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Todays comment!

"I want to be needed, and need to be wanted" ardie 1976

Dont we all ?

same seating area, other end

 

The seating area in my wheelhouse; I just wanted to remember what it looks like! roll on the boating season.

I wonder!

There is an old saying that goes something like. "Life punishes us by actually giving us what we want" If this is true, I have been punished all my life. I sit here not wanting for anything, or do I ?

Of course I would like a bigger boat but it doesn`t really matter if I don`t get it. Sure I would like great health but then that, I can pretty well, control? and if I can`t for any reason its beyond my wishes anyway!

Am I strange? or just normal! Am I a realist that accepts life and what it brings without question, do I lack drive and or enthusiasm. I think not I go about my life with gusto I am always looking forward to something even if its only the completion of my chores or another post in a friends blog, my grandchildren and children visiting, even just sharing somebodys comment in my own blog makes me happy. If this is purgatory or the punishment of life there is something strange.

I see others with great sadness and mental pain, anguish and helpless sorrow, Why should I be allowed to be happy, why should I be allowed to accept others into my life? I do, of course, understand that one day it will all suddenly end and I will awaken into a sort of Dantes inferno. But then I guess that the other addage that "life doesnt let you be happy for too long" may hold true as well?

What can I do to help others who are unhappy? should I actually try to help? it would make me even more happy, if I was able to assist in some way! perhaps I am being selfish? could I just say to the alone and unhappy "allow others to come into your life enjoy their presence don`t try to bind them, dont try to reason with or blame yourself as to why they leave, just accept that it happens and move on! make your life interesting (unlike mine) so that others will want to step through its door, actively seeking out an entrance into your life, don`t push them away with demonstrations of sorrow and self pity".

I ask, am I responsible for similar actions in that I believe that I am happy and therefore don`t attempt to assist others into my life, should I, indeed, beleive that I need to do so?

Soooooooooooo! I am going out today to bring others into my life, where do I start? is it with a positive attitude or a caring smile? a gift or funny introduction or is it by just being me. It certainly seems to me that being who you are, gives people an instant acces into your life and tells them if they actually want to "visit" you. so I musn`t be miserable I musn`t bore, I musnt write drivel ??? (what am I doing now?) I shouldn`t lay my feelings out in the cold for others to pick at like Crows after they have read about them and been allowed to think just how lucky they are, Making the descision not to be of any further interest.

Do I look at life and being me, say to myself I am lucky! I love life! I love people! I love what I do and do what I love, I want you in my life I have so much to offer, I may enjoy you being there, will perhaps someone, anyone, hear my quiet pleading, my plaintif mantra? will they be led to my life?

Now I have a real problem Do I want them there? at least its my descision now

wheres the chip?

 

Animal stories (I have known)

When I first joined my last employers, major zoological exhibition, I had been working there for at least a day when a wild(ish) boar escaped (you know the type with long curly tusks) I arrived at the scene to find that the Boar was running around in a public area and so (being fully inexperienced in the ways of animals) tackled it to the ground, hiked its legs from under it, (as you do) and held it, with difficulty, on the ground. The Keepers who had a ropewith a slip knot in it, slipped it over its snout and told me to let it go, whereupon it tried to get up and shaking its head got out of the noose, I told the Keepers to get a sack and put it over its head which they did and struggled for a little longer. the head keeper wacked a sedative into it and it all calmed down. I got up and the animal was unceremoniously carried back to its cage. As I walked back to my office in disaray and nursing a broken Diving watch glass (dont you always) people started to pat me on the back as I passed saying greaet job and bloody fool and such like. It wasn`t until the Zoo manager visited my office to thank me for my assistance that I found out just how dangerous a wild boar can be!! never again!!! Yea right.

I was "safety gun", whilst tranquillising a polar bear, I had fired the dart into its rump and he was going down slowly, as he should. The pool had been duly emptied of water (because they always fall into the water when "tranked" so for safety its emptied) in the pool which is some 15 foot deep are some steps cast at one end. The bear slipped into the steps end of the pool and promptly fell asleep? I, armed with the usual 4.55 handgun and the vet, climbed down a rope into the now dry pool, the vet armed with a short scaffold pole tapped the polar bear gently on the nose whereupon it Immediately sat up looked straight at me, waved its huge front legs and turkey plate sized paws. The Vet, who was obviously much more experienced than me in matters of sharp exit from animal enclosures, climbed over me and using me as a ladder scaled the sloping pond walls, I was still standing there with the gun, shakily, pointing between the bears eyes when I realised that I was laying against the pond side and that the bear was starting to quieten down and finally "go under" the vet calling from the now securely shut bear house called out, "are you OK! Rob" I answered rather nervously, but I don`t think he actually heard me, after what seemed like an eternity he reappeared over the edge of the pool (I had no way of getting out as the walls were shere and the bear was sitting on the steps) andhe climbed back down into the pool, using a keeper held rope and did what he was originally going to do. Talk about an experience, given that the bear, whilst young, was fully grown and real mean.

It was Christmas and we needed some publicity so I dressed as Santa and with a carrot in my mouth a national press photographer, situated outside the enclosure, was taking copious photos of me stood in front of a fully grown Giraffe with a carrot in my mouth. Its great head lowered down until level with my head and gently took the carrot out of my false bearded mouth.
Snap, reload, snap went the camera and a "hold it! hold it!" from the photographer (how the bloody hell I was supposed to hold it Ill never know!) all of a sudden the beard (which obviously being designed more for use with kids than Giraffes and had massive elastic attached to it so as not to be easily detached from its wearer) started to lift away from my face as the giraffe straightened up to a point about three feet away when the elastic finally snapped.

The resultant slap on the face jarred my teeth loose. The Photographer uttered "Brilliant Got that" and sitting on my Arse in the middle of the enclosure, I nearly passed out with the pain. The Giraffe lowered it great head once again chewing heavily on the carrot and was now poised over me peering deeply into my eyes in wonderment at what she had done to this wierd human. The picture was never published, as it was thought that kids might be affected by it, what with father Christmas wearing a false beard etc, but the one of me as father christmas mouth feeding the giraffe with the carrot was! Dont have Christmasses like that anymore.

Booring blogs ( seemingly a speciality of mine :o(()

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((

Winters here!

It`s Saturday 05.00 and the frost is laying heavy out in my garden, winter is well and truly here! Foot prints criss cross all over the lawn, where the foxes have been busy searching for food. I reduced and eventually stopped feeding the young family quite some time ago to encourage them to move farther away and to learn to support themselves, which they have done. Their coats which were really Suffering from the effects of mange have now all become beautiful and with their vivid markins it is easy to identify them from The large wary male to the youngest of last seasons cubs. I notice that there is now more signs of digging under my large garden shed so they are getting themselves ready for a hard winter and the possibility of more cubs next year so I will have to take some action to avoid this if possible by either having them neutered (which would be expensive) Killing them (not an option for me!) or moving them to another area some distance away. I do feel a little guilty having fed them, but to counteract that feekingI believe that I would have rather kept them alive and made them healthy than let them starve (I know! I know! its natures way, but not in my garden, OK :o)))

Our roses which were, believe it or not, in full bloom have now been zapped by the frost and are looking fairly sorry for themselves, Iam aboutto embarke on the usual home maintenence and today I am modernising the ground floor MC and shower room :o(( (Id rather be on my boat!)

With regard to the boat I have snugged it down for the winter with dehumidifier`s and heaters in the cabins and tubular heaters in the engine room so she will be happy for the winter. I guess that in Late january I will start to get her dressed for the season and look forward to it.

We are of to Brugge in a couple of weeks time on the Eurostar which will be good for Christmas shopping. As a matter of interest (to me only as nobody reads my blog Ahhhhhhh! )I was the millionth customer on the Tunnel link (well me and a whole train load of celebs , not including me of course!) I was given a certificate and a weekend in a French chateux "all found". At tht time it was possible to stand a £1 coin on edge on the walkway and it would remain there for the majority of the journey so I will try that again when we go, I bet the wear has set in and it doesn`t last five minutes of the journey now. Well winter is definitely here in the UK I wish I was in a hot country, or maybe I should go back to bed? Nah! I`ve got work to do, that makes a difference !! do I hear you say???????? Onwards and upwards!!!!! ZZZZZZzzxxx snore........ :o))

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Not really a good photo of the chip, but its not visible now anyway! :o)) Honest guv! 

My Blog for today!

