Week 10

 

More Boat Stuff

Late this week as I was working on the boat in my "early Sunday morning time".

And a bit disjointed - like me after all the working and driving...

Monday    2 x 3 hours

Tuesday    2 x 4 hours

Wednesday  1 x 4 hours

Thursday     2 x 4 hours

Friday    1 x 4 hours

Saturday 1 x 4 hours

Sunday 1 x 5 hours

Last week 29 hours

This week 39 hours

and a couple more tomorrow touching up a few bits where the pink masking tape bled...

I've finally booked the new cushions for the boat!. In the first year, we asked for a quote, but the bloke never showed up...so, here we are 12 years later!

BUT, the waiting time is also 14 weeks - everyone is so busy now that things are open again.

Our investigation into heat pumps is also stalled...there was already a long waiting time due to the shortage of chips - but they say now that it "might" be sometime next year!!, due to the current demand. (Friend Paul sent me a story about an American chap who recommended that Biden should go into "War-time Production" of heat pumps - and send them to Europe at cost price - maybe that is what it will take).

And we also ordered a koekoek - a winged hatch for the boat...something like this...no idea how long this will take...

What happens if they turn the gas off?

"The Netherlands imports about 5 billion cubic meters of Russian gas every year. With the current extremely increased prices, the Netherlands would transfer about 13 billion euros to the Kremlin. So with an emergency package we also save a lot of money."

The total savings for Europe would be about 400 billion Euros in less than a year - if Putin shuts the gas off - or if we do as a way to stop paying for the war.  

Telethon on Monday night to raise money for Ukraine (106 million euros on Monday night).

The standings of the Giro555 campaign for the war in Ukraine on Thursday amounted to 137.4 million euros. This means that an additional 31 million euros has been donated since the special action day on Monday.

I read an interesting article (about me and Ben, maybe) in The Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/03/being-an-outsider-benefits-third-culture-kids/627011/

But just because a journey to the unfamiliar was voluntary doesn’t make it easy: Being an outsider can be lonely and difficult, especially if all the strangers around you seem to know and understand one another. Your instincts might tell you that uprooting yourself was a terrible decision, that the benefits you sought are much smaller than the costs you are bearing. You might even wonder if you’ll ever be happy again.

The truth is, however, you almost certainly did not make a mistake. There is little evidence that being an outsider creates long-term problems for happiness or lowers your chance of success; on the contrary, people thrust between places and cultures tend to develop strength, flexibility, and resiliency. Being an outsider may be one of the best investments you will ever make, and you should embrace it, pain and all.

The boat-painting saga

Last week I was puzzling over the reddish tint to my paintwork - I simply couldn't figure it out...  and now I can't believe how dumb I was...

This is what I wrote to Robin...

G'day,

Tjeerd and I went down to work on the boat on Monday and we finally found out what was wrong with the shed! The red colour was coming from the shed behind us!!

There is an opening up high in the roof!!!

I went to talk to Mark about it and his new off-sider, Jort, said "oh yeah, I've been meaning to fill that up - the insulation is in the corner of the shed" What???!!!

"Most" of it is just red dust, believe it or not - but so fine that it settled (and dissolved) in the paintwork when it was still wet - without leaving any trace except for the pinkish hue.

(I thought that came from us using wet and dry for my first time for such a surface area). I had at first thought that it was the lighting or my new glasses - honestly, the last thing I would ever have thought of was what it turned out to be.

The only thing I was worried about was the extra time that I might need to get it all done. I've planned in short days so that I can still help Janny with driving and other things around here - that was also my thinking for the 2 weeks (which has just been a revelation re drying times and getting things done slowly and methodically)

Anyway, Mark agreed to put me in another shed and "take a few extra days if you need them to get it finished". They also used their compressor to blast off all the dust! He was dirty on the bloke for not using a vacuum cleaner - the dust has been walked all over the paths to and from the canteen/office building!

So it will end up being 2 1/2 weeks or 3 by the time I get it finished. I have to re sand some of the new paint, but it first has to be hard. I told Mark that I'm not able to do longer days because of my other commitments - he's quite OK with it taking as long as it takes.

Maybe you can just see the reddish tinge to the floor? (the photo doesn't show it properly) and all alone in the big shed!

2 things learnt this time around - wet and dry (wet) sanding is just perfect

and the Hempel filler is magic - to apply at least - I'll see how it lasts

...and, after Monday...

I had to paint the roof again after all - I tried to convince myself that it wasn't pink, but when I started painting it the difference was clear to see. I asked the havenmeester  to come and have another look, so that he would know I wasn't bullshitting him if I complained later.

About 3 layers of filler in the worst of the holes...this was by Thursday afternoon - the filler takes 36 hours to dry at 10C - because I didn't want the expense of running the heating all night!

The fiddly bits took me 5 hours today - my deck-hand will have to be on his toes to keep it all looking good....   :-)

The village-owned electric duo-bicycle is stored at our place, so Janny took her Mum out for a spin - 11kms! This is actually what it is for - an able-bodied person can take somebody out if they can't do it themselves.