Monday, 12 May 2008
Aparagus and Electrics
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Snork Maiden
Le Depot
After a good start, the day went a bit downhill. Al stressed and grumpy on the phone, plagued by a list of unreasonable requests from me and badly behaved email. I haven’t been receiving any because when Al turned my computer on, Entourage gobbled it all up off the server; he’s used to Mail which apparently doesn’t. He’s now heroically attempting to pick out my personal emails and forward them to me.
All this has happened because we decided that I would take my old 12” so as not to put the newer, bigger one at risk. But the envisioned seamless transfer of Entourage from one machine to another didn’t quite happen that way, probably because the old one has OSX 10.3 and the newer one 10.4. This bears out the feeling that computer companies don’t really give a stuff about the end user, so long as the boxes keep walking of the shelves. (I hear you PC users sniggering but I have heard that you have your problems to with XP and whatever followed it.)
Anyway, more importantly, I have 2 outstanding boat problems – motor and electrics. The good news is that the engine is probably fine – just needs filter and oil change, but I am not sure whether Dominique, the yard proprietor, has done any of this already. It’s only a couple of hours work for me – less for him, so that’s OK. The electrics problem is not affecting the engine. It is affecting everything else, though. I have the panel pulled out and have had a look at the connections, but can’t see anything obvious. I have tried the meter and the needle remains unmoved by electric voltage or my distress. I have a phone number for a French electrician. I’ll try him in the morning. He will be busy; it’s that time of year. If I do locate him, he could fit our Navtex as well. (So we can pick up weather forecasts at sea.)
Tomorrow I will dry the bilges out (oh joy) and maybe work on the assumption that the oil change hasn’t been done. I think all the spares are still intact.
Jenny is listening to ‘His Dark Materials’ from a disc of MP3s. Determined to frustrate, the iTunes refuses to import any other way than one at a time. Also listening to Guardian Podcasts. I am aware that our frustrations are vanishingly small compared with what is happening in Burma, the hungry parts of the world and the UK where the Government seems to be running in with the judges over exporting people to be tortured. Seems that some are more equal than others. Sorry to be on a downer. I am grateful to be me. About to get into my very cosy bunk – maybe with a cup of tea.
I biked down to the sluices this evening. Some are working and some are old and disused. There was a creepy one where the water rushes through from the marshes; the sluice gates creaked and moved slightly and the iron walkway looked like it could give way at any time. The whole of this area is artificially drained. Hope there are no Tsunamis.
For those of you who like asparagus, it was yummy. Grown by the chap who sold it and irregular sizes - not a bit like the supermarket sort. Ate it with mayo and will search for some more tomorrow. There's a sweet little market hall but sadly, less than half full with a supermarket wither end of town.
And the electrics are all better too.
Snork Maiden
Le Depot
After a good start, the day went a bit downhill. Al stressed and grumpy on the phone, plagued by a list of unreasonable requests from me and badly behaved email. I haven’t been receiving any because when Al turned my computer on, Entourage gobbled it all up off the server; he’s used to Mail which apparently doesn’t. He’s now heroically attempting to pick out my personal emails and forward them to me.
All this has happened because we decided that I would take my old 12” so as not to put the newer, bigger one at risk. But the envisioned seamless transfer of Entourage from one machine to another didn’t quite happen that way, probably because the old one has OSX 10.3 and the newer one 10.4. This bears out the feeling that computer companies don’t really give a stuff about the end user, so long as the boxes keep walking of the shelves. (I hear you PC users sniggering but I have heard that you have your problems to with XP and whatever followed it.)
Anyway, more importantly, I have 2 outstanding boat problems – motor and electrics. The good news is that the engine is probably fine – just needs filter and oil change, but I am not sure whether Dominique, the yard proprietor, has done any of this already. It’s only a couple of hours work for me – less for him, so that’s OK. The electrics problem is not affecting the engine. It is affecting everything else, though. I have the panel pulled out and have had a look at the connections, but can’t see anything obvious. I have tried the meter and the needle remains unmoved by electric voltage or my distress. I have a phone number for a French electrician. I’ll try him in the morning. He will be busy; it’s that time of year. If I do locate him, he could fit our Navtex as well. (So we can pick up weather forecasts at sea.)
Tomorrow I will dry the bilges out (oh joy) and maybe work on the assumption that the oil change hasn’t been done. I think all the spares are still intact.
Jenny is listening to ‘His Dark Materials’ from a disc of MP3s. Determined to frustrate, the iTunes refuses to import any other way than one at a time. Also listening to Guardian Podcasts. I am aware that our frustrations are vanishingly small compared with what is happening in Burma, the hungry parts of the world and the UK where the Government seems to be running in with the judges over exporting people to be tortured. Seems that some are more equal than others. Sorry to be on a downer. I am grateful to be me. About to get into my very cosy bunk – maybe with a cup of tea.
I biked down to the sluices this evening. Some are working and some are old and disused. There was a creepy one where the water rushes through from the marshes; the sluice gates creaked and moved slightly and the iron walkway looked like it could give way at any time. The whole of this area is artificially drained. Hope there are no Tsunamis.
For those of you who like asparagus, it was yummy. Grown by the chap who sold it and irregular sizes - not a bit like the supermarket sort. Ate it with mayo and will search for some more tomorrow. There's a sweet little market hall but sadly, less than half full with a supermarket wither end of town.
And the electrics are all better too.
Aparagus and Electrics
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Snork Maiden
Le Depot
After a good start, the day went a bit downhill. Al stressed and grumpy on the phone, plagued by a list of unreasonable requests from me and badly behaved email. I haven’t been receiving any because when Al turned my computer on, Entourage gobbled it all up off the server; he’s used to Mail which apparently doesn’t. He’s now heroically attempting to pick out my personal emails and forward them to me.
All this has happened because we decided that I would take my old 12” so as not to put the newer, bigger one at risk. But the envisioned seamless transfer of Entourage from one machine to another didn’t quite happen that way, probably because the old one has OSX 10.3 and the newer one 10.4. This bears out the feeling that computer companies don’t really give a stuff about the end user, so long as the boxes keep walking of the shelves. (I hear you PC users sniggering but I have heard that you have your problems to with XP and whatever followed it.)
Anyway, more importantly, I have 2 outstanding boat problems – motor and electrics. The good news is that the engine is probably fine – just needs filter and oil change, but I am not sure whether Dominique, the yard proprietor, has done any of this already. It’s only a couple of hours work for me – less for him, so that’s OK. The electrics problem is not affecting the engine. It is affecting everything else, though. I have the panel pulled out and have had a look at the connections, but can’t see anything obvious. I have tried the meter and the needle remains unmoved by electric voltage or my distress. I have a phone number for a French electrician. I’ll try him in the morning. He will be busy; it’s that time of year. If I do locate him, he could fit our Navtex as well. (So we can pick up weather forecasts at sea.)
Tomorrow I will dry the bilges out (oh joy) and maybe work on the assumption that the oil change hasn’t been done. I think all the spares are still intact.
Jenny is listening to ‘His Dark Materials’ from a disc of MP3s. Determined to frustrate, the iTunes refuses to import any other way than one at a time. Also listening to Guardian Podcasts. I am aware that our frustrations are vanishingly small compared with what is happening in Burma, the hungry parts of the world and the UK where the Government seems to be running in with the judges over exporting people to be tortured. Seems that some are more equal than others. Sorry to be on a downer. I am grateful to be me. About to get into my very cosy bunk – maybe with a cup of tea.
I biked down to the sluices this evening. Some are working and some are old and disused. There was a creepy one where the water rushes through from the marshes; the sluice gates creaked and moved slightly and the iron walkway looked like it could give way at any time. The whole of this area is artificially drained. Hope there are no Tsunamis.
