I have arranged to go to see our friend (the one who is battling Crohn’s Disease and the aftermath of cancer) to help her organise her diet and supplements regime – it’s quite complicated when you have to avoid certain combinations of foods, but we eventually come up with with a daily diary that she can print out and work her way through, thus ensuring she doesn’t forget to take anything, (or take something twice).
I drive over to Wayford Bridge to have a go at sorting out the bilge pump problem on our boat, assuming that the engineer hasn’t turned up in the meantime and fixed it (he hasn’t!). I spend a couple of hours on my hands and knees, up to my elbows in oily bilge water, trying to find out why the bilge pump isn’t working, and eventually come to the conclusion that the pump has burnt out. I acquire a replacement pump from my brother (who just happens to have a spare one on his boat) wire it up and test it (successfully). I’m still not happy with the float switch (a device that turns the pump on when the level of bilge water reaches a certain point) because it seems a little temperamental, so I’ll order a replacement to fit next week. I return the portable bilge pump that I borrowed from Bank Boats, and cancel the engineer – that’s saved me a few quid, even if I am tired and aching. I seem to have aggravated my sciatica through my boat repairing contortions, and I spend the drive back home in moderate agony. I have some cannabis to alleviate the pain when I get through the front door, and a good soak in a hot bath helps, too.