The Mini's Turn

With the Nissan now back up and running it is the Mini's turn at the mechanics. This time it should just be a minor job and should hopefully be done within the day if not tomorrow.

Since buying the car the heating has not really worked very well, well no scrap that, the heating has not worked at all until the car gets up to over 2000rpm. Which is never around town!

It has already had a new thermostat fitted and a flush through of the coolant system and heater matrix, all to no avail. The last thing to try is fitting a new water pump. We all believe that the fins on the old pump have started to break up and not pump so well. Mini's are well known for getting air locks in the system due to the layout of the pipework and the radiators. So the theory is that below 2000rpm the current pump just can't shift the air. It would also stand to reason why the radiator fan runs for so long on even a short drive. The pump is struggling to keep the coolant moving.

Whilst it is having a new water pump it may as well have a new auxillary belt, there is a belt tensioner that is grumbling and will be replaced and it may as well have an oil and filter change as well. We know where we are with it then. Although it does mean that next year both cars will be due servicing at the same time!

Feeling Penned In

We have been determined this winter to put in a few more miles then previous winters on the boat. After all it is the first winter in three or four that we have stayed in the water. Usually at this time of year we are getting ready to go back in, trying to polish and antifoul in the rain, wind and usually snow.

We have managed so far this year to rack up 41 miles, which I suppose considering we have not been down to the boat every weekend is probably not a bad number. But it doesn't feel much. We want to be heading further afield.

The days are definitely getting longer and the nights shorter, but with the Trent locks still on winter opening hours which are not always based around the same tide for each lock it has made getting onto the Trent so far this year not viable. We are starting to get cabin fever penned in on the Fossdyke and Witham. 

We are raring to get off and go exploring but the weather, time and tides have other ideas. Perhaps this is one of the benefits of having the boat out ashore for the winter. When we are dropped back in at the beginning of March then we can hit the ground running so to speak.

The Quiet After the Busy

We had a lovely quiet day in yesterday. A nice quiet end to what has been a busy weekend.

We had no rush to get back to the marina so we had a couple of cups of coffee before heading to Saxilby for breakfast. Here I rustled up some reduced fat sausages, black pudding, poached eggs, shitake mushrooms, hash browns and cherry tomatoes. Just the ticket for a cold wintery morning.

With the sun finally peeking out from behind the clouds we headed back to the marina to sort out the dinghy. Now that we have new neighbours it doesn't fit between the two boats so we have had to clean it out and put it in front of our boat which makes getting in and out a bit interesting. The little Honda was a bit reluctant to start at first. When we drained the carb it was easy to see why. It won't run on water!

With the dinghy looking a bit more respectable again we finished off the evening watching a bit of TV and finally settling down to a slow cooked chicken and vegetables. 

It looks set to be a cold week this week so we made sure all the heaters were working and we have plenty of electricity on the bollard to keep them running.

Seeking The Sun

We went in search of the sun yesterday but the only sun that we found was The Sun Inn at Saxilby. After a couple of drinks in there we headed off to Torksey where we met up with a friend and had a lovely meal in the White Swan.

I had the beef in red wine gravy which was delicious.

Today we will have a steady run back to the marina.  We have no rush to get back. We have the stuff in the fridge to cobble together a breakfast and a chicken to stick in the slow cooker later on.

Soggy Saturday

We had a brilliant night out last night. Town was busy as expected on the weekend after pay day but we found a great table in The Rogue Saint right in front of the stage. The band were very good which is a bonus.

This morning we have woken to a grey soggy day . We will have the morning in Lincoln before heading to Torksey where we are booked into The White Swan for dinner later.

Pleasant Pheasant

Our run out in the Datsun last night highlighted one minor problem with the car. The tickover speed is a little bit erratic and ranging from 1000rpm to over 1600rpm which is a bit alarming at times. But on the whole the engine is running sweet and pulling as it should. We will drop it back in at the garage next week when we pick the mini up and get them to sort out the idling problem.

We enjoyed a lovely meal in the Strines Inn. I had the pheasant pie which was delicious and Liam opted for the steak which was cooked to perfection and served with proper homemade chips. A rarity in this day and age which is a real shame, you can't beat proper chips.

Tonight we are heading across to the boat and we plan to have a night out in Lincoln. We are not entirely sure where we will be heading for just yet and will decide on that later. One thing we have decided on though is that we will be having a quiet night on Saturday as we have booked into The White Swan at Torksey for a meal on Saturday evening.

The Fleet is Back

For almost a month now there has been a gaping hole on the driveway at home, it was temporarily filled at the weekend by our guests Mini, but still the gap was there. My beloved Datsun was missing in action!

But last night we received the phone call to say that she was ready to pick up. All was fixed and a new MOT was in place. I could have my car back!

We didn't get much chance to test her out last night as we had other plans and places we needed to be. But just driving across town I could tell that she was back to her usual self. Not more misfiring, no more flat spots and the chuntering sound from under the bonnet gone.

Tonight we will get the chance to give her a good run out into Derbyshire as we plan to head out for something to eat at The Strines Inn after work. I have no doubt that all will be well. We no have our full fleet back.