Well I am now back from the boat having had a very singular and selfish couple of days, eating when and where I chose. Rising late and walking and talking to everybody who would give me the time of day (not many, at age sixty two, six foot one inch in height and sixteen stones in weight).

Yesterday I laid a new Oak floor in my conservatory and this morning I have just finished the edging/cover fillets around the edges, with quite a few intricate “mitres” (I served an apprenticeship as a carpenter and joiner, working on for at least five years after finishing, so I haven’t done too bad a job) and was repositioning the furniture which included a heavy metal picture frame with beautiful photographs of my much loved grandchildren in. As I moved a gate leg table the leg closed and the table folded the frame impacting with the floor on its sharp corner. Upon closer inspection I found (you guessed !) a chip in my new floor, where was it (you guessed right again) right in the Blo*dy middle of the F&%$£* Floor!! :o((((. It was a sizeable chip about five mills square. I had taken such care to lay the floor to the best of my ability and now this had happened. I contemplated suicide! Nah! Not my style I contemplated removing fifty percent of the flooring and replacing the board, finally I contemplated filling the chip which I decided was the best way to go so I mixed up some two pack resin and added various, spirit, wood stain to make it the right colour, sort of a baby sick colour, and made good the chip.

Isn’t this really a lesson for life? In that no matter what you do, there is always something or somebody that will spoil it for you if you aren’t careful, and I wasn’t

I am now on my knees looking hard and I really can’t see the chip repair so I am well satisfied with the result, although it is still a bit like having soiled goods!

The overall result of the new floor along with the new furnishing has really lifted the area and when I extend the wet heating into it later on in the year, it will bring it into the all season benefits of the house.

I was watching a program on the TV last night that looks at different countries with the view of people buying holiday homes there and last night they were exploring Poland. They showed three suitable properties which were truly amazing, well built and lovely dwellings. The big thing that I thought the program really “brought across” was how lovely Poland truly is! also how nice the people are (I already new that from my Polish friends anyway!) It really is a hidden jewel in “Europe” One day I will get to visit (soon I hope) and maybe have my dream, fourteen metre (steel ) long keel, ketch built there!

“Dream as though you are going to live a thousand years
Live as though you will die today”

I`m Bored!

So I am off to the boat today for a few days, I haven`t got any real work to do on her so I will visit the Pavillion, museums, churches, the Lanes, markets and gunshops and do the sort of thing that I enjoy and fuel her up for the winter. Its really going to be a "selfilsh visit"I will eat in my favourite restaurants, rise late (fat chance as I`m always awake by 05-00) and sit on deck in the evening drinking tea and reading (if its not raining) What more could I ask for I am indeed very lucky to be able to do what I want, when I want!

When I return I have to fit a new floor in the downstairs bathroom and the same in the conservatory. Small price to pay to get away for a few days. The 16th is my wifes birthday she`s 30 years and 11680 days old (she will kill me for saying that te he!) so this Sunday we are having a family Lunch/Dinner and my Daughter is bringing he new Man to meet us so! I have been warned to be on my best behaviour, it would seem that this is the one (but then the others were?) I really don`t understand I only had one girlfriend and then I married her and we are still married! (yea right! believe that and you will believe anthing) I didn`t have many ( not with my looks!) anyway. Oh well! I`m off to the boat now.

Anthonys been found

The Police have located Anthony in a hospital some 16 miles away. They notified the Cafe proprietor and his wife, this morning, who have asked for further information. This is currently being witheld as they are not Family (justifiably I guess?) I am told that he is very unwell and possible suffering from a Kidney complaint believed at this moment to be an infection, he is also dehydrated but better than at admission. I am so glad that he is at least safe but why 16 miles away? given that he couldn`t walk. I still have serious misgivings in our so called welfare state and national health service, with whose use, I wouldnt be alive today (thank God for "private medicine it has given me some 10 years so far and many, many, more to come)

"Dream like you are going to live for 1000 years,
live like you are going to die today",

Getting old

At the cafe I use (a greasy spoon) there was a customer called Antony, he was about 78 years old and travelled everywhere on an old bike. Antony`s wife had long since pre-deceased him and he would use the cafe for some sort of social release as well as regular meals. The table he regularily occupied often held several other elderly men, who used the cafe for much the same reason that Antony did. Slowly they either ceased visiting for whatever reasons and eventually there was only Antony and one other elderly Gentleman, Eric left. The Table that used to often creat so much laughter and happiness had grown dim.

Today I found out that Antony had gone missing, and that Eric and the cafe proprietor had called the police to check out his house, the social services and Age concern too. The Police checked out his house with Eric and The Cafe Proprietor but Age concern and the Social services really didn`t want to know, from what I can disern, from their lack of interest, he wasnt found there.

What I have to ask myself now is should I have taken more notice of Antony`s lack of interest in food and his ever more ailing demeanour? I have to say that I was too interested in my own situation to have cared very much. My "Im alright Jack" attitude being ever present.

Is getting old really a case of getting on with it or do you get out of life what you put into it? If that is the case then I guess that I will get old alone and have to put up with it, should I live that long.

So far everybody at the cafe has been trying to locate Anthony but the main fear has to be that he has taken himself off to die, he obviously never felt very good in the latter months but never complained, his recent habit of not eating and only just drinking some tea was spotted by the Cafe owner who thought it would pass, I have to say that I wasn`t aware but then again what would I have done? Nothing I guess, just like the Social services and Age concern. Is that to be the way of the modern British society? will we, effectively, take our old and ailing out into the snow to die? this is the UK, 2005 isnt it? I do hope he is found soon and OK.

Shutdown!!!!!! Maybe locked out?

I hadn`t posted for about a week, while I was away and did so two days ago! However nothing would enter inon my site. I had duly written it all and published what you see and still nothing. So I closed the site and reopened it using the same address and everything and it now works OK! strange eh? I guess it just locked out

Homeward bound! mission completed

I have just this minute arrived back from the Isle of Wight, where I have been assisting a friend repair and refurbish an ancient jetty in an ideallic creek on the north north east of the Island. He, at present, lives aboard his steel cruiser in the Medina river and is soon to move to this refurbished jetty.

One problem with working on a job like this is the time of high water and in this case it was
12-00 and so we had to start early at 06-00, which the torrential rain did too! By the time we had got ourselves kitted up in waterproofs and rubber boots, we were ready for anything! so off we went into the mud. We took bets as to who would be the first person to fall over when our feet got stuck in the mud and who would be the first to loose a boot ! well as you can guess it wore pretty thin as we all did one or the other most days.

We started the works by demolishing most of the collapsing structure and dragging it up the embankment and into a large heap for the owner to cut up for fire wood (Phew!!! that was lucky as we don`t have to "cart it away")

The jetty was at least a hundred years old ( probably more) and had been repaired so often that there was "stumps" of what looked like stone sticking out of the creek bed where the origional jetty had been built and the truncated wooden supports had now all calcified into a sort of fossil. The timber for the refurbishment was duly delivered from a real old time agricultural joinery works housed in a succession of Oak barns way out in the country, down a mile or so of rural lanes. The owner of which was a real gentleman and helped us to decide upon what sort of timber and the sizes that we neeed.

We had to "pile drive" new vertical stakes into the creek bed, which were four metres long, so you can imagine what had to happen for this to take place, we set up a pair of step ladders on the creek bed with some of the old boarding to prevent them from sinking into the mud and we perched ourselves at the very top and manhandled the "post rammer"( which weighed at least twenty kilos). The steps were virtually "alive" and every time the rammer impacted with the post the steps nearly fell over, casting those perched on the very top, head first into the mud. We had eight such posts to "Ram" and had finished them by mid morning, this gave us time to install some of the cross members and the diagonal braces and start to build the longitudinal structure that was to eventually take the decking. The high tide came and went and we waded in about two feet of water before we had to stop work and take to the high ground and start to construct the main longitidinal supports.

As we lined up each pair of supports we traversed along them to access the next set and so on until the tide had gone out fully and we could access the underneath. There were several large holes beneath the mud so that as you slurped your way along underneath the jetty you would suddenly disappear down another foot or so into these holes, as this happened a plaintif cry would be heard saying "I`ve found another hole" everybody did this more than once. By the end of the first day 21-00 we were soaked to the skin, covered in mud and stinking or creosote (Orodichloro-benzine) but satiated with the thought that we had done a really good job so far.

