With A Little Help.....

I put out a call for help yesterday to all my boys.  Pete had a load of wood delivered on Friday and needed help moving it to the barge.  All three answered, offering their help.  Phil worked last night so couldn't get here til the afternoon, but the other two boys turned up at 1030am ready to work, some feat considering the hangover that Stuart had!

Having shifted the pile of wood, they then helped with a large sheet of ply that was destined for the roof of the 'aft deck companionway'!

I am lucky with all the men in my life!

New Toy

As you probably know, I have been having problems getting a signal recently and it was getting very frustrating.  I like to come home from work, have dinner and settle down to read my favourite blogs and surf for new ones (I am a bit of a blog tart!).  With no signal I have been condemned to black and white war movies, programmes about WW2 and other really obscure programmes (Pete's choice!).  It was time to tackle the problem once and for all.  So I bought myself a new toy......

My phone was due for an upgrade and, with my discount, the iphone and ipad package was about the same as I had been paying previously.  I am not really up with technology, but what a piece of kit this is.  I am so impressed and can see that it is definitely the way forward for the future.  It is easy to use and clear to read (especially when the eyesight is beginning to fade!), although I do find it spooky that my phone, computer and tablet can all talk to one another!  It can also be used like a Kindle and I have been downloading several free books, not just fiction, but recipe books etc.  I am now revisiting Little Women, which I adored as a child and has not lost its charm now I am a little older.  Hopefully now I can blog a bit more often and comment on all my blogging friends posts.  Well, I have to sign off now as I have to go and play! 

Wind and Work

Along with the rest of the country, we have had some serious winds.  There was a mini tornado that whistled through the village causing destruction - starting in the Marina by dumping a brand new 30' Etap into the chandlery and ripping off roller doors from the shed, moving on to the flats and placing a shed on to a car and then a couple of factory roofs wrote off a couple more cars and so on up the village.  I have just been up to the allotment and discovered that my greenhouse is no more.  The damage has actually come from the neighbour's shed that was not secured down properly - very annoying since it was entirely preventable.

The wind stopped work on the extention for a couple of days, but Pete is back to it now and this is how it is looking right now ...

Hopefully, weather permitting, we should have a roof and walls by the end of the day.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Okay, I know I am a bit late with the Merry Christmas bit, but this is the first time I have had a signal in over a week.  I hope you all had a great time.  I certainly did, spending both Christmas and Boxing days with all my family, you know the score - eating too much, laughing at things that only families can laugh at, playing silly games, remembering Christmases past and those not with us any more etc etc - great times.  However,  boys if you are reading this, I'd quite like some grandchildren to spoil next Christmas!!!

Pete has been really busy over the holiday period building the extension!

This is what we fondly are calling the back porch (what on earth would you call it on a boat?!!).  The extension will have double doors and cupboards for coats and shoes.  The reason for this is so that we can bring the staircase right back to maximise the illusion of space below.  Today (if it stops raining) Pete will be building the wooden frame - more pictures to follow.

I would like to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR and hope that all your dreams come true xxx

For Carla

I am sorry that I haven't posted for some time but I haven't been able to get a signal and although I can read your blogs at work and comment on some, I can't actually post on my own blog from there. My cyber friend, Carla Yvonne ( http://anthonetta.blogspot.com/ ) who lives on a Dutch barge with her husband and travels around The Netherlands, asked to see a picture of the shape of the barge.  So here it is.  It is very much a 'work in progress', there is a back porch to go on yet and we intend to break up the line of the upper front deck with some sort of railings.  We will eventually have a 'lid' over the entire aft deck, as, in the UK, it is either too hot in the summer or chucking it down with rain!  With a lid, we can use the deck all summer.  We have been given two lovely great big portholes and are trying to decide where we are going to put them.  Any suggestions?

Mushroom and Cashew Stroganoff

I seem to have a thing about mushrooms at the moment,  I can't get enough of them!  As I type, I am waiting for some stuffed mushrooms that are cooking in the oven for my dinner.  This is another of my very quick, cheap and healthy mid week specials.

250g mushrooms
150g unsalted cashews
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp paprika
200 ml veg stock
100 ml low fat creme fraiche

'Toast' the cashews for a few minutes in a dry frying pan, remove from pan.  Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft, add mushrooms and cook for 5 mins.  Add paprika and stock and simmer for another 5 mins.  Add creme fraiche and cashews and simmer for a further 3 minutes.  Serve with tagliatelle or rice.

No picture I'm afraid, so you will have to trust me that it is delicious xxx

Mast off - Season Finished

This is Moana, the boat that Pete sailed at the weekend.  Today Mouse took her out of the water, took the mast off and laid her up in the Sailing Club car park.  When the car park is full of yachts that's when I know that summer is definitely over.   Still, we have the Laying Up Supper to look forward to in a couple of weeks.  Will have to dig out the posh frock!