And again

Photo hosting again, sorry

Photo hosting

This new blog isn't much of a success so far is it... Reduced to hosting photos for me to post on CanalWorld.

Slightly waspish

Goodness, this holiday business is tiring. It's been showery today (and is now pouring) but we managed to get a few more jobs done between the showers, and all the better for being unplanned. First, we finished rigging the A-frame over the back end, and cut a section of unused tippet to waterproof the top, through which quite a bit of last night's spectacular rain had found its way. It's being tested again as I write. Then we went to measure up in the fore end for a planned bed/platform. Aargh! I went, look up there (into dark corner above the deck board) What? says Jim. That, says I, shining torch at two inch diameter spherical object suspended from the string. What is it? says he. A wasps' nest, I shriek. Fortunately not currently occupied, tho Jim says now he thinks of it there were a lot of wasps hanging around last year. Anyway, that was swiftly disposed of, pausing only to marvel at the entomological skill that went into building it. Jim then fitted the new (old) headlight, bought at Braunston last year to replace one broken in an encounter with stoned hippies in a bridge hole on the Coventry last year. To his delight, it fitted the existing stalk so was one job that turned out to be easier than anticipated.

There's a nice stretch of straight towpath here, bounded by a hedge, where if I go on ahead to meet him, Rocky can have a good gallop. This morning I attached my GPS watch to his harness and Jim set it before releasing him. He ran 0.14 miles in 29 seconds which is equivalent to 3.07 minutes per mile or nearly 20 MPH - so his top speed would have been faster than that. I don't know how that compares to a racing dog but he certainly looks fast! It's a very impressive sight.

Done some work at last

I started this morning by scraping out the chimney, then polishing the stove. Then we went off to investigate the shops... The biggest, most terrifying Asda I have ever seen, followed by a massive B&Q, all on an enormous retail park, or possibly two, on the outskirts of Tamworth. Back at Alvecote I got on with some more polishing and cleaning in the back cabin, while Jim got stuck into some carpentry. Photos to follow but basically the idea was to make a structure like a false cratch, but for the back end, to pick up the top plank so that it doesn't have to extend over the back end decking. It was completed just as the threatening thunder finally delivered a heavy shower. When that was over we took Rocky for a gallop down the towpath, getting back just before another downpour. We are now eating in the Samuel Barlow for the fourth night in a row. It really is just like being on holiday.

Today in brief

Car shuffling up and down the A5, charity shops of Tamworth, lazy afternoon, Alvecote curry night joined by the Halfies, coffee and chat on Jubilee. Turning into a proper holiday, with the sun and all.

Location:Alvecote Lane,Tamworth,United Kingdom

So here we are

On our new mooring. We left Fradley at twenty past eight, and arrived here at half past two. It looks good here... Dog friendly, rubbish and elsan on site (rather than a seven mile drive away)... Lots of other historic boats (albeit mostly joshers) and a pub on site too, where we are about to tuck into a rather nice meal. So not too hard to guess where we've moved to...

Three out of three

Well, good old Blogpress seems to think we're in Burton but actually we're at Fradley Junction, just on the Coventry.
Where this evening I completed a hat trick of perfect turns - perfect meaning not hitting , no, not even touching, anything. I don't set my sights too high. I had to reverse - just the once - for the acute left out of Cut End - can you get 72' out of there without? But I got the stern end within four inches of the concrete and didn't touch it. Out of Great Haywood without even reversing... And a touch of reverse at Fradley only because there was a josher coming out.
It's been another good day's boating, with fabulous weather once more, contrary to the doom and gloom of the forecast. Less than a day to go now, if all goes smoothly tomorrow.
On our many journeys this way, I have amused myself by memorising the licks on the S&W to the tune of Cwm Rhondda:
Gailey, Brick Kiln, Boggs, Rodbaston
Otherton, Filance, Penkridge
Longford, Park Gate, Shutt Hill, Deptmore
Tixall Lock and Tixall Wide
Great Haywood, Great Haywood
We shall pass this way no more
(No more)
We shall pass this way no more.

