We got back to Leicester Marina on Thursday 26th April having had the boat checked to ensure all was working well. Unfortunately however the central heating didn't work and made the most awful noise when you switched it on. So John emailed the boatyard where we had it repaired a few months back and they will look at it for us when we get back there. It's 26 miles from here. We had planned to stay in the Marina for the weekend and leave on Monday however yesterday the toilet started playing up and took ages to flush. As you will recall this was supposedly fixed in February so it was very frustrating to find it's not working. Finally last night it packed up completely so we are having to wait now until the man who supposedly fixed it returns from holiday on Tuesday! Luckily we bought a portable toilet and also there is a toilet block at the Marina so we can manage. But not a great start to our new adventure and it has certainly dampened our spirits. We see now why everyone says boats are money pits and how you can never budget for all the unforseen problems.
We are determined to make the most of this year but we will be selling Prairie after that. It breaks my heart to think of parting with her but it's just not financially viable to continue having her when we have no canals nearby our home in Wales.
Anyway we will make the most of our time aboard! John has fired up our little stove and so we are cosy on board. There is a lovely nature reserve nearby so ideal for dog walking and the shops are a short drive away so we have all we need until the toilet is fixed!
