Yesterday (Sunday) we went out to a friend’s house for lunch and indeed “had a roast”. Those attending ( six of us) were long term friends whom we first met some forty years ago, when as members of a “Diving” club and impoverished newlyweds, we used to travel all over the south coast or the UK “wreck diving” and depleting the fish and crustacean stock :o)) Yummy!!.
We hadn’t seen one set of friends for some five years and it was truly a surprise to find that they haven’t change a bit. They have just sold their houses in the UK and are moving to southern Spain to live. They have also sold their Bentley because they would have to pay some form of tax if they kept it out there so they will buy a new one and have it first registered out there(how the other half live eh!?).
It’s amazing that even though we haven’t met for some years we immediately fell back into chatting and berating each other as though we had met last only yesterday, it is however sad to find out that a lot of joint “friends/associates2 (whom they kept in touch with when we didn’t) have departed this world, it brings one up with a jolt to learn that some of those joint friends whom were thought to be invincible and expected to live forever are no longer around. Ho hum! That’s life.
We arrived at 14-00 and didn’t leave until 20-00ish and the time went so quickly I don’t think that any of us “drew wind” and talked and talked like “old fish wives” (who cares we all really enjoyed ourselves)
On Sunday morning I attended my boat club annual general meeting which went OK with the exception that the new Commodore is, I believe, inadequate for the job, but the only one to put his name forward for the post, suffice to say that he was voted in successfully. As with many clubs not many members want to get really involved. Ok they will turn up for the AGM but not for the working week ends, at the last one about twenty regular members turned up out of about one hundred and twenty.
We have just negotiated a new thirty year lease on the premises and so the subscriptions will have to rise a small amount to accommodate the increase in outgoings. Most members feel that this is OK but a few will leave as a result, I fear!
Over the past few years a few of the older members have developed and fiercely defended a policy that it is wrong for the club to generate any revenue other than subscriptions and so functions etc have never really been allowed to have a surplus that could assist with the financial running of the club, and so we have depleted funds “at the bank” to such an extent that membership prices must rise. We really have to generate some enthusiasm from members! I do not feel that the new Commodore won’t be able do this, It is immediately apparent, from the shortage of committee members that he may be struggling in his task I hope I am wrong and wish him the very best!
Today I continue with my refurbishment of the ground floor cloakroom/WC with the laying of another wood floor, having “boxed” in all the exposed pipe work and plumbing, I am hoping that the new floor will give the impression of it being larger than it already is (an illusion). What a bloody boring blog it is (always is?).
Its early morning 05-00 and I am typing away about “not much” dreaming about sailing away to distant lands. I have finally convinced myself that I will sell my current Motor cruiser and buy a sail boat. I have further decided that I like the look of a few of the American (far eastern, heavy built) boats. I do favour steel but tend to think that it does effect the aesthetic design a little, compared with a heavy moulded GRP one (although if I have one built in steel I would be able to overcome any problems in that field) Whilst I love my Motor cruiser my time restrictions and need to “get back home on time has now gone, when I retired, and so a gentle, exploring and economic journey is more of the essence in today’s climate. I fear that my wife would not accompany me as much, as she doesn’t like sailing because the world does tend to be mostly at sixty degrees, and Mal de mer strikes quickly for her! also she was put off a little with a few serious storms, experienced early on in her sailing career, in a 25 foot boat in the English channel, sailing with a then very inexperienced, though safe, skipper.:o((
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment