It’s Friday afternoon, around five o’clock. We have been busy, today, getting rid of some more red paint, supervising Bill sealing two of our windows, and rebuilding the switch board (the new one with the name of the boat spelled right). I just started happy hour by opening a bottle of beer for me and Lawrance.
On the other side of the water I see Brian taking his chimney off and replacing it with the cruising chimney. Then Sue takes off the front line.
When they are on the way out, we walk onto one of the empty jetties behind us, to say “Hello” and “Goodbye”. Their reaction: “We’re going to the Scaracen’s Head, for a pint and a meal, why don’t you come as well?”
We look at each other: we just started happy hour, we’re still in our working/sun tanning clothes, we’ve got stuff in the fridge for a meal…
Five minutes later the engine is running (yes, after doing the daily pre-cruising checks), the TV-aerial taken off, and I take off the front line. And that’s us leaving the marina. With a quarter of a tank of water, a full garbage bag in the kitchen, a cassette more than half full. It’s just irresponsible…
Once on the canal we can’t stop smiling. This is absolutely silly. But then, again: Why not? Other people jump in their car, to go to the pub, we just cast off. And with Lawrance on the tiller I have all the time in the world to drink my Desperados, and think about what I want to wear tonight. And do I not have my entire wardrobe with me?
Scaracen’s Head
We have a couple of drinks and a good meal in the Saracen’s Head. And agree to have breakfast at nine o’clock on Blossom Hill, with us supplying salmon for the scrambled eggs.
Being moored at the Scaracen’s Head, with the starboard side of WRT against the bank, gives me the opportunity to take a picture next morning of the doily I made for the cabin window. In the marina our neighbours are in the way.
New cabin lace (inside)
Cabin lace (night (L) and day (R)) from the outside
It’s foggy today, and chilly. We leave around 11:00 hrs. I’m the tiller girl so I have to take WRT back onto the jetty. Did Lawrance not end up completely somewhere else in the marina, when he tried to get onto our jetty last Monday (because of the wind (he says))?. Am I not always doing well, when there is a very strong wind? Now I find it a bit of a struggle to berth, because: THERE IS NO WIND.
I manage (have to shunt more often), we attach the landline, switch the hot water system and the alarm in the cabin back on. And start doing our usual Saturday thing: weekly menu and shopping list.