Merry Christmingles People.

A heavy duty Christmas Fairy let me have a full sheet of 1/2" plate to play with, which had only been languishing under a hedge for nearly a year. So I'm building a better stove. There's a way to go yet, but it's already way too heavy to lift without a chain-hoist; hence the monster lifting eyes on the back which will become part of the design. I'm really looking forward to getting the doors on this thing and I hope that it'll look right smart as well as function correctly...

Here's one of my latest lighting efforts, made of bits that I found in boot sales. This one lives in the galley now, the light itself comes from our new very favourite thing: warm white  12v LED lighting from a well known internet auction site. I've become reasonably good at getting lamp holders to fit into these strange old bulkhead lights. Unfortunately for you, how I do it will remain a secret.

And we finally got that mahogany parquet floor down in the engine room. One thousand blocks of the dammit stuff, I tell you, it's amazing what I can pull off a bonfire pile. Here follows a few pics of the floor laying action as it happened. Despite the fact that the floor is now finit, you'll have to imagine it as I've not taken any pictures yet. Trust me, the finished article looks and feels amazing. It's insulated beneath, and it's all in sections to allow access to the bilge. I've still got to fit all the recessed brass 'D' rings though, ach, mañana.

More to come… including real plumbing! yep, it's done. With massive thanks to Tony and Mo for the worlds strangest wedding present we can now enjoy a real civilised toilet. And I mean enjoy. It only took me a year, and we're still getting over the novelty. So Wendy has a fully up and running pressurised cold water system, working waste water management and a real kitchen sink. Go Girl. Pictures and words coming sooooon. Merry Christmas y'swabs.