Foxglove Narrowboat

This has to be a first because it is the first time I have blogged twice in one day.

I had to tell you all that there are 60 countries currently watching the progress on Foxglove. I am amazed of all the people who are showing such an interest. It is just fantastic.

Sally and her team are just fantastic people to deal with www.willowboats.co.uk

It makes such a difference going over there each week and speaking to her on the phone that I have every confidence in her to do a fantastic job. She has suggested a few changes that we have gone ahead with and I just can’t wait to see the finished result.

Martyn www.vimartsigns.co.uk will be starting his work in a few days time. His work is also amazing. You just have to look at these people websites to see the talent Sally & Martyn both have.

2 weeks to go until we get Foxglove back. What a transformation it will be!

Keep watching 🙂

No, not to the toilet……….I need to go over and see the boat. Sally phoned me this morning with an update. They have applied the second top coat………this is the colour the boat will be so I am so excited to see it…………The colour that we saw on Saturday was a top coat but not of the final colour, it was still very nice, but I just can’t wait to see the final colour……….work really gets in the way sometimes, either that or I am just very impatient. Think it may be the latter 😉

All of Sally’s team are working really hard. Rob Shone, the joiner is over there today, making some adjustments to doors, steps etc ready to be painted. It is all happening and I just wish I could be over there to see it all.

Could not sleep much last night because I am actually constantly thinking about the boat and our new moorings now………..It really is like the build up to Christmas when you were a kid. I just can’t wait!!

We spent ages with Sally (Willow Boat Painting) and Martyn (www.vimartsigns.co.uk) as there were a lot of  final colours and patterns to discuss.   Cream cakes for everyone were very much enjoyed as we discussed of what was going to go on the sides of Foxglove including lots of scrolls, not squiggles as I called them! Oops 😁

It was amazing to see how much had been done during the second week. All the primer and undercoat has been done and the first of 3 layers of topcoat had already been applied. They are sanding down in between each layer and already the finish looked super smooth and shiny. It looked fantastic.

  Everything has to be wiped down on the boat and around all the building where she is sat. The dust is then allowed to settle over night again then a final wipe down again so everywhere is dust free ready for its final top coats. This will be taking place this week.

Some items are being sent off for powder coating ready to be put back on the finished boat and the other items have to be polished. Next week all the decorative work, panelling, signwriting and a special piece of artwork will take place. We have changed a few things on Foxglove but if anything it will look more like an original working boat than before.

Roy has done a lot of research on Foxglove and where the original colours, logos etc came from. I think it will look stunning when Sally & Martyn have finished with her.

I don’t think anyone can truly appreciate the time and effort and craftsmanship that goes into re- painting a boat. It has been fantastic to see the progress each week. It really is fantastic.

Other good news is that we have found a new home for Foxglove when she has finished being painted. We have been at Aston Marina for just over 3 1/2 years now so it is time we discovered new canals and we can even go out on the rivers during weekends. I am really excited about our new mooring place as we will also have our own pontoon either side the boat which not only gives us more privacy but is also great for washing your boat down without turning it around. I can actually see us settling there for a long time as there are plenty of new canals and rivers to discover. Very excited.

We have utilised our weekend time whilst we are without Foxglove really well and found a good balance from going out and sorting out the house. Another 8 bags of rubbish have gone today. The house is starting to look a little bare but extremely clean. Just got to keep it that way. The amount of stuff we have started to hoard was unbelievable. With working all week and going over to the boat every weekend the house had been forgotten a little. Not anymore. I feel very motivated and excited about the new beginnings.

Had a lovely time with our Daughter Jessica this weekend and she went the theatre with Roy last night watch Blood Brothers. I went with Wish to pick them both up. Wish smelt like a walking air freshener as she went for a bath and groom yesterday. She looks adorable. Thanks Dee (Dirty Dogs, Dog Grooming) for an excellent job as always.

Must not forget to mention Brian and Matt from Midland Chandlers. Very helpful and friendly and no doubt we will be seeing a lot of them as they are based by our new moorings at Mercia Marina.

Two weeks to go until Foxglove is finished. Exciting times!

Well last night I worried myself silly over if I had chosen the right paint or not. This was because I was writing on the blog last night and kept looking at the colours in the photos. I woke up with a migraine this morning through worrying!! Stupid I know but there was only one thing for it……….phone Sally (Willow Boat painting) http://www.willowboats.co.uk/

We went over all the way back to Audlem today, got stuck in so much traffic it took us almost an hour and a half to get there, all to put my mind at rest.

We arrived to find Sally and Mike painting Foxglove…………just the primer though. I was amazed they had started it. They have done so much in less than a week.

Sally opened the tin of paint that we had chosen and it was perfect. Don’t know why I worried myself so much. Well I do, it was because seeing the colour on the internet via my phone and on the lap top  and basically every time I looked I just drove myself mad because the colours looked so different from that in real life. As soon as she opened the tin I just knew it was right. it was like an instant reaction. Tin open…..Yes………Perfect!!

At least it put my mind at rest. Still took half a dozen photos to take away with me 😉

She took outside a selection of the colours that are being used on Foxglove……….what do you think?

There is also a dark green, dark blue, pale blue, yellow and white also to go on the boat………….no we are not having a rainbow, but however these are all the colours that were already on Foxglove. You have to look hard to find them all.

The boat had finished being sanded and filled in where necessary and basically all prepared ready for the primer to go on. They had already started on the roof and whilst we there Mike started on the back panels of Foxglove. It was fascinating to watch.

