Boston and random items

Met up with one of my favourite girls and had a lovely few hours being shown around a childrens play area in Scunthorpe. Brilliant.

While off for a walk in Bardney - out getting the i newspaper- had a look down the side of this house and spotted the tree.

The tree itself was dead but the owner had taken a chisel to it and the result was astounding.  Full of birds and a magnificent owl at the top. Wish I had the camera but will take another pic and show the close-up.

Was lucky enough to have Abz company for a couple of days. Up on the Water Rail Way Abz took advantage of the Pike being climbable.  Sadly the side of the Pikes mouth has come away. Not, I hope, by vandalism.

On a trip up Steep Hill in Lincoln we spotted this mini outside the Castle.  Complete with pink eye-lashes. Must say I did have doubts about the male driver.

Lee walked up the towpath from Boston and took these next few pics.  This seat done as a pair of hands is rather good I think and the sheep with chains for wool are brilliant but the cows still beat them :-)

Rather a lovely oak leaf seat.

Must get her a decent camera to carry about with her.  Taken on her old phone this is - I was assured - a field of long haired animals that have a long neck.  Not giraffes.  I would have noticed them. Llamas maybe. :-)

Not sure if they bury walkers where they drop but this is a grave stone of sorts but Lee can't remember who its for.  Any ideas?

Had a slight problem with the gearbox.  Ian had borrowed the boat and headed towards Southery mooring for a bit of a fish.  He got so far and the propeller decided not to go round.  The engine was working ok but that was it.  Moored in the weeds and camped in the pub.  Can't praise the pub highly enough.  They looked after the marooned group and kept them well supplied with food and beer. After a day stuck there a Tupperware class boat came along and offered to tow them to a mooring.  What nice people. However having roped up he went hell for leather and the boat was all over the place.  He wouldn't go slowly and in the end just cast off the rope in mid channel. Plonker.

I arrived back and some very nice people even though he is ex-submariner :-) onboard nb Karenza came down in the dark and towed us back to Bardney.

Stripped the gearbox and checked that all was working as far as I could.  Had a word with Thorne Boat Services for some tips and they were as usual very helpful. All I checked was fine so take the box off the engine.

Off it came and the driveshaft behind it..........

was exposed.  The end of the gearbox shaft is splined.

Where the hell have the splines in the hole gone?

Taking the box to bits as the 'emergency get you home cog' had got engaged when I dismantled the box off the engine. The cog is just visible on the right hand side of the top cog.  It moves into slots in the clutch. The splines on the shaft can be seen on the left side of the gearbox.

The new drive plate.  You may notice the difference in the shape of the hole in the centre.

The plate is bolted on to the engine flywheel

and the end result looks like this

Hooray. All back together and running.  I am sure that the engine is running quieter than it was before. Trip to Lincoln to test it out.


Thanks Leigh for the chats.

Back at Bardney Lock and there is a boat being used to get rid of some of the weed.  Over the last couple of weeks the boat has shifted 30000 tons of weed and dumped it on the side to die off.  The worry is that all the weed that is left will sink to the bottom of the river and carry on where it left off next summer. It makes very little difference to the weed.  The area is cleared and by the next morning the surface is covered yet again.

Everywhere you look there is weed.

Langrick Bridge and there is plenty moving up and down in the wind.

Lovely walk into Tattersall and a visit to the castle.

Lovely views.

A view from the bows of the mooring. A delight.

Meanwhile in Boston.  The BW workboat is removing the old moorings.  They keep coming down from the lock at Antons Gowt and pulling a few out.

The windmill was working while we were here.  I wonder if the locals thought the same about windmills when they were first erected as the locals of windfarms do today.

Not saying that its forward planning but it must be a little unusual to have a Retirement Home next to a funeral parlour.

There is a rather nice museum in Boston Guildhall.  The kitchen has a running commentary where the cook seems to spend a lot of time having a go at the peasants. 

It still has the cells and they are all ready for use. :-)

Lots to look at and listen to.

The Banqueting Hall has three examples of meals from the past.

The haven was rather waterless today but then it is tidal. Could do with a bit of a dredge.

Lots of fine buildings about.

and the church is one of the finest there is.

Some council offices and a library.

Lots of streets that havent changed for many years.

Cobbled streets all around the church.

You walk down several on the way to and from the mooring.

BW workboat off with another few moorings in the barge.