For those of you who like asparagus, it was yummy. Grown by the chap who sold it and irregular sizes - not a bit like the supermarket sort. Ate it with mayo and will search for some more tomorrow. There's a sweet little market hall but sadly, less than half full with a supermarket wither end of town.
And the electrics are all better too.
Snork Maiden
Le Depot
After a good start, the day went a bit downhill. Al stressed and grumpy on the phone, plagued by a list of unreasonable requests from me and badly behaved email. I haven’t been receiving any because when Al turned my computer on, Entourage gobbled it all up off the server; he’s used to Mail which apparently doesn’t. He’s now heroically attempting to pick out my personal emails and forward them to me.
All this has happened because we decided that I would take my old 12” so as not to put the newer, bigger one at risk. But the envisioned seamless transfer of Entourage from one machine to another didn’t quite happen that way, probably because the old one has OSX 10.3 and the newer one 10.4. This bears out the feeling that computer companies don’t really give a stuff about the end user, so long as the boxes keep walking of the shelves. (I hear you PC users sniggering but I have heard that you have your problems to with XP and whatever followed it.)
Anyway, more importantly, I have 2 outstanding boat problems – motor and electrics. The good news is that the engine is probably fine – just needs filter and oil change, but I am not sure whether Dominique, the yard proprietor, has done any of this already. It’s only a couple of hours work for me – less for him, so that’s OK. The electrics problem is not affecting the engine. It is affecting everything else, though. I have the panel pulled out and have had a look at the connections, but can’t see anything obvious. I have tried the meter and the needle remains unmoved by electric voltage or my distress. I have a phone number for a French electrician. I’ll try him in the morning. He will be busy; it’s that time of year. If I do locate him, he could fit our Navtex as well. (So we can pick up weather forecasts at sea.)
Tomorrow I will dry the bilges out (oh joy) and maybe work on the assumption that the oil change hasn’t been done. I think all the spares are still intact.
Jenny is listening to ‘His Dark Materials’ from a disc of MP3s. Determined to frustrate, the iTunes refuses to import any other way than one at a time. Also listening to Guardian Podcasts. I am aware that our frustrations are vanishingly small compared with what is happening in Burma, the hungry parts of the world and the UK where the Government seems to be running in with the judges over exporting people to be tortured. Seems that some are more equal than others. Sorry to be on a downer. I am grateful to be me. About to get into my very cosy bunk – maybe with a cup of tea.
I biked down to the sluices this evening. Some are working and some are old and disused. There was a creepy one where the water rushes through from the marshes; the sluice gates creaked and moved slightly and the iron walkway looked like it could give way at any time. The whole of this area is artificially drained. Hope there are no Tsunamis.
For those of you who like asparagus, it was yummy. Grown by the chap who sold it and irregular sizes - not a bit like the supermarket sort. Ate it with mayo and will search for some more tomorrow. There's a sweet little market hall but sadly, less than half full with a supermarket wither end of town.
And the electrics are all better too.
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Getting warm!
10 May 2008 evening
Snork Maiden
Le Depot
Bonsoir tout le monde
I have had a busy day – getting ready to put the anti-fouling paint on the bottom of the boat tomorrow. For those of you who don’t know, this stuff has to be renewed every year, since its job is to deter marine life – barnacles and stuff - from growing below the waterline. It’s designed to waste away so has to be re-applied before the boat goes back into the water. It’s also toxic, so have to dress up in paper suit, gloves, mask and goggles to sand down the old stuff and paint on the new. Preparation is a bit of a bore, but painting part is quite good. Best that the weather isn’t too hot and it’s been just right today with an easterly wind but no rain – well, just a very few drops.
Now it is 9.30pm – still light. I have had a shower at the harbour – first one since the ferry and I smelt like a monkey after that hard work. Also had fish soup, salad and a glass of Muscadet at the Café Thalassa. Cooking on the boat is a pain – all washing-up has to be carried to the tap. The area around the boat is quite muddy after this afternoon’s efforts. Yard hoses often don’t have taps and are left running. The other yards we have wintered in were a bit better outfitted, but this one is cheap, quiet and close to the town. I also have the wonderful pink bike, with newly inflated tyres, bought at a flea market for 20 € last year. I’ll be quite sorry to leave it behind, but didn’t bring the bike rack, so I suppose I will have to pass it on. Or maybe I will leave it here in case we winter at the Depot again.
