More progress

Blogspot is suffering problems with publishing new posts and uploading photo's which they are aware of and attempting to rectify, so apologies for the lack of pictures today and the shortened blog yesterday.If blogspot solve the problems today hopefully I'll add photo's tomorrow. Someone brighter than me (not difficult) suggested the aerial I supposedly spotted on Big John is more likely to be a lightning conductor, which makes a lot of sense. Today's visit to the boatyard revealed more progress as follows: Pull-down TV in bedroom ceiling fitted, as are the radiators, heated towel rail, one of the toilets, the shower base, engine control panel and throttle,fuel tank and filler pipe , battery bank, TV in lounge and drawer unit in galley . More topcoat first layer also completed. Tomorrow we're off to Coventry to watch our youngest daughter bowl for Surrey County in a competition. She also bowls for the Metropolitan Police team and in a local league. Having spent many years tranporting her to and from tournaments around the country I finally decided to try ten-pin bowling myself and joined a local league. As they already had eleven of the twelve teams needed I was posted into a "blind " team to make up the numbers. With only one person in the team and the other three made-up of average scores it was no surprise we finished bottom at season-end. The following season I shoe-horned three friends and family into my team which we christened Blind Ali, finishing mid-table in the league for several years (like pre-Wenger Arsenal). After many more years and personnel changes we won the league in 2012, immediately before my reluctant retirement caused by my move. Similarly with Joel I spent many years ferrying him to and from rowing regatta's. Molesey School Rowing Association unusually had eight good boy rowers join all together and purchased a very old and battered octuple from a local club for them to use. From day one they were very successful, winning the National Schools Head at Henley and virtually every head race and regatta entered in the first and subsequent years. On the back of this success Joel won a rowing scholarship and place at Pangbourne college. During his time at Molesey Boat Club I foolishly commented to the Head Coach there should be a parents versus boys race at some time. He agreed and tasked me with arranging a parents crew, which I managed to do. One of the coaches kindly (foolishly?) agreed to teach us how to row and prepare us for racing. Before long we were competing in the National head of the river race over the Oxford and Cambridge course, neither winning or coming last. The parents versus boys race never took place! I subsequently transferred to the Kingston Grammar School Vets Boat Club (KGSVBC for short).where my rowing career was to continue for a further two years, competing in a number of head races, the Boston marathon, several charity marathons and local regatta's without winning any trophies, apart from an eighth share of a shield at Molesey Vets head. The move to Anstey also triggered my reluctant retirement from rowing. hence commencement of my walking career.