Friday, February 11, 2005

Boat Fix

I went down to the boat yesterday and got my "Boat Fix". She was sitting there on her mooring as pretty as she ever was (beauty as always,is in the eye of the beholder) with no problems at all, even the usually chaffed (a little ) mooring lines were perfect. I had,last year, spliced them into eyes, on the ends and fixed them semi permanently to the dock. I tried using only one forward(instead of two, one forward and one aft) spring which worked well. I also incooperated four rubber tensioners in the lines which held her semi tight to the pontoon.

The "Float charger" has now brought the batteries up to their correct level and both the wngines started first time, running a sweet as a nutfor an hour or so. I checked out the engine room and there was no water in the bilges at all, so on the whole a good winter, even though there had been some very bad storms.

I visited the engineering works and purchased some spares ready for my routine maintenence next week, so I am now ready to do that from Tuesday on.

I popped into see the elderly couple on the beautiful 47 foot sailing boat moored next to me. only to find him sitting alone reading. His wife had been taken into hospital for a "respite" (just after Christmas) both for her and him as he is the long term carer, even though he has severe spondulitis and can`t bend and, at over six feet it is very difficult for him to move around the boat. Whilst at over six foot headroom the boat is lower than his height in quite a few places.

We chatted for a couple of hours and I took him up to the local Asda (Wall mart) for his shopping. While there he purchased a Valentines card for his wife saying "I haven`t done this for about twenty years, living so close to each other, as we do,
on the boat it hasn`t seemed necessary, she will be surprised!" I had to walk around to another isle on some pretext as I started to "fill up", I bit my tongue to inflict enough pain so as not to do so, but only just managed it, (from the surprised look of a lady helping herself to slug killer! thats very apt?) in fact I am doing it again, just writing about it. To think of them in their "hey day" sailing around the world in that beautiful yacht, reduced now to not being able to look after themselves properly, hurts me bad. We all take things for granted, dont we? such a simple act like many that we/I could do,will mean so much (yeah! of course I buy my wife a valentines card each year! but I dont sign it). I really must finish that kitchem :0))

I said my goodbyes to him wishing them all the best, he hopes that she will be home on monday "all being well" I Switched off my engines and left for home. I thought of his simple act all the way back and vowed to make myself a better person! I guess, as with my diet, I will fail! :o(((

3 comments:

rob said...

Hi Maria, It is a shame! Rex and Chris are really lovely people and dont deserve to end up this way. As an old friend of mine used to say "we all end up in a single" bed!! so I guess we have to make the best of it! I am so sorry that you have problems with your family and I hope that your continued absence from their World will eventually cause them to leave you alone (if thats what you want) with regard to the stalker, I think Candi, having tracked someone, has shewn them that it may be possible to find them out and has shaken them a bit. As yet I havent seen Gnasher, although he lives just around the block. Mo son works all the hours that is needed to keep his business on the tracks and my Daughter in law is a little Mal-de-preg and Jet lagged When I phoned them the other day a rather stressed son (to the sound of a screaming Gnasher in the background)indormed me that Gnasher hadnt yet got back to English time and Emma was tired out and sleeping. So I thanked him for the chat, apologised for ringing at an awkward time and I have left them alone, to let the dust settle (as you do!)so I dont know what he will have brought me from NY yet. I did ask him for a Lance Armstrong Foundation braclet (you know the yellow plastic ones that promote Testicular Cancer awareness )but I dont think he understood, at 15 months I wouldn`t have, te he!. I think that his Mum would have had quite enought to do without having to search the whole of New york on my wim, so I guess its an I Love NY hat???? I love the old "shop" photo on your site, is it a bar? not that I think you are always frequenting such places? he he!! I served an apprenticeship as a Carpenter and Joiner in my dim and distant past and can see that the level of craftmanship is to the usual Japanese high standards. I have always marvelled at the enormity of the timbers in the traditional buildings and on one occasion made some shogi (is that the right spelling> is it ever?) sliding doors for my cousins house which was virtually traditional Japanese style even though it was in Hounslow!! I nearly went blind making the little cross joints , but I enjoyed the sticking on and streching of the rice paper. This was done in the traditional manner and carried out in their large yard (one acre) out the back of the house using water, that is virtually sprayed in a mist from your mouth to evenly cover the whole of the door. The rest of the family joined in and I couldn`t begin to reveal who the first person was that sprayed Humichan on purpose when she got too close but I can say that it was a Sunny Sunday afternoon and Japanese traditional dress is expensive to get dry cleaned :o((

Yvonne said...

Hello Rob!

I've just back from the mountains where temperature was about -15C brrrrr. I so cold even now.
I had a great time snowboarding and playing with my sister on snow.
However Im happy Im back now.
I think I just like being at home.


Tomorrow I'm going to school. I really don't want to....!!!!

Greetings
Iwonka

rob said...

Hi Yvonne! Its great to hear from you and that you enjoyed your short break. Thanks for commenting on my Blog. I hope you warm up in time for school tomorrow :o))

I have always wanted to have a go at snow boarding! but as the first person to import skateboards into the UK . (yes that really is true!
I met a man in my line of work who had just got back from working in the states and he had a skateboard. I located where I could get them from (Taiwan, which was where the states got theirs) and I imported a few samples. I was building my own house at the time and didnt have the money to both import them commercially and build my house so I built my house)I never got to be able to use one so I guess that snow boarding is not for me,Yet??? maybe! Nice to hear from you.