On the second day we continued working our way along the platform, having re-visited the workshop for the rest of the material we finished the first stage of the platform( up to the end of the narrowest piece) The rain didnt stop and the severe wind (about force eight) really drained us of energy, we however seemed to regain our strength when it came to going out on the "Raz" in the evening. As we went back to the boats we reflected that we must be absolubtely mad! We finished the platform and all its fixings and had fitted the water supply and electricity by last night (wednesday) and so we celebrated our success by going to the Bistro and my friend getting slightly inebriated. He is really looking forward to moving around to his new mooring in December where I sincerely hope he will be very happy.

Whilst working on the jetty I noted many species of water birds along with voles, water rats, Egrets, Dippers and so may other species that my memory can`t allow me to name, it truly is a wonderful spot, so bleak and lovely and little more than a quarter of a mile from the open sea. My friend who is single and quite a self sufficient sort of character will fit right in with the solitude and rugged demeaner of the creek.

Another view of the creek, across to the ferry terminal, taken from the very end of the now completed jetty.

Note the foot marks on the right hand side and the depth of the mud. This job certainly made me re-think the title "Skipper"

How straight is that? just the end ten metres to finish.

A view up the creek

A view past the jetty to the solent a lovely spot with Egrets and many other species of water birds

The jetty refurbished with new planking and some supports

Doh!!!

I am back at home now! as I thought I was due to take the boat to the Isle of wight on Thursday to help a mate re build his dock for a week. I made a mistake and it is the following week. Don`t you just love it when someone who is supposed to be an expert (like me on navigation etc) makes a fundimental mistake that they should know better about, te he! So I am now captured and lumbered with cutting the grass, repairing the roof and shopping Oh! and a christening of a friends young lad "Benjo" I am looking forward to that, Oh! and I have to install a new boiler!! Blahhh Yawn! Back to the boat I think! "What"!! "Im not playing on the computer" "Tescos?"" "how many?" "yes dear!!!" Got to go! :o))

Ode to the south sea!

The stripey snake is hunting among the coral heads
she swims from side to side searching under every ledge
at lunchtime when the school upon the island closes
under the wooden campshed she meets the children and reposes

They laugh and play around her as she swims between their legs
and stroke her skin along its length as she brushes round their heads
They know that she is friendly and them she will never bite or kill
as their parents used to do the same and play with her at will

Taken from a true life pacific island experience.
Crap poetry though :o))

Wifi Whoopee!

Finally I have managed to get my laptop connected to the local area connection LAN and now I am permanently connected on the boat ish. I can now get weather forcasts and shipping etc as I require them, not to mention being able to send e mails (I said not to mention that)

Yes as you guessed Im bored! Im sitting here at the Laptop listening to the sound of my heating, Yawn!Ive read all the sites and searched the web and now Im Bored bored bored!

I must keep my eye on what he`s doing with that dummy!

 

Memories of Brighton

 

Gnasher about to eat a fender, note the nappy evacuation pump kept handy 

Gnasher and Grumps make breakfast 

A photo of my Marina note the blue sky 

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Brightons song

Here I sit on the first floor of an internet cafe, watching the people passing and listening to a group of street singers, singing mostly clasical leads from La Traviata through most others. They have been at it for over an hour and are doing it for the "Save the children fund" I sat for nearly an hour, watching in wonderment at the voices of these seven young gifted men.

What could I do to equal that? Certainly not singing. I have thought of jumping out of a plane without a chute and getting someone to fit one on as I fall, but I`m not sure that I would trust many of my friends to do that :o)) Its a great day here with the sky clear and the air warm. the background noise gives me a certain, much needed, feeling of belonging.

I went to the preview day of the Southampton boat show yesterday and marvelled at the super yachts and equipment available also at the fact that someone can actually afford these Bhemoths. I had a good look at the "Nordhaven 47" and believe that it was the best motor yacht at the show, but failed to see how on earth the, bathing platform, boarding ladder can be lowered into position with the handrail in position. Oh well its off for cofee and a trip back to the boat. Great Saturday!

Londons song!

A song for london


The countries mad the party`s wrong
The strangers get the goods
Being born her makes no difference
But you never thought it would?

Zip guns in out city
Bombers on our street
Don’t you come to London
If you can`t stand the heat.

Crack is king in one place
And skunk another too,
“Shooting up” in Holloway
Is just what, they like to do.

Zip guns in out city
Bombers on our street
Don’t you come to London
If you can`t stand the heat.

Drive by`s fit the evening
With gun sounds in the dark
Jogging gets you killed
If you do it in the park

Zip guns in out city
Bombers on our street
Don’t you come to London
If you can`t stand the heat.


The turf is insecure
with gang rule in the frame
The boys all need respect
And life aint a fucking game

Zip guns in out city
Bombers on our street
Don’t you come to London
If you can`t stand the heat.


Ardie 2003

D day veterans visit the Boat club

Some years ago the "Vets" use to hire a river boat for their annual "trip and reunion" and visit a pub/restaurant opposite out club boathouse. Over the following years it was thought that it may be better if they arrived at our club in Dunkirk little ships, so the Association of Dunkirk little ships, and the vets got together with our club and yesterday was yet another of these successfull unions.

At mid day plus, the first of the little ships were spotted "on station" ready for its docking at our landing stage and the disembark of its precious cargo.

With a piper playing in the background, sweetie and "H" ( commodore and lady) were ready to greet them as representatives of our club, along with the secretary and treasurer and a few committee members scouts and sea scouts.

The 1940s re-inactment representatives were resplendant, dressed as the guard of honour in the form of 10 privates and one officer ( also with two "wives" resplendant in fourties style dress) of the surrey regiment (long since disbanded).

Armed with sand bags various machine guns and carrying out their arms drill with "lee enfield mark threes", they presented arms as the first of the "ships " arrived.

The beautifully maintained "ships" docked faultlessly and were tied up by the assistant commodore Francis, a larger than life character in all ways, (who also runs the local sea scouts group, who incedently served the meal and cleared away) accompanied by another comittee member who also runs a scout group taking the bow lines. The first vets to step ashore did so only after they had stood to attention and returned the salute of the" guard of honour" officer. Whilst age had taken away their sprightly bodies, they stood erect and saluted with precision and prde.

Sweety and H recieved them as old friends (which they are) many a tear was forthcoming from both those on the pier recieving them, and the vets.

As the boats arrived and left, discharging the vets to our hospitality the vets were greated by no less than our president (of the club, who is still getting over major surgery) and four local Mayors, and their respective mayoral consorts.

The Ships crews , with their vessels now safetly moored opposite the club, were collected by our ferry the "Len Outrim"and after everybody had recieved their customary greeting, grace was said by our president and we all sat for lunch. An organist played songs from the fourties and after lunch a "sing song" took place with our very own vereran taking the lead with much enthusiasm.

A speech was made toasting our club and its members ( repied to by our Commodore) for the hospitality and a special thanyou given to the ladies who prepared such a scrumptious meal, which was recieved with the words " our pleasure you are all very, very welcome!" coming from Shelia the lead "cook" . I noted that there wasn`t so many vets this year and asked a couple where their friends were from last year (half knowing what their reply would be) and was told, with much sadness, that so and so had died or was in hospital at the moment.

In a moment of reflection I thought about exactly what these old and many infirmed, guys and gals had done for this country and its populace and was so grateful that in a small way I could be part of this celebration of their lives.

All done! it was time to go, and with reluctance, we began prying both ourselves and the vets away from our "celebrations" each of us spending much time saying farewell and shaking hands. The Ships collected their souls from the embarkation pontoon a few at a time, and with great sadness, much waving and promises of a repeat visit next year, they were gone. As the last boat vanished into the distance, once again I reflected with sadness on just how many of these great characters would attend next year?

Saturdays 40s night at the boat club

My boat club held a fourties night on Saturday, where we were expected to arrive in fancy dress. Well you guessed it! as ever grasping the chance to make a fool of myself I dressed as a shepherd looking furtively, very much like a spy.

When inevitably asked "what the hell I thought my dress had to do with the fourties " I explained/asked, that they had shepherds in the fourties didn`t they? and also, spies"I was therefore a "Shepherds pie" (Boom Boom to quote BB) Fish and chips were the order of the evening along with a professional jitterbug dancing team who assisted us oldies in the manner of their preffered dance. a great night was had by all.