Unless we want to go to Stourport, that is.

Location:Burton upon Trent,United Kingdom

A final farewell

Just over ten years ago, we arrived for the first time at Industry Narrowboats yard at Stretton Wharf on the Shropshire Union. The story of that trip is one of the earliest posts on my Warrior blog.
At ten to eight this morning we left there for the last time.
I didn't look back.

Location:M6,Stafford,United Kingdom

Ready to go

We've been to Asda for provisions, to Turners for diesel (will we ever again pay 49p a litre?) and paid a valedictory visit to Penkridge market. The engine's running well and some of the brass has even been polished. So we're all ready to set off in the morning.

Location:Watling Street,Stafford,United Kingdom

Going boating? Can it be true?

Well, in a few minutes I'll be setting off to the station to go to Stretton, via Stockport, Crewe and Penkridge. Although we've been to check up a couple of times, I haven't actually been on board Chertsey since last October. That is both incredible and shameful, I know. So who knows what Jim and I will discover when we arrive. Hopefully nothing that can't be sorted, and after cleaning up, victualling, and overhauling we should be able to set off on a short trip. I'll be trying to blog on the phone so expect posts to be short, and, the way Blogpress is behaving, unillustrated. But let's give it a go!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The first mile

This morning I ran a mile. Without stopping. Without walking. I. Ran. For a whole mile. For the first time in my life.

I never set out to become a runner. I set out, for a while last spring, and then again just a few weeks ago, to get some exercise by going for a walk before breakfast. A fast walk, proper four-mile-an-hour stuff, four miles, in fact - two out and two back - in an hour. But not to run. Running - never; not for me. At school, I was called Snail. At primary school one sports day my teacher (the vile Miss Berrill) told me not to enter one race because I 'would hold the others up.'

But as I neared home one day, I noticed there was quite a long downhill stretch right to the end of my road - the very thing that sometimes made it a bit of a struggle to get started. It was too tempting. I started to run. The next day and following days, I started to run a bit sooner. Last week, I ran for the final half mile. Then I noticed that my route actually had a clear pattern to it. Leaving the house, the first mile was mainly uphill; realatively steep to start, then fairly flat; the second, almost exactly, was a more gentle downward slope. This morning I decided to start running at the one mile mark and see how I got on. I told myself I could stop at any time. But then once I started... I could have stopped, but then I would never know what would happen. I could keep going; this wasn't actually all that hard. Yes, I was panting (just a bit); yes I was sweating (gratifyingly) but I could do it; I could keep going. I didn't have to stop. The route is quite familiar to me by now and I could see the end in sight. I knew that I could do it; I wasn't going to stop until I got to that speed limit sign. It came surprisingly quickly; the difference between walking and running. Get your exercise in that much faster. My first mile took me eight minutes and thirty nine seconds.

Tomorrow there will be another one, and soon there will be a faster one. I am a runner.

So why 'Rivetcounter'?

Perhaps I can do no better to introduce the reason for, and one of the themes of, this new blog than by reproducing the text of an email I sent to my workmates last week - if I can share it with them, then surely I can share it with the internet.

Dear all

I'm writing to let you know that I have been assessed as having Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism (in fact, since the standard American diagnostic manual was revised last year, Asperger's is no longer recognised as a separate diagnosis, but it's easier to continue to talk about it as most people have some idea of what it entails - in short, it is a form of autism without developmental or language difficulties).

It is not uncommon for Asperger's to be overlooked in women as we tend to become adept at masking it and developing coping strategies - indeed, it is only relatively recently (in the last couple of years) that it began to occur to me that this could be the basis of things I have struggled with for as long as I can remember. It was in fact reading students' support plans that initially pointed me in the right direction.

