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04/02/20 Tues.  It took us two hours to check out this morning - I swear those offices are drowning under a sea of paperwork!!  Leaving at 0945 meant we had missed the ebb tide, but fortunately it was still slack water as we exited the channel and made our way towards Labuan.

05/02/20 Weds.  Checked in this morning - the on duty Immigration Officer was a bit 'jobs worth' and said Ana would have to return to the Philippines after her month here was up......we will have to see about that!

06/02/20 Thurs.  Booked two nights in our usual hotel in KK for Monday and Tuesday, on yet another trip there with the faulty laptop. I have tried several times to buy another here in Labuan but the so called shop has told me each time that they have no stock, only a display model.  Not sure why they stay open if they have nothing to sell, but that's Asia for you.  Another strange Asian thing is the ATM's, I tried to draw out 2000 ringgit yesterday at HSBC Bank, the machine told me I could only have 1500 maximum, so I keyed in that sum only for the machine to say I could only have 1350.  With that I went to Maybank ATM, keyed in the figure 2000 and that machine said I could only draw notes in multiples of 50!  It let me have 1500, but why not 2000?

14/02/20 Fri. We spent two days in KK and went into the process of bringing a complaint against the computer shop which sold me the Acer.  It's a long winded, difficult procedure!  We went to the TTPM address (Tribunal) but it had moved, taxi right across town to the new office, explained the situation and was told we had to go to the Malaysian Companies Commission (back on the other side of town!) and get a Company Profile of the shop from them.  Also 3 copies of same, receipts, invoices etc., etc., then back to TTPM to fill in the forms there AND to return on the 8th March for the hearing.  I decided that on balance it was hardly worth the effort, so I had the shop re-install Windows, bought another laptop from IMAGO and enjoyed the rest of our time in KK.  Hopefully, both the new and reformatted laptops will now run smoothly!!

15/02/20 Sat.  With some time to spare, along with some cordage, we decided to have a snakes wedding and try our hand at a long Turks Head on the steering pedestal!

For the technically minded - it's a 21 lead, 4 bight, long Turks Head.

 

20/02/20  Thurs.  A couple of days trying to sort out laptop programmes!

21/02/20  Fri.  Onto the next problem!  The cooker onboard is becoming troublesome, the two burner cap securing screws are no longer fixed to anything as the mountings have rusted away.  Also, the oven burner is becoming increasingly difficult to light.  I can't really complain about the trouble free service it's given me over the last 15 years!  However, finding a replacement is not easy.  The current one is a SMEV 0333FGT which is no longer made and the company have been taken over by Dometic and they don't have a model which is a direct replacement.  I don't want to take the galley area apart and rebuild around a new size cooker as hardwoods, marine plywood and laminates are hard to come by in Labuan, nor do I  have the right tools onboard for such a task.  Other cooker models are all of a different size with the exception of a Force 10 Euro Standard - that is close to the present dimensions but reviews on various forums are not encouraging and I am reluctant to spend £1500 or thereabouts on something that will breakdown in a few months!

23/02/20 Sun. Today's problem.......we seem to be getting one after the other!  The shower tray drain pump has been smelling a little, or at least the pipework from it has.  This morning I went to close the seacock from it so that I could fill the tray with vinegar and pump it through.  The handle of the seacock fell off!  The valve stem is corroded away and needs to be replaced as soon as possible but it's Sunday and the hardware stores will be shut.  I cannot take off the old one today as the outlet is just below the waterline, so that will be tomorrow taken care of!

24/02/20 Mon.  OK, seacock replacement job done!

26/02/20 Weds.  Removed the heads sink today, changed hose clamps, cleaned and re-sealed the surrounds.  Spent several frustrating hours online researching and looking for suitable cooker replacements, it seems that every cooker has more con's than pro's and that buying one is really pot-luck.

29/02/20  Sat.  Don't often get a chance to write on this date - so Happy Birthday all you Leap Year guys 'n gals.  Spent the day making long Turks Heads again, just 2 bight ones this time to cover the sprayhood grab rail.  It was covered with leather which has now become old and brittle giving me cause to cut some off over the years.  Bare stainless gets hot in the sun, so we decided to cover the important areas with 10 x 2 bight Turks Heads. 5 down, 5 to go!

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