Wednesday

Well! I came back from the boat today, and have already been to the cafe for lunch. My mate George who likes to travel the world in his dotage has purchased a Tom tom vehicular GPS. if you knew george you would know why I am a bit concerned. He is the most compbox illeterate that I have ever known he is even worse than me (and thats saying something) > I have been trying to locate a company that would sell me a 200mm syuare piece of clear Perspex (plastic) for a job that I want to do on the boat. I called on george who offered to navigate me to a company using his new Tom tom system. What I didnt know was that he hadnt set it up yet and for him to do that we would take the trip in my car so he could set it up. Which we did however when he made a correct entry he expected me to help him sort it and doing that and driving at the same time wasn`t too good. We arrived at the company, to a breathy "you have arrived" from the box. I told George that another friend of mine (paddy) who has the same system had his car broken into the other day and the bracket stolen (which costs £50-00 alone) so he is now paranoid about leaving it anywhere and carries it around like a child. What a great system even when we tried to confuse it it calmly told us to either "turn around when next you can" or gave us directions to the next place to get us back on the right road again. I`m impressed. what a pity I hadn`t got that on my last run up the channel. I can see it now! "in 27 miles you turn half right and on into the princes channel" etc etc! perhaps not! I think I will stick with my independent Gps, my compass, charts, sextant and Radar :o))

Sweety and "H" take a boating holiday

Let me start by setting the scene! both the people named above are real and lovely people they are however quite different from the everyday ones that one meets, Having been brought up in a rough part of the world I can relate to H and also having a lovely wife too, I can fully understand why a rough diamond like him loves his Sweety so much. I picked them both up at a quay in Surrey somewhere and went with them down the Thames and around to Dover. I assisted Sweety with the navigation showing her how and when to use the charts and how to plot a safe course out of the Thames estuary, I also gave H some tuition regarding pilotage and the safe use of a 600 hp chunk of floating plastic including ettiquette when passing other boats, rowers and fishermen. In return they got me up at 0200 to start the journey in pouring rain and forced me to eat large fried breakfasts prepared by sweety to standards higher than the Ritz. Copious tea was also on the menu, usually provide at the point when one was thinking that the weather couldn`t get worse than this! Sweeties constitution and ease at sea are now legiondary.

On the whole they were great students and are now really good friends. H has a very chequered past and is very easily recognisable he is also extremely ridgid about not having his name in print or any photos taken of him. Sweety is lovely and looks like an older version of Haley Mills, she has a beautiful temperement with "nothing being too much trouble", I can see why they both get on so well togeather.

On the way down the Thames we encountered thick fog in the estuary which followed torrential rain and a small swell. The GPS packed up as we were about to enter the Princess channel and left us heading for the sand bank, a quick chart plot confirmed this and I opend up my computer programme in time to head south and into the correct channel Phew! (not as bad as it sounds).
We had been sitting on the fly bridge controlling the boat, as H doesn`t like to be inside for any lenght of time (something to do with his past) and were sitting under a plastic sheet to keep some of the rain off our waterproofs (dont ask why) and make things a little more "comfortable" every five minutes ( possibly a small exageration) the hatch would open and sweety would present us with another cup of tea or a bacon sandwich! I`m beginning to like this crew and the cruise.

Given that we started the trip in the dark and with rain, the dawn was now quite appealing even though fog was now present. I told them that it would soon burn off and kept an eye on the Radar for large and small ships. Three hours later it was still foggy and we were turning at the Margate bouy heading for Ramsgate to fuel up before it finally lifted. The whole trip so far was an education for S&H and there was a lot of carefull inspection of my facial expressions to see if I was really concerned or just making out that I was really quite at ease with the situations presented to us during that leg of the voyage. I guess that progressing slowly with a cautious eye looking, usually unseeingly, into the fog and with the punctuating wail of the fog horn as an accompanyment came as a strange experience to them. We approached Ramsgate where we were going to get fuel but as we arrived long before the fuel berth opened, we tied up on the inner pontoon for about 30 seconds as every other berth was taken, unfortunately the swell was too much and we crashed and bashed about and decided to attend the Dover 24 hour (we thought) fuel berth.

Our route took us around the Goodwin sands on the shoreward side, so the swell was a little less, being protected, somewhat, by the sands themselves, as we approached Dover we hailed the port control on the RT and were asked to wait for a few minutes for a Sea cat (Known by the staff as a superseasick! and yes I have had a go on the wheel of one) to enter after which we can enter. The sea state by now was roughish and turning broadside to the sea during our entry was fatal as Sweety spilled a cup of tea whilst hanging by one arm to the flybrige stairs, only toimmediately go back down and get another one. we hit calm water as we passed the harbour wall in the west entrance and proceeded to the fuel pontoon. We gassed up and left for our destination, Brighton. We called up port control and gained permission to leave and turned into a sea that was confused and about a force 5, passing Folkstone and approaching Dungeness which H commented looked like a larger version of Belmarsh prison as seen from a custody wagon??? We rounded Beachy head and passed Newhaven which was presenting us with various lights (it was now dark again and about 21-45) I asked Sweety to confirm from the chart that the lights were correct which she did (I cheked later) and we passed them about a mile off. we were now heading for Brighton proper and a whole lot of lights presented themselves. I checked the lights at the entrance of the Marina and we approached at about 12 knots half what the vessel does at full speed. I asked H to scan the many lights and see if a green or red flashing light was present to which he replied I see it its red now green oh! its amber now! no its red. He then looked at me and we both started to laugh as he had been relaying the sequence of the local traffic lights te he! we fell about and then sweety appeared with a salad sandwich for us both wondering what was going on. She had been quietly plotting our course as we went along having now mastered the GPS and honed her plotting skills. Eventually the correct lights became evident and we turned in and having contacted the Marina, crept to our berth. S&H have friends in the marina not to mention me and they came out to take the lines. The berth that we were allocated was a foot larger in beam than the boat and H made a fantastic job of berthing it. We all had a cup of tea and turned in for the night.I had arranged for a Yachtmaster Instructor, I know, to take them both out for a couple of days and assess them and their boating skills with the intention of certifying them to a suitable level of RYA standard.and he was due in the next couple of days which gave me enough tome to polish and hone the skill that they both already possesed. The next day we went out and practiced bucket overboard drill and with much reading of the manual they conqured the Williamson turn which H now calls the Wilkinson turn. Sweety was magnificent and a natural at this she showed no sign of stress and once told how to do something she did it time and time again without any problem. H and I spent some time on the navigation and course plotting which he mastered immediately and I proclamed them ready for the assesments.On the first morning of the assessment they both asked me if they would get the ICC international certificate of compitence, to which I replied that I thought that they would do better than that, they said that they would be happy with the ICC if they indeed got it. I left them alone after the examiner arrived and two day later in the afternoon they came along to my boat jumping for joy and shouting, I got a big hug from Sweety and a life threatening handshake from H and was told that he obtained the Coastal skipper and that Sweety obtained the day skipper and that they were "over the moon". we celebrated that night and prepared for a trip to foreigh parts within the next couple of days. H & Sweety attended the Casino a few times and I believe lost a lot of money, a rare thing according to H, he said that he "couldn`t pick a fight let alone pick a number" They generally enjoyed their time in Brighton and I returned to take them to foreigh parts (Hornfleur was the destination but the weather had been bad and it was decided that Boulougne would suffice and it held memories for H??) . We departed in calm weather having an uneventful trip across the shipping lanes, arriving in force 5 winds. We settled onto a berth in the Marina yacht club and duly went to the supermarket for the usual chese bread and pate. I could smell diesel during the crossing and H said that he was finding it in his bildge so we decided to investigate that and couldn`t find any obviously real reason for it. I decided that we should call into Dover on the way back and ask my mate Nigel the Marine engineer to look at it. We left Boulougne at about 11-00 and passed Cape Gris nez in a force 7 with confused seas. I had both H and Sweety looking at me with eyes like saucers asking me if this was rough and looking for reassurance to which I replied yes its rough and uncomfortable but the boat and crew will deal with it admirably! but would they like to call into Calais which is only another 8 mile or turn and cross the shipping lane for Dover as planned approximately 21 miles, to which Sweety replied without hesitation, go for it! Im not bothered and H agreed. As we left the vicinity of the cape the comfused sea calmed down a bit and the wind dropped a little and we crashed on our way to Dover. We were met by Nigel who diagnosed a damaged anti surge diaphram on the starboard diesel pump (always the most awkward to get at being between the fuel tank and the engine block). Being late on friday we could not obtain one and would have to wait until monday morning. We tried and exhausted all the sources that both I and H had gathered over the years even Volvo didn`t have one in stock (according to theior computer). On monday I located one in Broadstairs and we taxied over to get it (It also turned out to be a friend of Nigels too as it happened). In the evening Nigel fitted it and at 0600 the next day we departed for Surrey via the Thames estuary. Sweety and H decided that they would like to go back via the four fathom channel, which has sand banks on either side. H chose the time of departure so that we could enter the channel on a rising tide which we did. Sweety navigated and took photos of seals on the sand banks and we passed Wapping police station where a friend of mine works (much waving from her) we didn`t stop and carried on under Tower bridge to Hammersmith bridge which we passed under without having to lower the Radar arch, we progressed up to the Richmond half tide lock which was just opening as we turned the corner at Scion reach, and into the Teddington lock. H had really sorted out the tides well, with no stops or waits for tiday anomolies etc. we arrived back at their berth at about 1800 and I was duly sent home in a taxi. Much enjoyment had by all parties. I am so proud ot those two having obtained their certifications achieving much more than they really thought they could do. I was treated like a king, and they were so grateful for my assistance that they doubled my fee!

