We're in!............Just.

Well, what can we say......Yet another very hectic week for Mr and Mrs Conroy.
Monday,
I went to work for the very last time and was given a very good send off and a very good speech by my Boss. I did think the BUPA voucher was a bit over the top though.....Home at lunch time to pack the rest of our stuff and then Suzie and I travelled up to The Heart of England in Weedon where Michelle and all her staff have looked after us so well over the last few months so we can be ready for the BIG DAY.

Tuesday,
The BIG DAY arrived and what about the weather eh? 15 degC and not a cloud in the sky, was this the start of the summer? Talk about the sun shinning on the righteous Suzie and I felt sooooooo good all the months of planning was about to be put into the water. The crane was booked for 2pm so we had a good walk along the Grand Union at Weedon telling anybody who cared to listen what was about to happen "we're having our boat put in the water" Suzie would shout to any passing boater! we then drove to Milburn's as I couldn't wait but then a real heart attack moment.......my Cousin Lou Brown and her hubby Tony only turned up with my Mum to witness the launch (I love you guys for that).....The crane arrived and then before we knew it was all done Swamp Frogs was now in the water and looking good..... Sadly we had to leave soon after as Suzie had a hospital appointment which couldn't be changed in Southampton.

Slowly does it.......

Just about fits

Off we go.....

......of course it does Andy Milburn looks on,
 what a proud moment it is for all the team at
Milburn's. Thank you guys so much.

This is the proud mother.

Wednesday,

Was spent at the hospital where Suzie had to have a Capsual Endoscopy which meant her having to swallow a huge tablet with a camera in it which bluetooths the pictures to a monitor she was wired up to.....how space age is this eh?

The camera that Suzie had
to swallow.....was it second
hand?
this is the question I'd ask!

 It was then back at Gary Dyer's house (not our home as Swamp Frogs is our home now) Gary arrived to say cheerio and, once again Gary,....thank you so much for the loan of your house. All day we were pacing up and down like 2 expecting parents waiting for the birth of their first child...ready for their live's to change forever... only for the midwife to say "sorry another 24 hrs to wait" SO FRUSTRATING!

Thursday,

That's it then......after a broken nights sleep we set off at 6am hoping to have breakfast with my Daughter Claire, hubby Dan, Grandchildren Jacob and Ellie May who live 2 hrs away....little did we know it would take 4 hrs to get there because of traffic! Another reason to live on "the cut" time has no meaning. We spent an hour with Claire and Ellie May who has grown so much and now has teeth!

Up to Swamp Frogs to start unpacking, every live aboard boater we have met has said "keep some boxes back for stuff you have bought and don't need" or "be prepared to unpack then dump another load of stuff as the boat fills up"........they are both true, so it's back and forwards to the bin I go!

Friday,

We need Diesel........oo-er......we now have to move the boat albeit 50 yards but it was done with no mishaps thank god.....is there a Patron Saint for Narrow Boaters because maybe we'll need one?? other than that more unpacking, more cleaning and more trips to the bins.....we decide that we have put enough rubbish in the bins and now start to fill the car!

Saturday,

Off to Tesco's, now, ordinarily this is the only time where Suzie and I fall out .....we both hate shopping you see but somehow this was different. Was it because we arrived at 06:15 and the shop was empty? or was it because we have a new lifestyle? who knows.....what we do know is that we didn't fall out or have a cross word.....how good was that!

Sunday,

 Spent the day mooching about doing all the little jobs that needed to be done and Suzie spent the day cleaning.....anybody that knows Suzie will know what that entailed......yep hours and hours of cleaning ensuring every nook and cranny was dust and dirt free! We have also booked our helmsman's course so we can have the all important Royal Yachting Association Inland Waterways Certificate.

There you go a week of running around doing plenty but going nowhere.......It's going to be another 2 weeks before we set of on our travels for real so until then we'll be staying here at Stockton Top Marina.....

Since our last blog we have done 100yds and no locks!