Reckless - The boat that Guy built part 2

The Boat that Guy Built part 2

Written as I watch.

Its the BCN - great start but its raining stair rods, so no change there.

First up its project shower and cue a steam powered instant water heater, or a geyser created in the confines of Sherborne Wharf. Instant hot water - "look chief" is the excited cry! But lets scale it up and blow up a shed with propane. Hmm, must remember not to mess with gas on a boat.

Next solution its a simple header tank on the solid fuel stove - but the twist is to pump the water with a steam engine. A lovely little model turning a drill pump our out gushes hot water. Well, maybe not at first, but finally Guy gets a dousing all rinsed off with fat soap. It works but I am not sure that the faff with the steam engine will catch on.

On to Boulton and Watt and their 1817 beam engine lurking in a Birmingham roundabout (near Waterlinks). It was revolutionary - 70% more efficient that its predecessor when pumping water but the ever enthusiastic Guy is appalled at the graffiti. You can tell he is a country lad - if you live in Birmingham you get immune to graffiti.

Showers needs soap and that means fat from a Bromsgrove butcher. Fat? Yes fat. Chopped and then rendered (boiled) and caustic soda added in to create a version of Pears Soap. Add the scent of sandalwood and Earl Gay tea and its into a mould to set. A lifetimes supply of soap - guess Guy dosn't wash too much!

The glimpse at Thomas Crappers world of sanitary ware provided a rich seam of schoolboy humour. Time for a quick competitive flush off. A bit surreal and the winners were the Crapper Kensington and  Dolphin. Not sure what it proved but so what. A cheap laugh is better then no laugh at all!

And so it concludes, another fragmented episode flitting from innovation to innovation but never really focusing on the boat. I don't think the boat is is really going to be restored at all, its just a base to play industrial revolution Mythbusters.

Oh, Guy is from Lincolnshire - not Lanscashire as I observed last week.

World Book Evening - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the night-time

The Curious Incident of the dog in the night-time

by Mark Haddon

Last Friday was the first I had heard of World Book Evening. A colleague did a round robin e-mail advising the whole building that he has 40 copies of the above book to give away as part of the World Book Evening.

I was attracted to The Curious Incident by its subject matter. It's billed as as a detective story but written from the perspective of Christopher John Francis Boone who is aged 15 and most crucially he suffers from Aspergers Syndrome (AS). Now Aspergers is one particular colour on the Autistic Spectrum and over the last few years I have had lots of exposure to ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorders) and AS in particular, so I grabbed the opportunity to pick up a copy.

On returning to my team, a colleague volunteered that he had read it, or a least half of it and at the start found it really funny but then it stopped being funny so he gave up.

I read the book through in 24 hours and found it totally compelling. The storyline is told in Christopher's voice as he writes his own book about his investigation to find the killer of a neighbours dog. The strange aspect of this story is the insight it offers onto life with Aspergers, the literalism, the need for structure and the seemingly irrational aversions - in Christopher's case the colours yellow and brown which rules out bananas which start yellow and then turn brown.

The thing about ASD is that, as its name suggests, it is a spectrum and what is true of one is not necessarily the same in another. But then there are overriding similarities which you can see time and time again - the words may change but the song remains the same. In this case Christopher is a near genius at Maths and things Scientific but is utterly incapable of reading faces or the host of non verbal communications we use all day every day. This makes life very difficult for him.

For me the interesting thing is the perspective. It's life through the eyes of the sufferer whereas my exposure has been from the carers point of view. Looking after young people with ASD is no walk in the park and the book dramatically illustrates the damage it can inflict on parents. When you are faced with an unremitting struggle and you cant argue with the child so you end up in conflict with your partner.The wisest advice I have been given is "love and cherish your wife and when you are all  done with that cherish her some more". Easier said than done but sound words.

If you have anyone with AS or ASD in your family or circle of friends, get your hands on this book and you will get an insight into a different and very frightening world, one which we share but barely comprehend.

