Java

Java

Jakarta

This is where I flew into. This is where I spent a few days.

Not a lot to recommend it.

Hotel was alright, comfortable. The rest was pretty boring. Even though 1 day was a national holiday, 4 days was more than enough to see it all.

Still, I didn’t come here to look at the cities. Glad to get out.

Here’s a breakdown of some costs:

  • Accommodation: £172 – 4 days
  • Food & meals: £8-12 day. Decent restaurants.
  • Beer: £3-5 a bottle.
  • Travel: £4 for 4 days bus travel
  • Onward travel: £42 flight to Bali.
  • Cinema ticket: £1.32.
  • Airport bus: £3.80.
  • Airport taxi: £16.

All bus travel is cashless, apart from the airport bus, which is 20% the cost of a taxi and takes the same time.

Buses run across the city.

Oxfordshire to Indonesia

Oxfordshire to Indonesia

Quick change of scenery. 28 hours door to door.

  • Car – Souldern to Oxford Parkway 40m
  • Train/Underground – Oxford Parkway to Terminal 4 Heathrow 3hrs
  • Flight – London to Jakarta 22hrs
    • Visa and Taxi To Hotel – 2hrs

Feeling a bit lagged now on day 2. Hence I’m writing the blog so I don’t have to go anywhere.

I’m going to do an installation for each stop rather than do one every day. I’ve got another 2 days here in Jakarta.

Here’s some pics from the travel.

luxury lounge - Jeddah airport
luxury lounge – Jeddah airport
Queuing for visa on arrival - Jakarta
Queuing for visa on arrival – Jakarta. Costing about £20 for 30 days. Queue took about 1 hour and ½. Very boring.
Art hotel - Jakarta
Arthotel. Jakarta.
Bathroom - Arthotel
Bathroom – Arthotel
Spiceball park, Cropredy and beyond

Spiceball park, Cropredy and beyond

As June draws near, Bonnie needs to travel North.

This year, she’s going in for blacking. The last time I had this done was July 2022. Getting on for 3 years ago.

As I look at the hull, it looks kind of weedy…. The anodes, which prevent the hull from rusting are getting low, which is of more concern.

Hull blacking

Fitting Anodes at Calcutt Boats

Supposed to be every 2 years. I guess that’s a good timeframe.

Bonnie will be lifted out of the water, jetwashed and re-painted with bitumen paint.

They’ll put some more of these on….

It will take a week for which I won’t be allowed to stay on Bonnie due to insurance obligations.

Some boatyards do let you stay on your boat whilst it’s being blacked, although they may get you to sign an insurance disclaimer.

This time they won’t, so I will be leaving Bonnie and doing a bit of travelling around and about the country.

Weekend in Spiceball Park

Thought I’d spend Saturday and Sunday in the middle of Banbury, enjoy the bright lights.

Getting up there was more difficult

Blockage at Grant’s Lock

The first lock you reach between Twyford and Banbury is called ‘Grant’s Lock‘. It’s a deep lock. Maybe 20 ft deep. One of the features of Grant’s Lock is that it often gets debris stuck behind it’s rather tall gate.

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Springtime in the Cotswolds

Springtime in the Cotswolds

Or close to.

The weather is warm, the sun is shining. Spring has sprung. Birds are on the wing.

I even spotted a pair of these very close to the canal.

It’s an Egyptian goose. Initially, I asked Gemini ai what it was. I described it pretty clearly, cream brown body, dark brown wings. Brown ring around the eye. 1st answer from our trusty ai helper…. “It sounds like you might have seen a female mallard. They’re pretty common ducks, and the females have that mottled brown plumage you described. Is that a possibility?“. Obliviously not a mallard, I said, much larger than that. Have another go… “Barnacle goose” says ai. Again, a pretty dumb suggestion. A barnacle goose is black.

Ai bird identification skills 0/10. AI really hallucinating pretty hard on this one.

Like the black swan I spotted in Cropredy, initially they were kept as domestic pets on ornamental lakes, non native and non breeding. As the climate has changed, black swans and Egyptian geese have spread their wings, as it were, and taken to the UK countryside

Also heard a Cuckoo. It was in the tree behind the boat coo cooing until the crows came and chased it off.

Boat painting

With the improved weather conditions, I’ve had time to be given over to carrying out some boat renovations. Namely painting the roof.

Over the course of the last 8 years or so since it was last painting, it’s seen a little weather damage and the appearance of rust welts around the mushrooms.

