BITS AND PIECES

i found myself doing something I have not done since we left the house - ironing!!! How did this happen I asked myself - I had buried the iron very deep under the towels in the bathroom, hopefully only to be brought out for important things like making quilts. We have been using the little laundrette attached to the harbour building, and if I got the timing right I could fold things out of the drier when they were piping hot and miraculously get wearable clothes. However the demand on the machines was so great they have been replaced by bigger ones, and that combined with a back log of washing because of washing ropes instead of clothes meant a lot was crammed in and then crammed into the drier which was still the old size - result Dave's shirts and jeans came out like crepe paper. Mine were OK as they are all very old and floppy. So there I was ironing - learned the lesson, don't stuff the drier. The other lesson could be don't wash ropes, but the boat is going to Oban tomorrow for the final part of the survey, and although we love Henry to bits, he is a bit of a sooty old thing on the deck and we look a bit like an old coal barge. All washable, and despite his occasional burps, couldn't do without him.
The last few days have been really beautiful - very cold with heavy frost overnight, but still, blue days with the sun shining on the mountains, so lots of deck work once the ice had thawed - cockpit lockers cleaned and organised and cockpit scrubbed out - you can say it in a second, but it has taken a considerable bit of effort, especially as everything is a 'treasure' and there is only finite space. had the sewing machine out to make socks for the fenders, so now the topsides are not going to get scratched away, Dave has been around the boat in the dinghy washing the sides down - moaning a bit as it wasn't 30 degrees outside, only zero. I think his transformation from frog to prince is still in progress as he has been feeling the cold something chronic. In the evening I have to change into a light top while he sits huddled up to Henry in this thermal vest, thick shirt and jumper. maybe a big kiss will work this morning as it is St valentine's day.
we went out to the mooring the other day and i was talking to Rachel while looking out at the sun coming down and making the sky and mountains a beautiful gold, when we had 2 seals appear at the back of the boat and have a good look at us before deciding we were boring and did that graceful curved dive and slid away. In the mornings when we go into the pontoon we have been having to avoid a little duckling that seems to have become separated from his brood. He doesn't seem to be troubled by it and is happily doing duck things and diving down for food and coming up and shaking his head before going down again. He has been a regular for a couple of weeks now.
One for Kate. Been knitting this lace shawl in black one ply lace wool - 509 stitches and lots of fancy stitches and I have had no less than 3 wool breaks!! AAAAAArgh. It means tweezers and midget knots while not losing my place in the pattern, not dropping any more stitches and trying to disguise the whole lots. heart stopping as there is no way I can unpick this stuff. I don't know why I do it to myself. Knitting in the evening also gives Dave the idea I would be the person to untangle the ropes after they come out of the washing machine. I did suggest that there was a difference between 1 ply wool and 16 mm rope. He sighed one of those big ones that means 'I guess I will have to do it after all' and sets to work. I did however get the job of putting netting on the forward guard rails - surprising how long it takes to wind bits of string round and round and round.
Biggest news till last - we have planned to be off in March and have booked us into Swansea marina just before Easter. We are then going to hire a car and go to Oxford for Easter and catch up with babies before setting off for Spain. More later.