Obviously I have flitted through the trip without as much detail as there was, but hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I did taking part.

Todays the day for a swim!!!!

I have been sitting on my boat in Brighton for a while awaiting a call to move the delivered boat farther around the coast, Tomorrow we are off to Hornfleur in the Seine estuary. This is as a part of our return to their Thames Mooring at Shepperton. I am sitting in the internet cafe net-riding for something to do. I have decided that whan I get back I shall take my boat out and moor a couple of miles off and swim for a couple of hours the sea is great and the sun is hot and I have nothing else to do.Yaaawwwnnn! what a Life?

Who`s got new memory then??

Not me my compbox! it goes like an express train and no more Blue screen crashes (so far that is).

Blogspot is getting tiresome

Why oh! why does it take two days for me to get a blog published these days???? "Why I Blog"

Why do I Blog now

Every day that I arrive at home I immediately check out my Blog and my e-mails. Often I am disappointed and have no comments or mails to read. I thought today was going to be one of those days, in fact it started off like that so I mailed a couple of people that I hold in very high esteem and received an immediate reply, so things were looking up!

I have been asked to skipper a luxury motor yacht for a few days and look forward to joining her on Thursday in London. During the last week I was also tentatively offered a job teaching sailing to non sailors and may consider that for the rest of the season. I am told that I am a good teacher, but who knows. I would have thought that as a single hander, mostly, my qualifications should have included a little bit of client relations as well too, but who knows maybe they are right.

I find that blogging is a great way or bringing together all that you have done and rationally re analysing just what sort of person one really is For example I have a great deal of experience in life as do most people of my age and take great pleasure at being able to assist where given the opportunity. On other occasions I obtain great satisfaction reading about others adventures half thinking to myself at the time “I should have done that in my youth” perhaps I still will?!!!!!!!!!! in the meantime its back to my task of checking charts and tidal heights as I have to get the vessel under a couple of Bridges and through a few sandy channels before I get her to the open sea (without going aground!)

I guess that I have become one of the many that can gain enjoyment by living through others eyes, by reading about their experiences and relating them to my own. I really hope that in the meantime I don’t become a bore and will try my very best not to do so and I do apologise if I already am.

Ever tried to ride a unicycle?

Many years ago! (isn`t it funny? I used to be able to say a couple of years ago :o))) I decided that to raise some money for a charity along with many others, I would try and ride my sons unicycle around the Theme park I ran ( don`t let my ex boss tell you anything different, he only took all the credit :o)) ). So I spent about four weeks hanging onto the washing line and generally falling badly on the paved area of my back garden. I never really got past being able to do a twenty metre burst which involved a spectacular crashing dismount. I did however raise about eight hundred pounds from contractors other Managers, and friends. I later found out that most of my staff had also donated to the sponsorship. How the hell my son rode it everyday to University I will never know but he told me it was great for "Pulling" (his words and nothing to do with my escapade you understand). I managed to get around the park but fell off about a million times much to the hilarity of my staff. There I was making a fool of myself for a charity! well £8oo wasn`t to be sniffed at was it?.

The previoust year I had announced that I would walk stilts around the same park, and manufactured a pair of stilts from 100 mm drain pipe, yes they were flimsy but they worked. I went up to the circus, with them, and "instructed" the owner to teach me how to do it. his immediate reaction was to laugh telling me that I must be mad, and asked how long I had got to learn.

When I told him two days he just laughed even harder. I asked him again but in a somewhat more subdued manner as to why he was laughing. He told me that he couldn`t remember how long it had taken him to learn ( Circus owners can usually do most things required to build a Tent and often several acts. the stilt walking amongst other things was used to fit the side walls of the big top) but it was a lot longer than two days. Oh well! I said would he try which he agreed to do. He went to get a coat and I progressed into the big top and started to put the stilts on, sitting on the fourth row of the seating. when he came back he showed me that I actually had to be seated at almost the same level that I would be walking at which was about 6 feet so, first mistake made, I moved onto the band box which overlooked the stage and was at the right height. He told me that the only way to the ground now was either by grabbing on to something and lowering myself with help or to fall badly so he directed me to look at the quarter poles of the big top and told me that traditionally Circus stilt walkers learnt their trade by walking from one pole to the next and back untill they were proficient .

Well I stood up, with help, and felt sick with the vertigo I took my first step and promptly overbalanced but was held upright my the circus owner. This isn`t going to be easy I thought.
W ell to cut a long story short. Eventually I managed to walk fully around the circus using the quarter poles for support and yes I did fall quite a few times (the pro wrestling helped me a lot with that) and I sprained a wrist, but dont you always?

On the day of the proposed fundraising I had, promised or collected, fourteen hundred pounds in sponsorship. My secretary had bullied all the contractors to give generously and the staff had come up trumps chasing their friends and families. I had spent an hour back in the big top trying to walk unaided and without the use of the quarter poles and found that I could almost get about unaided.

At the appropriate time for getting ready I was approached by the circus owner with a smartly pressed bundle of clothes. He told me that whilst I had defeated the odds in learning to walk stilts, I really didnt look the part and so here were some clothes to add to the illusion. The parcel contained a proper lenght set of trousers newly manufactured and a clowns jacket and wig that were the late Coco the clowns props. I was over the moon and with help got kitted up and out on to the start line which was the other end of the park. The circus performers all to a man/woman shook my hand and said how they admired my learning so fast, telling me to break a leg, can you believe it and they meant it too, and off I went. I headed for the lamp posts and made a late descision to miss the first one and see if I could make the next one and so on and all of a sudden I was back at the start/ finishing line. No I hadn`t gone the wrong way round I had actually completed the course. I was really chuffed, everybody clapped and sitting on on an Ice cream stall roof I regained my breath ( not from excertion put pure fear of failure) I went back up to the circus to dismount and rejoined the party later. I gave the stilts to the Circus owner who said that they were the best pair of stilts that he had ever seen (sicophantic old bu**er but I loved him!).

It was two years after when I was trying to think of a scheme for the next fundraising that I was told by my secretary that the sponsors of the previous years thought that catching a bullet in my mouth might be a good one and that they had only sponsored me to watch me get hurt. Now isn`t that unkind?? :o)) The charity got well over the fourteen hundred pounds that I initially raised and I thought it was time to step back and "quit while I was ahead" What a booring life it is now. :o(( not

Its my birthday today 62 years old and feeling like I`m twenty (millenia not years) Te he!

Where I am

Today I took delivery of my designated GPS thingy that connects to my laptop via a USB port. This takes the place of my Sextant and operates the position fixing aspect of my World plotting programme. It shows me where I am at any time on my electronic charts, to within a three metre radius anywhere in the world. Handy eh!

I ordered it yesterday and it was deliverd this morning thats service for you? When I think that my Sextant cost over five hundred pounds when I purchased it, and took quite some time to master. This thingy cost less than Thirty pounds and with little or no effort gives me an almost immediate fix. The joys of modern technology! (until my first lightening strike that is)

I am currently sitting in the conservatory installing the software for the GPS with three foxes (two cubs and the mother) sitting looking through the patio doors so I must go and feed them. I am cutting back a little every day on their portions of food so they will be encouraged to search elsewhere for their food, it seems to be working as now and again I see them chasing pidgeons and Magpies across the lawn and occasionally I find to odd patch of feathers from a successfull surprise attack)

I haven`t gone down to the boat this weekend and really miss it, I don`t like sleeping on land and don`t sleep well when I do. I will miss the gentle rocking of the boat and the whisper of the breeze and occasional unfamiliar noises associated with life on a boat. Not too unfamiliar though I must say as I am soon awake and out of my bunk to investigate. Im still suffering from my late life chrisis :o((((( Get your thumb out of your A**e and get on with life Rob. Just because you can`t post on other peoples Blogs anymore!!!!!