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Up the Aynho

Up the Aynho

Wharf area now.

The mobile signal has improved since my last visit and I can actually access the internet and do things I do normally.

Last time, it was abysmal https://www.michaeltyler.co.uk/somerton-and-9-hours-in-aynho/

Mooring at Aynho Wharf
Facing south mooring at Aynho Wharf

Boat work

The weather has improved slightly, to the point I can think about doing jobs like painting the cabin.

This has been needing some attention for years, literally. Due to the inclement nature of the UK weather, it’s very difficult to put time aside to do it as the weather may change at any time and render your planning useless.

Fortunately, I have no work at the moment and I plan to do nothing, for the moment. That is apart from do those jobs that require that you have nothing to do of which is paint is one.

I’ve done some of the preparation on the side panel. Sanded it down, primed and undercoated it. It needs it to be a) Not windy. b) Not raining c) Not going to rain, for me to be able to put on the topcoat.

Over the coming days, there’s no doubt I will achieve this.

Victron Smartsolar

On installing the Lifepo4 batteries and encountering some teething errors with the Battery Management Systems on the Fogstar‘s, I’ve found out that Lifepo‘s and Peak Wave Modulator solar controllers don’t mix.

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Pig Place – The shop is ***CLOSED***

Pig Place – The shop is ***CLOSED***

As you can see from the above picture, torrents of water have widened, depended and scoured the edges of the mill stream in which the duck is sitting.

Well at least it was at the time of writing this (Mid April).

I read on their website that the wetness circumstances were causing them trouble. Eventually, they gave up and closed the place down.

Here’s my boat.

Bonnie at pigplace
Bonnie at Pig Place

Pigs down the river

The pigs have all gone.

As the weather improves, I expect they’ll open up again soon. Word is the pigs won’t be there. Circumstances have changed with regards to their supply chain meaning they would have to drive a lot further to slaughter. To Buckinghamshire which kind of takes away the ‘local’ aspect to the business.

What happens to the diner and shop, which used to stock some of their piggy products? Who knows.

You’ll have to watch this space. But for now, the Pig Place is closed.

Job – Over

Now I’m officially unemployed. My employment has finished. I was made redundant on Friday 11th April.

There were no alternative roles offered.

I’m going to take a holiday and think what to do next.

In the mean-time

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‘That Lot’ David Bowie tribute Video

‘That Lot’ David Bowie tribute Video

Name the performers and songs in ‘That lot’s David Bowie tribute video

Social media Guru’s that lot, have produced this for the Brit Awards tonight.

The song is titled ‘Let’s Dance’ and the video speaks for itself.

Lady Gaga

Let’s see if you can name the performers in the video, 1 – 78.

I’ve done most of them, feel free to fill in the gaps.->

  1. David Bowie
  2. Destiny’s Child
  3. Pharell Williams
  4. Taylor Swift
  5. Christopher Walken
  6. Rhianna
  7. Lady Gaga
  8. ?
  9. ?
  10. JLS?
  11. The Police
  12. ?
  13. Bros
  14. ?
  15. Sean Paul
  16. Kate Bush
  17. Beck
  18. Risk Astley
  19. Adam Ant
  20. Salt and Peppa
  21. New Order
  22. Shakira
  23. Queen
  24. MC Hammer
  25. One Direction
  26. Frankie Goes to Hollywood
  27. Sugar Babes
  28. The Boss
  29. Erasure
  30. ?
  31. Kalise
  32. ?
  33. The Prodigy
  34. Justin Timberlake
  35. Brittany Spears
  36. The Spice Girls
  37. Alanis Morrisette
  38. ?
  39. The Bangles
  40. ?
  41. Michael Jackson
  42. REM
  43. Liberty X
  44. Kaiser Chiefs
  45. Robbie Williams
  46. Florence
  47. Wham
  48. George Michael
  49. Kylie Minogue
  50. Alicia Keys
  51. Tom Jones
  52. Maddona
  53. The Beatles
  54. Take That
  55. ?
  56. Dexy’s Midnight Runners
  57. Kattie Perry
  58. ?
  59. Eurythmics
  60. Simon and Garfunkel
  61. ?
  62. Justin Beiber
  63. Busted
  64. ?
  65. Pink
  66. ?
  67. Terrance Trent Derby
  68. Ellie Goulding
  69. Prince
  70. ?
  71. Betty Boo
  72. ?
  73. Destiny’s Child
  74. ?
  75. The Housemartins
  76. Nelly Furtado
  77. David Bowie