Last Couple of weeks

Well that’s me (Andy) all but finished work. Need to go in on the last day (this Friday) to hand in my laptop and pass, get my epaulettes ripped off and marched into retirement. The last weeks have been a bit of a Party session (one of my work colleagues said that my leaving made an Indian wedding look like a rushed affair!). One of the guys doodled a brilliant picture for me.

While I was off drinking , Jenny was busy completing her dive qualification ( look at those curves!!!!)

Not only did I have 3 work do’s but Jenny and I also had a bash to say goodbye to family and friends in Dunblane.
We put up the marquee and our good friends Mike and Lynn along with Geoff and Moira all came to help. Then it Snowed…. We are sailing north in 2 weeks and it snowed! Spent the morning clearing the snow off the roof. Think we had 100 people through the house. We did not realise we knew that many people ( we are sure a few left then came back again!). needless to say I had a very sore head the next day!
Below are a few pic’s

Back to the boat preparations. We managed to find some neat solar panels at last years boat show that are designed to go on your canvas. They have small pins that hold them in place. This way we can have them on the spray hood but then move them to the bimini when we get into warmer weather. We have put in some triple layers of fabric to stop them ripping out in high winds. Hobnob’s proved to be a vitally important ingredient in getting the fixings placed properly, thanks Robin for all your help!

Down at the boat over the next few days to finish off getting ready. Second car load stuffed to overflowing. Need to get it done as the car goes back next week.

Pleased we managed to get the canvas up today. A bit like rebuilding a car when you put the engine back in. It’s a key part and somehow she is not our boat until it is in place.

There was one casualty during all of the prep work – ships Parrot. The UV killed the rubber band that held him up.

He was rushed to intensive care ….

I am glad to report that he has made a full recovery.
So that is us fairly well packed , every locker is full , all the under deck storage is stuffed with everything from dive gear to power tools (yes , you never know when you need a good power tool). The PLBs have been attached to the life jackets and the MOB alarm system is in place (Bernie – that is safety stu(ff!). Even managed to fit in a wee generator ( Thanks Keith). Stern anchor and drum has been fitted ( in case we try any of this Scandinavian style mooring). Still a few jobs to do , but they can be done on the move. So I hope the next post from us will be of us setting off . Cheers