I had my assessment last November and then thought long and hard about being open about it in the office. I didn't want to look as if I was seeking special treatment or making excuses; and of course there was an element of concern around what effect disclosure might have on my career prospects. But this was ultimately outweighed by other factors. I see being autistic (and I prefer to describe myself with an adjective rather than as 'having a condition', and certainly not a 'disorder') as akin to being left handed: it's a difference from the norm which is not intrinsically problematic, but becomes so in a world designed and understood by and for the majority. Indeed, there are advantages which I bring to the workplace: attention to detail; commitment to accuracy, organisation, and an innovative approach to problem solving based on an ability to get to the heart of issues. I'm also calm in a crisis, because I don't pick up on other people's emotional reactions, and I have a strong awareness and understanding of the difficulties others - particularly students - with 'invisible disabilities' (not only autism) face.

Clearly this has had an impact on how I experience, react to, and am perceived in the workplace. Particular manifestations of AS that are relevant for me in this context include:

• Being uncomfortable with physical contact with and close physical proximity to other people
• Difficulty following a conversation when there are distractions or more than one person talking
• Need to focus on one task at a time - Aspies can't multi-task! Interruption can seriously disrupt my ability to get work done
• Inability to 'read' people's emotions through facial expressions or body language
• Tendency to take things literally; to want to get to the point, and an inability to engage in (or indeed understand the purpose of) 'small talk'
• Need for clarity if you want me to do something - I can't 'read between the lines' of what you are saying and find the hidden or obscured meaning. If you want something, ask directly!
• Limited capacity for socialising - I do like being social, and making friends, but I'm much more comfortable talking to people individually rather than socialising in large groups. If I need to deal with a lot of people, or for a long time, it's helpful to have a bit of quiet time and space to recover afterwards.
• Not always knowing the 'appropriate' way to react or tone to take in a given situation - I have to learn this through trial and error rather than picking it up instinctively. Yes, I can be blunt - because this is how I would prefer people to be with me, rather than beating about the bush. It takes a while to learn that not everyone appreciates this approach!

These may all become more of an issue at times of increased stress, especially around change, which is another thing we find difficult to deal with.

Autistic people are often described as lacking 'empathy' - and indeed, I don't have that superpower of being able to read your feelings in your face. But that doesn't mean I don't care about how you're feeling - I do. I might just need you to tell me when something's wrong. I may not react in a conventional way but I do want to help in the best way I can - which is more likely to be practical than emotional.

[Boss] and [Colleague] and the few other people I have spoken to already have been very supportive and understanding, and suggested that it might be helpful to me and the rest of the team if I am able to share this information with everyone, and in this way - hence this rather long email.  I would stress that I'm not being open because I'm looking for special treatment, but more to enable others to better understand me (and the way I react sometimes) and to get the best out of me. A secondary reason is to raise awareness more generally that Aspergers is something that affects women (contrary to popular belief) but is often not picked up in childhood for a number of reasons. If anyone would like to know more I have a few books I can lend, and will - of course - be happy to talk at great length about it!

Finally, apologies to any of you who have (particularly in the stressful times of the past) found me difficult to deal with because of this.

Very best

[Me]

Welcome to Rivetcounter

After setting up this new blog, I remarked to a colleague how surprised I was that the name 'Rivetcounter' hadn't already gone. I thought it would have been snapped up long ago. This is the internet, after all. She wasn't surprised in the least. Which I suppose tells you something about the difference between me and my colleagues - or at least some of them. Of which more anon.
I first heard the term many years ago, long before I had any actual rivets of my own to count, at a model railway club. I don't know what I was doing at the model railway club, as this was years, nay decades, before No.2 son got into the model railway retail trade. It was used disparagingly, by one member of another, which surprised me - after all, if you are into accurate modelling, what finer accolade could there be?
Rivetcounting is about attention to detail beyond the call of duty, and thus seemed entirely appropriate to me, the internet, and the world of old boats.
You may ask, how many rivets does Chertsey have? And the answer, I'm afraid, is that I haven't counted. Yet. But it is something like 'the number it should have minus one', because in place of one, somewhere on the front bend, it has a bloody great nut and bolt instead.