Money for old batteries; the Navigation Inn's interesting taps

On the last night of our six month cruise we went to the Navigation Inn next to the marina for a slap-up meal drink.

It was very quiet in there, apart from the slightly too noisy kitchen extractor fan (or was it the air conditioning?). Well, it was a Monday night. The kitchen is in full view of the dining area and there were some delicious smells, even though they had stopped serving food. According to the website the general manager is Rod Stewart (probably not that Rod Stewart) and I'm sure I read somewhere that there are 30 staff. When we passed by earlier it was buzzing. In a short space of time it seems to have gained a very good reputation for quality food - we might treat ourselves to an actual meal some time!

After spending £1.5 million on the rebuild perhaps they ran out of money for the taps in the loos.

They could at least have polished the copper.

Stop cocks are not really designed for everyday operation; the cold one is difficult to grip, especially with a wet and slightly soapy hand.

(Photos by Jan)

Now we are at home and getting on with a few (non-boat) jobs. Today I rounded up some old car batteries (and three old boat batteries) and weighed them in at the local scrap metal dealer. The first surprise was at the number of old batteries I had accumulated (pun intended): 11, weighing very nearly a fifth of a tonne. The second, bigger, surprise was how much they were worth. £78! That's more than seven quid per defunct battery! Who knew? I'm now (slightly) regretting leaving behind at the chandler's the four old batteries when we bought new ones this year. Would I have wanted to cart them around with us the whole cruise and then put them in the car to take home, though? Probably not.