I don’t like to generalise about the French, but I do admire the casual way they get close to nature wherever they happen to find it, even when it’s in a car park, next to a building site, wherever. And they do get out of their cars, set up the picnic table and seem to have a good time. My other observation is that they seem somehow less aspirational than their British counterpart. (Hey, my Brit spellchecker doesn’t know that word. That’s surprising!) I may have said this to some of you before, but one of the reasons we feel very comfortable in Brittany is that the majority of French boats are pretty much like ours – small, and often more than 20 years old.
In Britain many of the yacht marinas are determinedly moving upmarket. The availability of cheap moorings is limited, and yachting is becoming the province of generously pensioned retirees, and blokes into business and often into racing too. (Nothing wrong with that, but it’s a different world from cruising.) It’s a very different picture from the heyday of small family boats in the 1960s and ‘70s. While I’m at it, the 1960’s (as well as inventing sex & rock music) saw a real growth in sailing. Records were broken from the North Atlantic to New Zealand; people built Mirror dinghies in their back gardens with marine plywood and a stapler for a few hundred quid. Of course, now there’s surfing and windsurfing, and aargh – jet skis, all better suited to busy working lives. Interesting how things change.
In response to popular demand, I am going to try some pix of the boatyard, Marans and me. Watch this space. (Yesterday’s pic was the sunset as seen from the back of the boat.) Now after 10pm so definitely bedtime. Big day tomorrow. Will try to deal with anti-fouling and my friend the 20hp Bukh engine. Only filters, so I tell myself that there’s nothing to be scared about.
As the columnists say, Jenny is listening to: BBC Podcasts, the Mighty Boosh, Johnny Cash, Fairport Convention and Blondie. She is watching Larry Sanders shows and the Boosh on DVD. She’s reading On Chesil Beach and Treason’s Harbour (Patrick O’Brian of ‘Master and Commander, for you landlovers).If you like quotations, try this:
‘Smoothe runnes the Water, where the Brooke is deepe.
And in his simple shew he harbours Treason.’
2 Henry VI
1230 Sunday
Sunny, twenty something degrees
Antifouling finished. The one-coat wonder worked very well. Doesn’t drip but not too hard to work the roller. We’ll see how it looks at the end of September. Best time to do is morning before the sun gets too hot and dazzles you on one side of the boat. Today was perfect and the masking tape is already off. (Still some nasty marks on the waterline from previous less-successful years.
I took a photograph although it was a battle with exposure, the boat, me and the sky all very bright. Now having a cuppa and a breather before deciding exactly what to do next. Lunch seems like a possibility.
Snork Maiden
Le Depot
Bonsoir tout le monde
I have had a busy day – getting ready to put the anti-fouling paint on the bottom of the boat tomorrow. For those of you who don’t know, this stuff has to be renewed every year, since its job is to deter marine life – barnacles and stuff - from growing below the waterline. It’s designed to waste away so has to be re-applied before the boat goes back into the water. It’s also toxic, so have to dress up in paper suit, gloves, mask and goggles to sand down the old stuff and paint on the new. Preparation is a bit of a bore, but painting part is quite good. Best that the weather isn’t too hot and it’s been just right today with an easterly wind but no rain – well, just a very few drops.
Now it is 9.30pm – still light. I have had a shower at the harbour – first one since the ferry and I smelt like a monkey after that hard work. Also had fish soup, salad and a glass of Muscadet at the Café Thalassa. Cooking on the boat is a pain – all washing-up has to be carried to the tap. The area around the boat is quite muddy after this afternoon’s efforts. Yard hoses often don’t have taps and are left running. The other yards we have wintered in were a bit better outfitted, but this one is cheap, quiet and close to the town. I also have the wonderful pink bike, with newly inflated tyres, bought at a flea market for 20 € last year. I’ll be quite sorry to leave it behind, but didn’t bring the bike rack, so I suppose I will have to pass it on. Or maybe I will leave it here in case we winter at the Depot again.
