Cleaning!

Give us a kiss darling!!!!

View From The Window

I am very lucky that we have some wonderful green space all around us at work. If we look out of the windows we quite often see deer, foxes, woodpeckers etc. My office looks out over a courtyard garden and I get to see a great variety of birds. Colin, our plumbing instructor, has put these bird feeders up in my window to try to encourage them to come a little closer. It is great for the lads I teach as many of them come from towns and cities and have had a tough life, so the countryside offers a little bit of peace.

I have had a giggle this afternoon. A blue tit was rifling through the seed feeder throwing seed everywhere until he found a peanut. He flew off, ate it and promptly did it again. More seed on the floor than in the feeder now!!

Other Peoples Junk

One person's rubbish is another's treasure ......

Bonnie and Bonnie

I've just spent a lovely lunchtime with Jolene and Bonnie having homemade soup and cake at Tea by the Sea in the sail loft in Tollesbury (I know, what about the diet I can hear you shout!) But it was a coconut and lime drizzle cake, so obviously very healthy with all that fruit! The tide was in so it was difficult to get a picture of Bonnie on Bonnie, so you have the next best thing; Bonnie next to Bonnie! Also another photo just so you can see how beautiful she is. And so good, she slept all the way through lunch, I really don't know what Jolene means about her crying!!!! I don't have a picture of Jolene and Sam, so here is one of her with my eldest son, Philip. You can really see that Bonnie gets her good looks from her very proud mum!

Happy Mothers Day Mum

Mum and Dad have gone on holiday, which means I am not going to get to share today with my Mum :( But I am going to Rob and Emily's for dinner, so no cooking or washing up for me :) (not that I'm doing any of that at the moment anyway!). Stu is working and Phil is away skiing, so a quiet day all round. But I would like to wish my Mum a Happy Mother's Day and tell her how much we all love her. I hope you got a cup of tea in bed, as I gave Dad strict instructions that he was to make it!

Party Pooper :(

Yesterday I was told off by the doctor for going to work this week and not giving my foot a chance to get better. Now I am under strict orders to keep my foot up and Pete is making sure I do! (Don't tell him but I will do as I am told as my foot is actually feeling worse!). Anyway, I missed Dave's 50th birthday party last night and tonight I am going to miss Chris's 50th party. Happy Birthday guys! I was supposed to have next week as leave to get the allotment ready and now I am on the sick! Can you tell yet that I am feeling sorry for myself!! Worse still, there is no chocolate anywhere on the boat to console me!!! Please can someone please tell Pete that, even though I told him not to get me any no matter how much I begged because I am on a diet, chocolate is very very good for an infected foot!

Exciting News!

Stuart and Kerry were going to get married next year, but the other night we got a call saying that they had decided to get married this year. Actually on 29th July. Help! That's only 17 weeks to lose 3 stone, get a dress and a hat and get enough Botox and liposuction to look like the glamorous mother of the groom that I see in my head!!!! Thought you might like to see a picture of Leez Priory where they are getting married.

Getting Ready

I have managed to get an infection in my foot, so I am confined to barracks so to speak! But being stuck does give you the opportunity to catch up on some of those things that you are always going to do later. One job was sorting out my seed boxes and seeing what I need to buy for the growing season. The big box is veg seeds, the small box is for herbs and the round tin contains flower seeds. For mum's birthday last year I got her a year's subscription to Amateur Gardening magazine (the deal being that I get all the free seeds that she didn't use and the magazines when she had finished with them!). Nothing like thinking of yourself when buying someone a present! Anyway the good news is that I don't need to buy any seeds this year and I can probably supply most of the other allotment holders with all their seeds too!

Visitors at High Tide

When there is a high tide we become an island (Pete's van is just about okay but the other car is very definitely under water!), so there is only one way for people to visit. The pictures are of Billy leaving and Alex arriving. You can see why I want shares in Yorkshire Tea!!!!

Welcome Bonnie

We have a new little Bonnie! My (almost) daughter Jo, and her partner Sam had a little girl just over three weeks ago and they have called her Bonnie. I have just spent the last couple of hours giving her the most wonderful cuddle. She is so cute! And of course it gave me the excuse to tour the shops looking at girlie things! I didn't think to ask if I could post a picture on here, but I will ask as I am sure you will all fall in love as well.
It is chucking it down with rain outside. Although it is lovely to listen to the rain whilst snuggled up in the warm and dry, there are some disadvantages to living in such a small space. You end up living in the nautical equivalent of a Chinese laundry!!!!

Barge Update

One advantage about living on a boat is that you can see where to make improvements when building the next one. The recent snow proved the need for underfloor insulation, so that is what Pete has been doing. He has also started building the framework for the heads (bathroom). I got a bit carried away and started touring the bathroom shops, nothing like forward planning! I am going to have a big butler sink in the pantry which will be okay for bathing Alfie (which he loves, strange dog!) which means we will have just a shower in the bathroom. Being somewhat lazy, I am beginning to think that a wet room is the way forward, as shower screens need cleaning!!! Has anyone else got any experience of a wet room, if so what do you think?