Boats And Screens

By Gerry Emson

Originally published in EUG #24

I hope you and readers enjoy the opening EUG screens that I have submitted with this letter. They are all in BASIC or adapted/stolen/corrupted from elsewhere, but I'm sure they do not infringe any copyrights!

Although I have spent a lot of time adjusting this line or that line, I am in no way good at programming. It's been a lot of fun but I wouldn't like to try anything more complicated than playing about with other people's programs.

My envelope label sports the code 5D1. Does this mean I am about due to pay you some more groats and sheckles!

Last week, I bought a basic Electron for £2.00 from a Car Boot Sale! Is this a record? It does work. All the disk work was done on it. Of course, I fixed my Acorn Plus 1, etc to the back! I also recently bought a BBC Cumana Disk drive 40/80, a 14" colour monitor and ten disks full of games all in perfect working order for £30.00. I hadn't the heart to haggle!

I'm currently in the middle of re-flooring the Narrowboat and also fitting a solid fuel store. It involves a lot of internal changes. During the cold spell over Christmas, the local agricultural college recorded a temperature of Minus 15 degrees C and we have some icing problems causing burst pipe joints and damage to the water pump. The pump is required to pressurise the system and works on a micro-switch operating by internal diaphragm. When the water in the pump froze, it damaged the pump and caused it to keep pumping despite the taps being turned off. A new pump is well over £60.00 so I had a go at fixing it! I saved myself the cost of the new pump by replacing just one spring and using some Araldite Glue! Took me two whole days; taking it to bits and putting it back together again! Such is life.

I can't think of anything else to bore you with now so best wishes for 1996 to all and sundry and especially you and yours. Keep up the good work on the EUG magazine...it's really appreciated. (Oh, and thanks to everyone who replied to my previous requests for help!)

Gerry Emson

Gerry's screens are great! Unfortunately, everyone else will need to wait to see them but they make a pleasant change for my monotonous efforts.

Keep us informed about your Narrowboat adventures. Us land lubbers will just need to read them and weep.

Gus Donnachaidh, EUG #24