I don’t like to generalise about the French, but I do admire the casual way they get close to nature wherever they happen to find it, even when it’s in a car park, next to a building site, wherever. And they do get out of their cars, set up the picnic table and seem to have a good time. My other observation is that they seem somehow less aspirational than their British counterpart. (Hey, my Brit spellchecker doesn’t know that word. That’s surprising!) I may have said this to some of you before, but one of the reasons we feel very comfortable in Brittany is that the majority of French boats are pretty much like ours – small, and often more than 20 years old.
In Britain many of the yacht marinas are determinedly moving upmarket. The availability of cheap moorings is limited, and yachting is becoming the province of generously pensioned retirees, and blokes into business and often into racing too. (Nothing wrong with that, but it’s a different world from cruising.) It’s a very different picture from the heyday of small family boats in the 1960s and ‘70s. While I’m at it, the 1960’s (as well as inventing sex & rock music) saw a real growth in sailing. Records were broken from the North Atlantic to New Zealand; people built Mirror dinghies in their back gardens with marine plywood and a stapler for a few hundred quid. Of course, now there’s surfing and windsurfing, and aargh – jet skis, all better suited to busy working lives. Interesting how things change.
In response to popular demand, I am going to try some pix of the boatyard, Marans and me. Watch this space. (Yesterday’s pic was the sunset as seen from the back of the boat.) Now after 10pm so definitely bedtime. Big day tomorrow. Will try to deal with anti-fouling and my friend the 20hp Bukh engine. Only filters, so I tell myself that there’s nothing to be scared about.
As the columnists say, Jenny is listening to: BBC Podcasts, the Mighty Boosh, Johnny Cash, Fairport Convention and Blondie. She is watching Larry Sanders shows and the Boosh on DVD. She’s reading On Chesil Beach and Treason’s Harbour (Patrick O’Brian of ‘Master and Commander, for you landlovers).If you like quotations, try this:
‘Smoothe runnes the Water, where the Brooke is deepe.
And in his simple shew he harbours Treason.’
2 Henry VI
1230 Sunday
Sunny, twenty something degrees
Antifouling finished. The one-coat wonder worked very well. Doesn’t drip but not too hard to work the roller. We’ll see how it looks at the end of September. Best time to do is morning before the sun gets too hot and dazzles you on one side of the boat. Today was perfect and the masking tape is already off. (Still some nasty marks on the waterline from previous less-successful years.
I took a photograph although it was a battle with exposure, the boat, me and the sky all very bright. Now having a cuppa and a breather before deciding exactly what to do next. Lunch seems like a possibility.
Getting warm!
10 May 2008 evening
Snork Maiden
Le Depot
Bonsoir tout le monde
I have had a busy day – getting ready to put the anti-fouling paint on the bottom of the boat tomorrow. For those of you who don’t know, this stuff has to be renewed every year, since its job is to deter marine life – barnacles and stuff - from growing below the waterline. It’s designed to waste away so has to be re-applied before the boat goes back into the water. It’s also toxic, so have to dress up in paper suit, gloves, mask and goggles to sand down the old stuff and paint on the new. Preparation is a bit of a bore, but painting part is quite good. Best that the weather isn’t too hot and it’s been just right today with an easterly wind but no rain – well, just a very few drops.
Now it is 9.30pm – still light. I have had a shower at the harbour – first one since the ferry and I smelt like a monkey after that hard work. Also had fish soup, salad and a glass of Muscadet at the Café Thalassa. Cooking on the boat is a pain – all washing-up has to be carried to the tap. The area around the boat is quite muddy after this afternoon’s efforts. Yard hoses often don’t have taps and are left running. The other yards we have wintered in were a bit better outfitted, but this one is cheap, quiet and close to the town. I also have the wonderful pink bike, with newly inflated tyres, bought at a flea market for 20 € last year. I’ll be quite sorry to leave it behind, but didn’t bring the bike rack, so I suppose I will have to pass it on. Or maybe I will leave it here in case we winter at the Depot again.