Always a circus performer

I was walking up to the top of my road with the girl from three doors down, she had a crush on me and was altogeather too familiar, but I walked with her because I wanted to show off to her my new light brown cordroy long trousers, that my dad and grandad had bought for me at Pettycoat lane the previous Sunday.

These were my very first pair of long trousers and were fabricated out of four pieces of corderoy and the grain didn`t mach on one front panel, I didn`t care and was very proud of them. She was on her way to ballet classes at the local church hall and her mum had said that I could walk her around there as long as I went back and told her that she had got there OK.

We talked about "not much" and as we approached the building on the corner of the road where my mum used to work, I decided that I would do my party piece. I had often tight rope walked along the top of the spiked railings and took great delight in frightening all my mates in doing so. I sprang up onto the wall and duly walked out on to the top of the railings. I could hear my companion saying don`t do it you will get hurt and felt good that she was impressed. This was easy I said my aim was to do it on my hands eventually. I took another step and my trousers caught on the spike and I overbalanced and missed my next step and plunged down onto the railings with a leg either side.

I was in pain and could hardly breathe my companion upon seeing the blood running out of my trouser leg ran for home to get help. I was suffering with acute embarrisment at failure and real pain at being impailed on the railings. I really didnt know what to do. To save myself any more embarassement I thought that I would go straight back home and ask my grandad what to do. Fortunately there was a rail further down that I could get my feet on and with my heel on one side and my toes on the other I tried to straigten up. I nearly passed out with the pain, I felt weak but could feel the spike withdrawing, with a slurp I was free and swung my leg over the railing and making sure that my shirt was free from the spikes I dropped to the ground. My legs collapsed upon impact and I managed to get to my feet.

I made for home and walked into the kitchen. My Grandad was sitting in front of the fire place with his pipe in full smoke and my Aunt Lill was just about to give him a cup of tea . She took one look at me and dropped the tea, ran out into the garden and locked herself in the outside toilet. My Grandad did no more than jump to his feet and in one motion he had his pipe on the mantepiece and told me to take my trousers off, my lovely new trousers, I hoped that I hadn`t ruined them. He went out into the scullery and with some hot water, clean cloth and some Disinfectant (Dettol) he started to clean me up, the pain from this activity was excruciating, I wasnt a sissy but I could not take it any longer.

He was concerned, he had seen many wounds in his battle scarred years and this was serious. The very fact that when he tried to hold the wound closed it spurted blood, according to him, meant that I was going to have to go to hospital. I was terrified, Not the Antivivi! I thought, its local reputation for everybody dying in there filled me with fear. I was starting to feel weak and Grandad gave me a cup of tea with so much sugar in it that I almost couldn`t drink it, he cooled it first and made me drink it quickly and told me that I was going to have to "get off to the hospital" (which was a ten minute walk away) He finished dressing my wound and somehow using a large piece of his old shirt rolled up with a knot in the middle, having plugged the hole in my inner thigh with another piece of clean cloth he successfully bandage me up. He then got a clean white towel and layed it across the crotch of a pair of my short trousers and made me pull them on ensuring that the towel was in position correctly.

All this seemed to take hours, in fact later, I found out that it was no more than five minutes for accident to dispach to hospital.

I left the house feeling embarassed I was now wearing a pair of blue thick winter short trousers with a piece of now bloody white towel sticking out of each leg. As I passed the girl down the roads house I looked down and kept going I was in pain and felt dizzy and knew that I had limited time to get to the hospital. I had seen it in a John Wayne film that my Dad had taken me to at the Super Palace in York road Battersea, he too was loosing blood and feeling faint, so I kept going I remember crossing a road without looking, something that I new was a definate no no but did it anyway. I walked passed the house of a now Transexual mate (thats another story) and up to the white stone pillars that were the Antivivi `s entrance. I turned into the entrance and started to flag, my feet were wet with blood and I had no socks on at the time, my shoes (Baseball boots from Bata`s) were full of blood and soaked too.

I lent against the wall that was on either side of the entrance road and passed out. I woke up on a table with a starched nurse talking to me. I had been found in a pool of blood (their description not mine) by an ambulance returning with another casualty. I had been carried into the hospital by the Ambulance drivers assistant. According to the nurse the large lump of "something" that was tight onto my groin was there to stop the blood from escaping and the Doctor would soon sort me out. I had apparantly perforated my femeral artery in a minor way but enough to cause come consternation. I was duly knocked out, sorted and discharged a few hours later.

My Dad arrived home and asked why an ambulance hadn`t been called and generally berated everyone more in a concerned way (as one does when you were unable to take part in any way for what ever reason) .

As for my new trousers, when I asked Grandad where they were, I was shown to the garden and they standing up in a corner solid with congealed blood, I was assured that they would never be worn again and that I could go up to Pettycoat lane the next weekend with my Dad and Grandad to get a new pair. When I finally met up with the girl three doors down she asked me if I was OK, as her Dad had said that I would have a "problem" with a wound in that place "You know OK! and haven`t lost anything?" I realised what she was eluding to and wished that I had said that I had, but instead said that all was OK and from that moment she wouldnt leave me alone, Whenever I saw her she wanted to see my scars. Rob aged 9 going on 62

Another selfish blog

I was going through some old photos the other day and came across some of my mother and one remaining one of me at the same age as Elliot, it started me thinking about my youth and a few rememberances that I had from an early age (about 7). I used to go up to the shop to buy my mums cigarettes "Players weights" and on this particular day I was returning back to home in Battersea when the local window cleaners 1932 taxi cab (with the perambulator hood) pulled up with its ladders on top, as a hearse passed . My father was sitting inside and the window cleaner (Pat) said we`ll be back in a while Grandad is at home with auntie Lilly waiting for you, and off they went. The night before I had crept into my mums room as I hadn`t been allowed to see her for the last six days, to just look at her and I noticed that she was lying flat on her back in bed fast asleep. My mother used to cough all night some times and couldn`t sleep as she was that night, but I didnt think anymore of it. I kissed her goodnight and as she felt cold I covered her up a little higher with the spare blanket. She had come home from hospital a week ago and I was so happy to have her home, even if I couldnt see her tor a while. The last time I had seen her she was waving out of the Brompton hospital as I had to wait on the pavement outside behind the fence.

I used the key on a string inside the letterbox to get in to my house went into the Kitchen where my Grandad was sitting, my Auntie lill was in the scullery making tea. I gave him the cigarettes and he thanked me and out of the blue told me that I wouldn`t be able to see my mum again and that it was all for the best, her best. I remember he had tears in his eyes and my aunt looking from behind the wall of the scullery was also crying. I asked why and told him that I didn`t want that and wanted to know where she was to stop her from actually going ahead with this.

He was a very brave man having survived three major wars in his youth and his hobby was amature boxing. He had obviously been left behind to break the news to me . I will never forget him for that and the way that he explained to me that my mum had gone to "live with God" as we all do eventually and that I would be with her again when I died. I obviously cried and told him that I didn`t want that to happen, and then the cold realisation about my last nights activities when I had crept into my Mums bedroom only to find her cold and asleep, hit me. She was actually dead. The Funeral crowd returned and I was taken off to Leicester to live with my aunt Vera who lived over a fish and chip shop in a rather nice flat with a scatty dog (a Daschound called fritz) I must have stayed there for about 10 weeks and then returned to my home minus my Mum, a Dad that worked from 07-00 to 18-00 and a Grandfather that was a lamp man on the local diggings. I used to creep out of the house at midnight to go and sit with him and share his tea and sandwiches, I loved him very much as I did my Father. In the later years when my grandfather had passed on I would sit and remember these times. The smell of parafin still immediately brings back the memories of the black that I used to be covered in after a visit to his particular diggings, where he would look after the lamps to make sure that they were all alight and doing their job like little soilders he woud say guarding the hole so no one would come to harm.