As for the World Book Evening, the deal is that the books are read and passed on for others to share. So I need someone to take this book and read it, before passing it on once again and logging it onto the World Book Evening's website. So if this is of interest let me know and I will post it to you - not to own but to read and pass on.

Archangel - book review

Archangel

by Robert Harris

After a shaky start with Robert Harris' Lustrum I find myself really getting into his work.

Pillars of the Earth was great and when I saw Archangel on my brother in law's bookshelf I jumped at the chance to borrow it.

It has a slightly stumbling and unstructured start which worried me, but then the book really got into its stride and I was captivated. It's a tale of mystery and intrigue with Kelso, the main character, seeking the whereabouts of Stalin's last leather bound notebook. After plunging into Moscow's underworld Kelso tracked down the book only to discover that instead of providing an insight into Stalin's last days it offered a route map to a much more tangible legacy.

Kelso, a historian specialising in post Cold War Russia, links up with a TV reporter and strikes off to Archangel to track down the truth behind the book. The book sweeps you into a gripping finale, with the storyline as chilling as the tundra they has to traverse.  

In the final analysis, far from being the puppeteer, Kelso is the man having his strings pulled. All intriguing and believable. The final page contains a neat twist in the take, but one which rounds off the story rather than undermining the whole plot.

All in all a quality read - you won't be disappointed.

Boyo goes to Bournemouth

One big step for Jeff.....

4.3.11

Its all change at Ahab mansions.

After 18 months of struggle we have finally secured a place for Jeff at 6th form college in Bournemouth, and the 1st March was his very first day.

Boscombe Pier

I took a day off work and the three of us (Belle, Jeff and myself) set off for the south coast armed with bags of kit and all the paraphernalia needed to sustain him till he returns at Easter. 

Boscombe seafront

There is a lot of waterway interest in the journey as we cross the Oxford Canal, then the Thames and onto the Kennet and Avon. All duly pointed out to Belle as we sped along.

We arrived at Bournemouth (Boscombe to be exact) in time for a picnic lunch down by the sea, a spot which offered some good photo opportunities with the spring sunshine showing through. Jeff tells me that Cheryl Cole has a house nearby, but there was no sight of her on the promenade today.

Then it was back to the college to settle him in. When all is said and done I think we were more nervous than Jeff - he wanted us to be gone as soon as possible.

Bye bye Jeff

A lovely bonus on the way home, we stopped off to see Bones for tea and cakes, with Boots giving us the big baleful eyes treatment to try and wangle some cake.

The boat that Guy built

He really should be called Reckless Eric.....

2.3.11

Written as I watched it:

I have had calls all day long from friends and relatives telling me all about this new canal boat programme, screened over 6 weeks as he restores a down at heel trad along with his carpenter friend Mavis.

This is a showcase for industrial revolution technology, hung together as they build all they need to restore nb Reckless. Guy's delivery is Fred Dibnah - esque, complete with blue boiler suit and Lancashire accent, supported by Liza Tarbuck who provides the background commentary.

These guys seem to have started on the Bridgewater but in a flash  they are onto the Anderton Boat lift and in the next scene they are at the Black Country Museum to cast / smelt Iron, then to Stone to throw a pot or two (I thought Wedgewood was closed?). Challenging boating geography, but mouthwatering stuff.

Smelting Iron - I love it! I have never seen this process before, raising the temperature and getting mix just right - " as delicate a balance as making a souffle". It looks dangerously exciting to me. Now its "green sand casting" - that's something I remember from my schoolboy metalwork classes. Tragedy - the resulting metal is more lumpy slag than pure iron, so 20th century technology is drafted in to save the day and create the perfect pot. It may have been a semi failure but it does serve to illustrate how clever those industrial revolution boyo's really were.

Conclusion? Interesting and educational but maybe not as much about boat restoration as I had expected. None the less, it's definitely one to watch.

I miss Fred and maybe Guy is the man to step into his hobnailed boots.