Thursday, 29th July

Early morning view from the boat


The summer cruise is well and truly finished. This morning I offloaded all the cruising gear and gave the boat a thorough clean. The friendly Rice and Cole boatman helped me put ’Ladybird’ on her new mooring which is closer to the jetty than the old one. One of my daughters arrived in the car at a prearranged time and we put all the bits and pieces in the boot.


The first day back ashore has been exceptionally busy, because not only have I had to sort out the cruising gear, but I have been in demand for driving family members to and fro. (I haven’t driven them mad, neither have they caused me any hassle.)


It’s good to be back home sharing all the news and getting into the routine of being on terra firma. There have been times when I stepped ashore and the land was moving all over the place, particularly in a confined space like a shower. Regaining my shore legs is not usually a problem, because I’m seldom onboard for more than two days at a time, and when I’m able to get ashore I enjoy walking to sample the locality, to take in the sights, and to see those things that interest me.


My Sony Cyber-shot 7.2 mega pixels camera has been a really useful tool. More recently I’ve been exploring the different modes for taking photos with the camera; for example, this morning I took a low light photo of an early morning view from the boat, looking towards the shore.


Perhaps tomorrow I‘ll be able to find time to put together a few thoughts about the summer cruise.


I have yet to make a decision whether to sell ‘Ladybird‘, as would be the case if I follow my usual pattern of owning a boat for two years, then taking on a new boat project; maybe building one, renovating one, or getting hold of another boat for improving her and trying her out..