Couldn't resist starting to dismantle the L-shaped sink unit, so moved the sink to the left hand side of the cooker, and acquired another big pile of spare wood in the process. I was right about the feel - it's so much more spacious, and great to have floor in the middle of the boat rather than an obstacle course. In due course the stove will move to a slightly decreased gap between cooker & sofa, in an appropriate tiled surround, hence allowing a new bench/bed on the other side too (although I have ideas for that, too - a removeable centre section for when the upper bunk is in desk mode would also give extra floorspace if removed completely). Didn't tidy up for the photo, hence the junk on the table; floor space recovered is shown by the bits without floor tiles. This will be a relatively temporary setup, but it feels right to try out the intended permanent layout for the kitchen before putting a lot of work in, and it being unuseable in some way. I'm compromising on preparation space, but that's more about self discipline and storage for other stuff...

The sink hasn't been completely plumbed back in again - I'll need to buy a couple of fittings from somewhere first. Anyone know how to take apart push-together plumbing fittings? The boat is riddled with them. I also replaced the squeaky horn with a car replacement one that has a much butcher honk; I'm still looking out for a bell I can use to warn people at the front of the boat that I'm going to use the horn (or just to ask for a cup of tea). ;-)

The boat is currently at the west end of the moorings, close to the station but a long way from the main building (and toilet emptying point). It's also close to a noisy road, which I'll get used to, I'm sure. However out on the back deck yesterday, I spotted a couple of familiar faces from work on the opposite bank - guys from the mecahnical workshop at work. Turns out that BBC OBs - and our workshop - are all moving to the industrial estate adjacent to the moorings. And here's me trying to get away from work...