I am glad I went back over just so I put my mind at rest. Sally was very understanding……..Took her a box of Roses Chocolates cause I know I am a pain the arse! best I say it cause I know I am 😉

First of all I must say a big thank you to a couple who met on our way to Audlem as they have taken lots of photos of Foxglove when she was taken out of water and into the paint shed. Many thanks Alan & Vivien, the photos are excellent!

These are some of the photos that were taken:

Sally Tooze (the painter) wrote to us during the week to tell us that Foxglove had been dismantled and stripped down ready for action!! She was not kidding. Her team has worked so hard it was unbelievable the progress that had been made.

Sally Tooze (Willow Boat Painting)

Foxglove looked amazing: She was back to bare metal with the help of “Two Male Strippers” Neil & Mike. They have done an amazing job. Most of the paint was off and sanded. All the rivets have had to be sanded by hand and there are lots of them. It really made us appreciate the hard work that goes into the preparation of the re-paint.

All the portholes had been taken out, Houdini hatches removed, there were parts of Foxglove all laid out everywhere. Sally had taken great care to seal all the openings to the boat so that nothing inside would get in a mess. Foxglove looked amazing. Very industrial looking.

We then had a look at a few paint colours. Apparently there are 50 shades of grey??? Isn’t that a name of a book? Sally could tell by the look on my face that the grey was not doing anything for me. Uninspiring was a good word. She opened up a few tins of red paint. I chose one instantly, then discussed with Roy ( who is colour blind) no help what so ever!! Then after discussing it with a couple of other people we ended up choosing this particular red that was my first choice. They always say go with your gut instinct. It is such a massive decision to make because if a colour is wrong it is going to be a disaster. I can tell you that 2 colour reds have been chosen, where I cannot say yet. I really hope they are the correct shades. So hard to tell.

All the paintwork below the gunwales is going to be black bitumen with no gloss paint.
This is how Foxglove was originally done. There are rivets all the way round the boat on the part that is going to be black and we asked Sally if she can paint every rivet white. There must be at least a 300 rivets to paint which are about an inch in diameter each. Sally was very polite and said o.k we can do that. Much to her relief we were only kidding her!! We are not having every rivet painted white, they will be red………still joking!!!

The cratch cover has been sent away to be fixed as there was a big rip in it. Actually it had been cut by the previous owner for easier access!!!! Mad!!

We discussed a few other things that needed to be done and then left Sally in peace to carry on. It was very exciting to see Foxglove in the condition she was in and to also really appreciate the hard work that is going into her.

I came away though worried sick in case I have chosen the wrong colours. All the colours looked so different in different light, when stirred, inside, outside in the light……..it was very confusing. One of the things you have to consider is when the paint should eventually fade. Some reds fade to pink, dark reds can go brown or maroon…….it’s a costly mistake if we get the colour wrong. I will never know until I actually see it on Foxglove. Scary!

We will be visiting again next weekend. I wonder what she will look like then.

Scary word is that dismantling. That is currently what is being done to Foxglove. She was taken out of the water on Tuesday, which 2 kind people are sending me the photos of (Thanks Vivian & Alan) and then put undercover ready for the huge job ahead of her.

Portholes will all be taken out, doors taken off, all the mushrooms and air vents and Houdini hatches removed……..you name it anything removable will be removed. OMG!!

We are going over on Saturday to see the progress, by then all the paint will have been removed. I think we will be in for a shock. The start of next week will be the exciting part when paint starts to get put on. I can’t wait!!! Exciting exciting.

We are also checking on the colours that have been chosen……..are they the same or have we chose totally different? What do you think? There might be a few surprises.

I am like a big kid at Christmas time………can’t wait for the big day. In our case it will be 28th May.

Keep watching!!

No there wasn’t lions, hyenas or warthogs but there was the sunset.

Everytime I see a sun set like the one tonight I break into the song from the Lion King which i can’t even tell what the words are……sounds something like….Mines a Kenya…..had a deetchee a bar……. 🙂 How many of you have just tried to sing to that?? Go on…own up! The song I mean is the African Chant at the beginning of the musical/DVD.

Had a very relaxing day today. Rob our joiner came this morning to go through some of the jobs that need doing on Foxglove ready for Sally (Willow Boat Painting) to do her job and also a few extra jobs that need to be done whilst we haven’t got the boat.

We have gone past Overwater Marina today so we could have a cruise along the canals to see what they are like. We are moored at a beautiful place this afternoon where there are even picnic benches lined out along the tow path. Unfortunately it was a little bit too cold to eat outside and there has been a few showers today also. Luckily we moored up on time before they started, although there were a few moans from Roy as he got caught by a few hailstones……he said they hurt?? What a wimp!!

As we moored up before lunch time today we have had a chance to really relax and I have managed to start my cross stitch. I opened it up and the pattern is across 3 separate A4 pages……oh dear…..or words to that effect is what I said……I thought perhaps I had chosen something too big to start but I got the needle out and chose the first colour thread to use and off I started. Had a couple of hours doing that today and I have had least made a start.

Wish has walked so much this week she has loved it. It has been great watching her getting on and off at the locks and being so free and just getting involved. She is such a loyal dog I love her lots.

Well tomorrow we will have our last cruise for just over 4 weeks as we will be saying goodbye to Foxglove as she will be left at Overwater Marina for her new coat of paint.

It will be left in the capable hands of Sally Tooze (Willow Boat Painting), Martyn King (Vimart Signwriting) and Rob Shone ( Joiner).

I am feeling very nervous about the whole thing now as we are putting a lot of money into Foxglove for the new transformation. Foxglove is a fantastic boat and I hope that she is restored back to her original beauty. We will be making regular visits over to the marina so we can capture everything on camera.

Thanks to everyone who has kept viewing the blog and who are also excited about seeing Foxglove with her new coat of paint. We promise to keep you all updated.