First frost

Oh boy. When we took Maggie out for her final wee around 10pm last night, it was cold.
And I mean……….. C O L D!
The boards on the pontoons were crunchy, and we had to be careful going round the corner in case our feet slipped in an attempt to put us in the water.
Maggie was OK though, got to the top of the gantry, did her business, and then waited patiently for us outside the loos as we did ours.
Going back to the boat, again we had to be careful, placing our toes against the centre raised boards to stop us sliding. It was pretty scary to be honest, especially at night.

The boat seemed inviting and warm when we got back, but knowing that temperatures were going to drop below freezing, I put an extra blanket on the bed as we hadn’t got our hot water bottles yet (brochure misprint/non delivery) and the pair of us got into bed pretty sharpish.
The dog joined us, and she was shivering too, so I wrapped a corner of the top blanket over her as she snuggled in tight to me.

Despite the dehumidifier going all night, we had a serious condensation problem this  morning. The porthole window frames (metal like the boat) were dripping with it, we had a little puddle under the one in the galley, and the dog caught the drip from the one over the bed on her back. Hubby put the heating on first thing, but apart from warm the boat through, it didn’t help much with reducing the moisture.
Condensation is a major problem in caravans and boats, and is something that must be addressed to avoid damp, mustiness, and damage to your linens, furnishings, bedding and clothes. You will probably never be able to get rid of it completely, but there are ways of reducing it.
The first issue of the day was therefore to come up with a solution that wouldn’t cost the earth and could be easily and quickly applied.
Outside was a white winter wonderland, and damn slippery underfoot.

It was also laundry day, and inside the laundry room are some notices in picture frames. These enhanced our discussion of doing something similar to our detachable double glazing panels which cost us around £50 for the two. If we could get the correct size, it would possibly be cheaper than purchasing perspex sheeting (then cutting it to size) and wood trim for the frame, plus the required P shaped draught excluder which we would need anyway to make the seal.
The majority of today has been spent going from one DIY outlet or economy store to another, and we have managed to find ready made picture frames that will fit.
Being windows, we didn’t want to block out the light completely

(we’d feel like moles in our narrowboat if we did as it would be almost permanently dark)

and for privacy, hanging curtains would have added extra expense, so Hubby came up with the brilliant idea (‘Yes Dear’, as he reads over my shoulder, ‘I did say BRILLIANT’) of sticky back plastic with a translucent design to cover the glass (similar to frosted glass you get in bathrooms).
OK, the portholes are round and our frames are square, but to be honest, it’s only for the colder months and will be taken down in the summer, replacing the existing aluminium trims and giving access to the opening parts when it gets hot.
By the time we got back, it was too late to start work today, but we did seal the 2 glass panes in the bow doors with ‘cling film’ secondary glazing, the stuff you apply with sticky tape and a hairdryer.
None of the windows on the bow have openings, and we’d already done the 2 sides, so the chances are they will stay clinged until it drops off.
We know it works, and it only cost us £1.

In the meantime, Hubby is exploring the installation regulations and stipulations for a multi fuel stove.  We had one in the cottage and it was extremely efficient.
This is something we could not do ourselves and because it’s a professional job, will be expensive. We had been looking at having this done next year, but it may be brought forward with Maggie and me having a week away whilst the work’s being done.
This will not solve the condensation problem, but it will reduce it and address getting cold at night because the stove will be going 24/7.
With temperatures due to fall to minus 1 again tonight, we shall be going to bed with the elephant’s bum roll close at hand.
Oh, and we also managed to get our hot water bottles today for a couple of quid each.
Hubby always said I was hot stuff!

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