I don’t like to generalise about the French, but I do admire the casual way they get close to nature wherever they happen to find it, even when it’s in a car park, next to a building site, wherever. And they do get out of their cars, set up the picnic table and seem to have a good time. My other observation is that they seem somehow less aspirational than their British counterpart. (Hey, my Brit spellchecker doesn’t know that word. That’s surprising!) I may have said this to some of you before, but one of the reasons we feel very comfortable in Brittany is that the majority of French boats are pretty much like ours – small, and often more than 20 years old.
In Britain many of the yacht marinas are determinedly moving upmarket. The availability of cheap moorings is limited, and yachting is becoming the province of generously pensioned retirees, and blokes into business and often into racing too. (Nothing wrong with that, but it’s a different world from cruising.) It’s a very different picture from the heyday of small family boats in the 1960s and ‘70s. While I’m at it, the 1960’s (as well as inventing sex & rock music) saw a real growth in sailing. Records were broken from the North Atlantic to New Zealand; people built Mirror dinghies in their back gardens with marine plywood and a stapler for a few hundred quid. Of course, now there’s surfing and windsurfing, and aargh – jet skis, all better suited to busy working lives. Interesting how things change.
In response to popular demand, I am going to try some pix of the boatyard, Marans and me. Watch this space. (Yesterday’s pic was the sunset as seen from the back of the boat.) Now after 10pm so definitely bedtime. Big day tomorrow. Will try to deal with anti-fouling and my friend the 20hp Bukh engine. Only filters, so I tell myself that there’s nothing to be scared about.
As the columnists say, Jenny is listening to: BBC Podcasts, the Mighty Boosh, Johnny Cash, Fairport Convention and Blondie. She is watching Larry Sanders shows and the Boosh on DVD. She’s reading On Chesil Beach and Treason’s Harbour (Patrick O’Brian of ‘Master and Commander, for you landlovers).If you like quotations, try this:
‘Smoothe runnes the Water, where the Brooke is deepe.
And in his simple shew he harbours Treason.’
2 Henry VI
1230 Sunday
Sunny, twenty something degrees
Antifouling finished. The one-coat wonder worked very well. Doesn’t drip but not too hard to work the roller. We’ll see how it looks at the end of September. Best time to do is morning before the sun gets too hot and dazzles you on one side of the boat. Today was perfect and the masking tape is already off. (Still some nasty marks on the waterline from previous less-successful years.
I took a photograph although it was a battle with exposure, the boat, me and the sky all very bright. Now having a cuppa and a breather before deciding exactly what to do next. Lunch seems like a possibility.
Snork Maiden
Le Depot
Bonsoir tout le monde
I have had a busy day – getting ready to put the anti-fouling paint on the bottom of the boat tomorrow. For those of you who don’t know, this stuff has to be renewed every year, since its job is to deter marine life – barnacles and stuff - from growing below the waterline. It’s designed to waste away so has to be re-applied before the boat goes back into the water. It’s also toxic, so have to dress up in paper suit, gloves, mask and goggles to sand down the old stuff and paint on the new. Preparation is a bit of a bore, but painting part is quite good. Best that the weather isn’t too hot and it’s been just right today with an easterly wind but no rain – well, just a very few drops.
Now it is 9.30pm – still light. I have had a shower at the harbour – first one since the ferry and I smelt like a monkey after that hard work. Also had fish soup, salad and a glass of Muscadet at the Café Thalassa. Cooking on the boat is a pain – all washing-up has to be carried to the tap. The area around the boat is quite muddy after this afternoon’s efforts. Yard hoses often don’t have taps and are left running. The other yards we have wintered in were a bit better outfitted, but this one is cheap, quiet and close to the town. I also have the wonderful pink bike, with newly inflated tyres, bought at a flea market for 20 € last year. I’ll be quite sorry to leave it behind, but didn’t bring the bike rack, so I suppose I will have to pass it on. Or maybe I will leave it here in case we winter at the Depot again.
