THE COAT HANGER SOLUTION

 It was time to leave Llangollen this afternoon after a leisurely morning doing last minute things, like watching whitewater rafters falling off in the rapids, and finally having a drink at the Corn Mill, now a bar and restaurant but originally a water mill used by the Cisterian monks of Crucis Abbey, dating from the 13th century.




But, back to business: What do a hammer and a coat hanger have in common? This one’s for you Rob!

When the hammer accidentally drops into the canal right on dusk, and no amount of fishing around with the boathook has any success, it’s time to bring out the big guns. Rob always laughs about Peter using a coat hanger to mend a broken accelerator cable on his Kombie van, back in the seventies, among many other fixes.


Today, all that coat hanger experience came in handy when the mallet went flying straight into the canal while hammering in a mooring stake on the canal side. It was getting dark, we were all a bit tired, and that was not at all expected. The boys could see the hammer in the murky depths, thanks to its bright yellow handle, but couldn’t manage to hook it enough to bring it to the surface. 


Peter to the rescue! He sacrificed one of our precious coat hangers, bent it into the appropriate shape, and taped it to the pole of the boat hook. Only a few minutes of trying, and up came the hammer. Definitely a win, because we didn’t have another hammer or any other way to drive in the mooring stakes. 




So, all’s well that ends well and we celebrated with a drink on the stern deck. Cheers!



Comments

  1. EmmyOctober 6, 2025 at 9:03 AM

    Well done Peter!!! Victory :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Europe Trip 2025October 8, 2025 at 6:38 PM

    I know! We saw someone with a strong magnet fishing a metal chimney cowl out of the canal. It seems to have been dislodged by a low bridge. Stuff happens.

    ReplyDelete

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