The highlight of my visit would be when he would let me ligh up a few lamps and put them in their positions, I felt really quite grown up, (I really missed my mum at that time too!) he had a small hut that had scaffold boards for a seat and an old coat that he used to wear if it was cold and often I would snuggle down in it and sleep until the early hours when we would go home togeather and I would have to get cleaned up for school, we kept it a secret from my Dad, our secret, that I had been with him for the night but later My Dad confessed that he knew all the time. I was seven years old when my Mum passed away and nine when my grandad died. From then on I had little or no real parental guidance , My father used to work all the time to keep us and pay the bills, and his occasional enjoyment would be to have a drink, and I went completely off the rails. I never attended school unless they were really on my case. I drove my father hairless, as to where I was, sometimes going missing for days on end. I became a ferral Kid street wise to the limit, a genuine "Battersea boy". "The school board man", one day, actually collected me from Richmond park where I was fishing instead of being at school (I was grassed up by the long suffering lady who lived upstairs to us) I loved my dad and during all those years that we were togeather he never chastized me, he would explain where I was going wrong in his gentle voice and put up with the flack from all and sundry about their window being broken by me, of how they thought I was out of control and that I should be "locked up" My dad loved me too, and later on, used to relate that as a seven year old I had ensured that both my Grandad and he had got to bed safetly on Coronation night after the street celebrations, They had both had a skinfull and needed virtually to be carried up the stairs to bed. (To be continued maybe)

A blog for me!

I woke up this morning having had a very bad night (it must be a full moon :o))). I read a whole book and a few pages of another by the time I turned in (about 06-20 this morning). I rose at 11.30 and went off to the café for lunch. I don’t do this often but today I felt a bit strange. I rather felt as if I was walking down hill on wet cobbles wearing wooden stilts (yes I can walk stilts up to about 8 feet high! why? Don’t ask!). With my fairly comprehensive experience in life (true or not) I felt that I was looking over the heads of people nearer the ground than me (not wearing stilts) and that my legs were moving more and more apart as I gained speed downhill towards my eventual, general demise. What a funny feeling it was, I guess that it has all been brought about by my late life crisis, the general demise being a wake up call to get my arse into gear as time is passing, Te he!! And then.

I met my very first “Christian” fundamentalist, believe it or believe it not, in the café I use when “in residence” He has been visiting the café for a very long time and keeps himself to himself mostly. We have talked in the past but never to any depth other than pleasantries, but today I happened to ask him how he was and he went into one about the state of the world blaming it upon the worlds religions (not his he added) whereupon I mentioned that I wasn’t a great believer only that I thought that religions were man made to control the world, in some form or other and that the resultant problems were incited by the Clerics to gain and retain power, through fear.

He really let loose at this comment and insulted my intellect and told me how very wrong I was and that his religion was the only true one (he is an almost life long Jehovas Witness with a short pre-period as a Catholic) I mentioned that I knew very little about his religion, only that I understood that it was “created by a mortal in 1914, for the very same reason that I stated and that it was one of the very latest cults.

Well he exploded and told me that I must have some intellect and that I should use it! Among other rather hurtful and defamatory statements that I won’t go into here. Phew!!!! I won’t indulge him again other than to say good morning and then very carefully :o)). I have to say that I found his belief commendable and similar to that found in the other fundamentalist religious groups. His eyes widenedbecoming wild and he quoted chapter and verse from his “cults” version of the bible. I agreed to disagree and ate my Lunch which I always enjoy.

If nothing else he blew the cobwebs away for me and I left commending his belief but I will never be able to understand the immense hold that particular religion actually has over their “believers”

I have to trip to Dover now to rebuild two Perkins 4108 engines and so will not be blogging again for a few days, Ho hum!

Fridge is still only 50% working but!

Well the frige is still working on 12v dc only but!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The water pump that brings the tank water to the various heads (WCs) the wash basins, showers, sinks and deck showers, has been causing the bilge to fill up with water. I have finally found the leak that was causing so much consternation and have replaced the pump with another identical, one from a friends stock (always have good friends if you are into boating) I have stripped down the ailing pump and it all looks good except that when it was fitted by an expert (not me) the tank side connection was "cross threaded" and obviously finally gave out. That was why I wasnt getting the usual running of the pump when the water wasn`t being used, which denotes a leak on the high pressure side. The low pressure side was running continually into the bildge without being easily spotted.

Yesterday the Engineer ( at my request) took out all my injectors (12 in number) and cleaned them and their sleeves up like new and refitted them using "copperslip" so they will always be easy to remove in the future. Why??? it seemed like a good idea at the time!

I am hoping to have the refrigerator working fully by the weekend but who knows, it all depends on how I get on in Dover and then France.

Tonight we had dinner with our Daughter in her local golf club and chatted about life and our lives in common I explained to her that she has bought me a U.S.B.- G.P.S. ( I finally grasped the nettle and bought one from E Bay, 16 channel and low usage!) for my birthday and that I was thinking of having my left eye operated on for Astigmatism (with a lazer or untrasound) ( sounds like I was having "all my teeth out and a new fireplace fitted" :o)))) and she has offered to contribute towards that too! what a generous young lady, she will make somebody a great wife one day! (Oh yes I do worry! but she seems quite happy, 35 and single???? or is it just for me?).

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Brighton and my birthday soon.

As my son is opening a new club on my birthday and my daughter will be in Milan again, I am having to have to put my birthday back (so Im told) so that they can both attend the celebrations! what celebrations?? I ain`t having any, why celebrate that I am 62 years of age and should know better? Anyway I am still in Brighton and the weather is georgeous, I have been given the crappy computer in the internet cafe as I am old and can`t use the compbox like "normal young people" :o)) On my left are wet coffee stains, now on my elbow, and I am on the end of a peninsular unit so that as everybody leaves, they stop and read what I am typing! what it is to be old eh ? Te he. I guess that they only want to help and make sure that I dont get into any trouble (Fat chance of that).

My daughter rang the other day to check out what I would like for a birthday present and I really couldn`t think of anthing, how about that! the man with everything, I guess that is true. I suppose I will get a shirt and tie from Milan in silk maybe from Gucci or someone like that, but I don`t get to wear them as antifouling greates a problem for the laundry :o)) AHHHHHH! I have just thought what I would like a GPS for my computer that fits the input ports. Yea!!!! that would be great it will go with my commercial navigation program that sits on my laptop and I could use it when I deliver my next boat as it will be totally isolated from the vessel itself. Yea! thats what I will ask for. I can order it from EBay and it should be with me in time. well thats £30 spent. (I do like spending other peoples money) I now have all the world charts on my laptop, so I can transverse the whole world :o)) (I wish!).

I visited the Brighton Pier ( the "Noble organisation" not known for their operational skills) the otherday for something to do and was amazed at the standard of maintenence and the service from the staff. I stopped to eat in a small restaurant in the middle of the pier and it was clean(in fact shiney) the staff were very pleasant and the food was great. I spoke with the manager and complimented him on his organisation, he came from london juging by his accent and thanked me for my kindness. he worked out that I had spent some time in the leisure industry and told me that, because of the language schools in and around brighton he had employed about 70% of his staff from this source and that 99% of them were Polish. There`s my answer it certainly wasn`t the "lazy brits" that worked so hard in the operation and kept it going so well but Poles. He also told me that he currently had two newly qualified Doctors and a Dentist working in his restaurant as a means of polishing up their already excellent english. No wonder he had good staff wih professional people like that working for the "minimum wage".

Well I am going to continue my walk around Brighton now! I am feeling a bit pissed off at the moment and need to take my mind of getting old and miserable. I guess a dose of Gnasher would soon sort that out!! te he!

I am off to Dover on Wednesday to strip down and recondition two Perkins 4105 engines for a friend. one for sale and the other one I am taking to Arques (france) to fit into a boat that blew his engine up a short while ago so it should be a full week. I quite like this sort of involvement as it gives me great job satisfaction when the engine fires into life and what was a wreck goes on for another 25 years.

The boat in Arques is on its way to the med via the canal system. he is another old man who has a dream and is making for Turkey where he has a friend and togeather they are off around the med for a while. he has had a spleen removed a quintruple heart bypass and and aortic embolsim sorted out (grafted with new) so he has but one chance he says! I am not so sure!
Oh well I have to go now as the clock is nearly about to close me out.