I don’t like to generalise about the French, but I do admire the casual way they get close to nature wherever they happen to find it, even when it’s in a car park, next to a building site, wherever. And they do get out of their cars, set up the picnic table and seem to have a good time. My other observation is that they seem somehow less aspirational than their British counterpart. (Hey, my Brit spellchecker doesn’t know that word. That’s surprising!) I may have said this to some of you before, but one of the reasons we feel very comfortable in Brittany is that the majority of French boats are pretty much like ours – small, and often more than 20 years old.
In Britain many of the yacht marinas are determinedly moving upmarket. The availability of cheap moorings is limited, and yachting is becoming the province of generously pensioned retirees, and blokes into business and often into racing too. (Nothing wrong with that, but it’s a different world from cruising.) It’s a very different picture from the heyday of small family boats in the 1960s and ‘70s. While I’m at it, the 1960’s (as well as inventing sex & rock music) saw a real growth in sailing. Records were broken from the North Atlantic to New Zealand; people built Mirror dinghies in their back gardens with marine plywood and a stapler for a few hundred quid. Of course, now there’s surfing and windsurfing, and aargh – jet skis, all better suited to busy working lives. Interesting how things change.
In response to popular demand, I am going to try some pix of the boatyard, Marans and me. Watch this space. (Yesterday’s pic was the sunset as seen from the back of the boat.) Now after 10pm so definitely bedtime. Big day tomorrow. Will try to deal with anti-fouling and my friend the 20hp Bukh engine. Only filters, so I tell myself that there’s nothing to be scared about.
As the columnists say, Jenny is listening to: BBC Podcasts, the Mighty Boosh, Johnny Cash, Fairport Convention and Blondie. She is watching Larry Sanders shows and the Boosh on DVD. She’s reading On Chesil Beach and Treason’s Harbour (Patrick O’Brian of ‘Master and Commander, for you landlovers).If you like quotations, try this:
‘Smoothe runnes the Water, where the Brooke is deepe.
And in his simple shew he harbours Treason.’
2 Henry VI
1230 Sunday
Sunny, twenty something degrees
Antifouling finished. The one-coat wonder worked very well. Doesn’t drip but not too hard to work the roller. We’ll see how it looks at the end of September. Best time to do is morning before the sun gets too hot and dazzles you on one side of the boat. Today was perfect and the masking tape is already off. (Still some nasty marks on the waterline from previous less-successful years.
I took a photograph although it was a battle with exposure, the boat, me and the sky all very bright. Now having a cuppa and a breather before deciding exactly what to do next. Lunch seems like a possibility.
Saturday, 10 May 2008
Strawberries and Asparagus
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Depot Marin
Marans
Short one this morning – much to do! Bike to the loo, check the weather forecast, get bike tyres inflated, buy eggs at market, get into paper suit, mask, goggles and gloves and start sanding the hull. If it’s dry all day, I could get the anti-fouling done (I have a 1-coat product this year, yippee!). My favourite job under the boat is getting the barnacles off the propeller with the electric drill and wire brush attachment. I like it so much that I bought a special circular brush to get into the crevices. It’s very satisfying to watch the bronze emerge and get shiny again. Small pleasures!
I am trying to make a video clip of the yard so you can get an idea of the immediate surroundings. I’d like to show you Marans too, but that will have to wait for another day. I may have a very nasty, jerky pan to upload… watch this space. (The proper video camera won’t import to Mac at any price. In fact it inflicts permanent damage. Hope to circumvent its nasty habits with an SD card.
Off to start my day.
PS I am having problems with email but I think that they may be partially solved. So you can write back to me!
Make sure you use shark@thesea.co.uk
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