More Stuff

We have had a flurry of sourcing a number of bits and pieces, all using the internet. As we have found before, the current systems in place with the principal parcel companies is generally very impressive and they generally arrive in the window quoted. The better systems even allow you to follow the vehicle as it wends its way - not physically of course but in terms of how far it has got through its daily schedule.

The latest list includes:

An HP monitor in place of a conventional television. The plan is that we will use it with the external dish which has served us well for several years (along with its similar predecessor until it was damaged in the wind). We also checked out its operation with the laptop as a DVD player or, if we can afford the data usage, online streaming.

The build contract only provides for a single Thetford toilet cassette but we know from past experience that although we can usually find enough disposal points for daily use, there are times when the cassette is full before we find somewhere. When you need a second cassette, you really do need it!

Of course, Thetford do sell additional cassettes but all that we could readily find at the moment is there 'refresher kit' which includes as new seat as well as some cleaning fluids, along with the cassette. At this stage, with as yet no usage at all, we did not want the extra items and eventually tracked down what indicated on the web site as just being the cassette. At a few pounds less than most places were demanding it was consistent. However, when it arrived, lo and behold, it is the standard refresher kit! So much for an attempt at not being wasteful!

We only had one or two assorted wine glasses left from our previous boat. We quite like to have small glasses (around 180 ml) as they encourage a lower level of consumption for everyday dinners! However, these are not easy to find - the fashion does seem to be for larger capacity (at least 250 ml and often very much more) but also longer stems which mean  that they are more likely to fall off their shelf when we have a strong encounter with a lock side (or whatever!).

We had been looking for a while and eventually found some (190 ml - near enough) from a catering site. They were also very moderately priced so a box of 12 was considerably less than just four from most stores.

A second waste bin has also been obtained - Phil did assure us that he hoped to fit in two under the rear steps - and Christine also treated us to a larger pack of bin liners of the proper shape and size.