Big spenders

Stove Project: Day 5
We begin the day by ringing around to find a gasfitter and after a few tries have an appointment made for lunchtime Wednesday. Then we discuss where to place the gas alarm and solenoid safety switch. The logical place seems to be near the plate rack, to the right of the stove, where the alarm can be set into a panel. Next we decide to unscrew that panel to check that there is room behind it. As it turns out, removal of this panel necessitates removal of the plate rack, the cup rack, the sliding doors on the pantry cupboard. Since we are going to need access to the pantry cupboard anyway as the gas line will come through it, we take everything out including the shelf. We also remove the panel above the stove. All of this uncovers all kinds of grot and sooty surfaces, so there is much cleaning to be done.
About lunchtime we take a break from scrubbing, head down Tedder Street for food and to catch the bus to Bias Boating chandlery. Found a taxi before the bus, so arrive there promptly, buy the gas alarm and find we can get a brand-new-in-box Force 10 stove direct from the agent today if we go and pick it up ourselves.
Walk from the chandlery to Southern Stainless, where we buy two stainless steel gas bottles and another mounting bracket. Book a maxi taxi, load ourselves and the gas bottles into it, and head to Ocean Solutions, the agents for the stove. Collect the stove, heave it into the taxi and head back to the marina. (Very happy taxi driver.) Load our purchases into a trolley and, with great care, shift them aboard Nahani. We then carefully demount the old kero stove, and heave it up the companionway into the cockpit. Very carefully lower the new stove down the companionway and remove it from its box. Clean the stainless steel surrounds of the stove area frantically, then put the new stove in place. We just have time for a calming drink before the mate heads off in a taxi for Coolangatta airport to catch a plane back to Melbourne.