Whale diverter and then fitted this so that the macerated output from the for'd toilet could go alternatively into the holding tank or out through the hull fitting. I had just about completed this and was working late at midnight when I tipped over a kettle of boiling water onto my left foot and badly scalded it. I took a few seconds too many putting it under the cold water tap and lost a lot of skin and was in pain. At least I had a first aid kit and applied a dry dressing for the night. A fairly sleepless night in pain and uncomfortable until morning.