Delays, delays

Running a complex conservation project can be quite a challenge. Fund raising is the most obvious headache; it isn't possible in advance to identify everything you'll need to spend money on, nor indeed how much. As many people know, embarking on such a venture is a bit like starting to swim without knowing where land is.

Another difficulty is dealing with delays and minor set-backs. In the end they don't amount to much but it can be very hard to put up with them nonetheless. At the moment we are suffering a significant delay to our programme due to the slow conveyancing of the new building into which Peggy will be installed for conservation. Conveyancing is the legal process of passing a building from seller to buyer.

As a result of the delays in conveyancing, we will have to take evasive action on site to protect Peggy from the predicted high tides in January and February 2015. Fortunately, since the museum is closed to the public at the moment, we can install as many unsightly flood defences we want. Also, because we have excavated the dock outside the cellar, we can now ensure the cellar threshold is properly sealed.

We have no choice but to sit out the Spring tides. If we can, we will try to get Peggy out in February, but our January window is now firmly shut.