Well its 02.00 on Thursday morning and hot

Bored bored bored! can`t sleep! I should be on my boat! Still waiting for Haloscan to reply to my mails its been three days now! bloody useless crowd get your act sorted! Or is it me perhaps? How do I get rid of Haloscan myself and return to my old Blog. Anybody know?

Gosh I must be thick!

I have been about three days trying to get to grips with Halocan. I have finally asked them to remove all traces of it from my Blog and so far they have done nothing. its OK for these companies to set something like this up, but I do feel that they should give the service too. Its not good enough to say check the FAQ or look in the forum! what about the dingbats like me don`t they have a life too, shouldnt they be able to get some sort of reaction even if its just to set them back to where they were before the bloody program sodded it all up. come on Halobloodyshit sort it out!!!!!Please.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Look at Hannibals teeth! I can`t help thinking that he as been asked to "Pose" for this photo? What a lovely Fire truck I would have loved one as a child! 

Haloscan

Obviously, I have gone over to Haloscan now and I have lost all my previous comments! please continue to comment (by haloscan if necessary) I trust it won`t put you all to too much trouble
Regards
Rob

And here I am worrying about a frige on my boat and another 50 plus people have died in the war!!!

Get real Rob! Here I am worrying about a fridge on my boat not working and fifty plus people will never return home from London!

Now is the time for me to offer my condolences to all those left behind, not just in the U.K. but everywhere a war situation exists and the life of innocents is extinguished. It isn’t my way to offer any thought for those lost only to say that it make me very, very sad. My step Mother used to believe that here on earth was Hell and whatever happened to us after was Heaven. I am not so sure that I believe as she did. “There are no unbelievers on the battlefield” Ardie 78 Who knows I don’t.

Well the Frige is working on the 12 volt dc only at the moment so its 50% fixed and working OK on the boat batteries . the cause is the current selector that takes the 12 volt dc and the 240 volt ac and changes it to the correct wave 12 volts dc that will run the compressor ie it enables the frige to work on the batteries and the town supply (the town supply taking priority) what is happening now is that, whilst the control box that the saga was all about! Yes it was done! no it wasn’t done for about four weeks is now working OK but the Current regulator only works on the 12 volt dc and produces 9volts dc when on the 240v dc town supply which isn’t enough for the Compressor to work properly and so it automatically switches off. Soooo!!!! We now have an operating fridge once again. WooooooHooooooo!!!!
I would never have believed the inconvenience that this could cause (even if, in the greater plan, a small thing in comparison)
I will fix the current regulator by replacing it with another one that I just happen to have in stock, :o)) next week ish maybe !!!??? :o))

This weekend a couple of friends came to stay with us on the boat and I have to say that it was a very pleasant time . on the Saturday we rose early 09-00 and after coffee we walked up to the Cafe on the headland and had a super breakfast and then played 16 holes of Pitch and putt ( poor mans golf) I didn’t win so I won`t mention this again “its not about the taking part its about the winning” Ardie 76
In the afternoon a trip in the boat wasn’t on the cards as my friends wife gets terribly sea sick so I pumped up the dingy and we toured the marina for a couple of hours checking out the boats, arriving back at my boat a little sun scorched but ok. On Sunday we again rose early and strolled after coffee along to the harbour entrance wall and down to the end where there is a coffee stall (with seats) and indulged in a Skipper breakfast which includes black pudding and copius amounts of coffee and tea, until it exudes from your ears, Wow what a gorge!!!!! I swear I didn’t eat for a day after. On the way back to the Marina shopping area we passed the Bowling alley and decide to have a couple of games. I didn’t win this either so no more said I did however get my thumb stuck into the ball and nearly traversed the alley down to the pins. (won`t do that again in a hurry).

Whilst I was sitting waiting for my turn a “person” came along and mistaking my head for a ball tried to put their fingers up my nose and into my eyes until they realised their mistake (joke!).

In the evening we went to the Casino and wasn’t very impressed with it (lacking the atmosphere of Vegas/Monaco in any way shape or form) Whilst I have been a member for several years I haven’t felt the need to visit and I shall not do so again. We couldn’t even get a meal there unless we had booked at least a couple of days in advance.

At about 22-00 a couple of other friends from another boat appeared and finished off our bottle of gin having brought their own Tonic and we chatted on deck until about 02-00 on the Monday. They had also been to the Casino but had booked a table for a meal with friends and won £75-00 on American Roulette. Don’t you just love it???

Well that’s my boring weekend for what its worth I really do feel for those left behind but feel totally useless, not being able to do anything to help them! War is so bad in all its many forms!!!!

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Oh no! not the Bloody Olympics as well!

as if things arent bad enough! we`ve somehow managed to to win the bloody Olympic games hosting. Why! Why Us!!!! I can see it now! Poxy, Ken Livingstone arena, Tony Blair street.
Prescot pool Blahhhhhh! What really worries me is that we will go grossly overspent ( didnt we with Wembly and the Dome) and the nation will pick up the tab. Whats more the Labour Government will leave a trail of disaster just in time for the Tories to get in and inherit all the problems of sorting it out. We really have something to hang our campaigns on now don`t we Great Britain? we can`t even call it that anymore.

What a master stroke for Chirac getting caught on a live microphone slagging off the "Ros beef" That confirmed that they wouldn`t get the hosting, Like "lambs to the slaughter" we went dancing into the abatoir.

OK so we get to renovate a run down part of the City!!! who owns all the property around that area, capitalist! thats who! and who supports the Labour party the very same capitalists, lets face it they will support whosoever is in power at the time, thats how they become capitalists.

I`m really sick!!! I am positive now that the UK is sinking fast !

Saga of the fridge!

For the last four weeks I have been without any sort of refrigeration on the boat. I have only one refrigerator which is large and has an ice section at the top. A few years ago it crashed and I replaced a small electronic controller that takes the 12 volt from the main feed and converts it into the correct voltage for the compressor (basically made it work). I mentioned that it was on a boat so the manufacturers then charged me 5 times what it would be normally.

This time it is the same thing, so I mentioned it to a friend and that I was going to get a new "control module" and was immediately told not to as he knows an engineer that "can repair these items" I take it off and give it to him and it duly dissapears with the words it will be a couple of days (relayed from the Engineer). In my experience no electronic engineer would be able to repair such an intricate P.C.B without a drawing so I phone him direct and am told that it wasn`t needed. So far I have phoned every week to be told that "its on his bench being repaired at this moment" , and "I have given it to a specialist who knows these things better than me". "it will be done this thursday", "it will be ready next Tuesday", "Oh! I need an electrical circuit drawing" (didn`t I say he would!! What am I chopped liver??). Well you can imagine whats going on in the houshold (boathold)? I am getting stale milk with my cereal, Tea, Cofee, you name it and I`m getting it with it. Yes I have a perfectly good travelling frige at home, in the loft, but haven`t as yet bothered to dig it out as the main frige will be repaired "tomorrow"( yea right!!!). The cool bag I am using is OK but I forget to replace the cool thingies and have to go and get them replaced from a friend who also has a freezer only to be told that they defrost their frige a little, but "they think it will be OK!". That instills confidence in asking them to carry on freezing my "thingies" doesnt it? (not).

Bloody English Tradesmen. Yes I know I have been one in my time but I don`t believe that I would string anybody along like this Electrical engineer. My mates throughly embarassed by the whole thing and has tried to defend the engineer a bit but has even given that up.

I am about to order a new one from the manufacturers now (lead time 3 weeks) the bloody summer will be finished by the time I get it running, still I guess I am lucky that I can do these things? (or perhaps unlucky).

I reckon the engineer has so much crap in his workshop (and he does) that he has lost it. I`ll find out today as I will ask for it back along with the operating manual (which I gave him as well, and the address of the English suppliers repair shop and the Italian factory that manufacturers them) . I need it to get the manufacturers model number off it. All to economise on £200-00 is it worth it? Of course it is! but The Bloody english Workmen of today are really crap crap crap!!!!!
"simmer"! P.P.P.B.D.S.R.B.P.M.P ????? Well that engineer (with a small e) is anyway. Rant over!!! Frige still not working, B*ll*CK* Bloody engineers!!!!!!! Im going to take a six day course to become one it can`t be all that bloody difficult difficult!!!!! I hate being held to ransome by an incompitent like that. Shut up Robin!!!!!!!!! Well I ask you??? Shut up I said!!! see whats happen s now Im talking to myself!! arent I , Arent I?????? Answer me damn you :o)) Ah thats better I`m calming down now! Bloody english tradesmen, really piss me off