Departure and Arrival or Leaving there and getting here!

Week #1

 

Hey it’s another year and for your summers entertainment  here is the first chapter of this year’s blog!

 

I think I’ll start at the beginning. So a week ago I was messing around on the computer and checking out the Air Canada site to see if we could bring the two gummby suits to Ireland with us. For you who are not in the know. We were given two survival suits. These are the full blown neoprene 1 piece dry suit good for surviving even in the arctic sea.  Bright orange in colour and full floatation and inflatable life jackets to keep you face up in the water. To see how to use one go to my face book page.

Where was I? Chin scratch,,,,,,,, AC site. Welst looking for the checked baggage restrictions I stumbled onto checked allowances. Lo and behold (biblical for Holy Crapola) If you’re a serving member or former member or a vet of the Armed Forces you are allowed up to 3 bags each up to 70 pounds each!!!  Now Sally being a commissioned Officer in the Navy and I being a former member of the Army that at added up to a wopping 420 pounds!! Annnd no restriction on how much alcohol you could pack. This worked out to two gumby suits and did we get some looks checking them in. Can’t tell you how much booze as some things need to be kept secret.

Dave of Dave and Dianne also known as dumb as dirt drove us to the airport for 1900 on Monday the 29^th of May and we cleared in with absolutely no problems so we sat around in the airport people watching for 3 ½ hours then boarded AC flight 1908 which left a little late and had an easy peasy flight across the Atlantic landing in Dublin at 1030 ish on the 30^th of May. Cleared Immigration and got picked up by Sally’s brother Adrian who drove us to his place in Wexford. We stopped by Black Rock clinic to see Uncle David But he was getting showered and didn’t want to see us so we left. Spent the rest of the day playing catch up then toddled off to bed and had a very good night’s sleep. Good thing to!

Wed. June 1/17.

0730 wide eyed and bushy tailed and I got the look! So I quietly mozzied out to the kitchen and put the kettle on for tea. Shortly thereafter the rest of the house woke up. Have you ever really heard a house wake up? Me neither. I always thought they were just kind of, you know a house. 4 or more walls 1 or more stories with a roof of some sort and rooms inside maybe a basement, or maybe not. By now everyone in the house was up including Jasper the cat.

We had breakfast and Sandra was kind enough to drive us to the boatyard in New Ross so we could check things out. Boy O Boy big changes. 

Chapter two of week 1

We arrived at the boat yard to find a fence around the whole thing and the new office up and running with Denise keeping a watchfull eye on the coming and goings a yard full of boats and most important of all we had not been moved into the never going back in the water section!! Michael was his usual cheer full self and Sadie remembered us. We asked for and got the use of the little red car again so we could let Sandra get away and do what Sandra does.

Sally and I opened up the boat Well actually it was already opened and since it was a nice day we took the cover off rolled it up and put it in the car to take it back to the house to scrub clean and repair some spots. Put the sewing machine in the car to. We had a nice visit with Michael caught up with all the going ons had a walk about checking things out and then we drove home stopping off to see Sally’s mom. Had a nice dinner and 1 too many whiskey’s then at  1000 or 2200 we did the jet lag flopp!

Thurs June 1/17

Up! Earliish 0730 made tea out the door by 1000 drove to the yard another nice day so we installed the furling and bent on our 130% head sail and our Main  We look like a boat again! Put a new zinc on the prop shaft. ( A sacrificial thingy that stops corrosion when dis similar metals are in contact in salt water) The even work on land as I have never seen any corrosion on my shaft. We then drove to Longrade (not the correct spelling but I’m tired so live with it). Cleared out some of our stuff had a short visit with Collin, Michael, ( Collins friend) Holly (Collins daughter) and finally Lizzie ( Collin’s wife and not the Ax lady). Then another short visit with Sally’s mom then home for drinks dinner more drinks and crash at 2200. I could give lesson’s to a brick.

Fri June 2.

Much the same as Thurs June 1 got a later start and didn’t have a visit with Patricia as tooo tired.

Sat June 3.

Early morning Sally a slug a bed Got way around 1130 stopped at Aldi did a shop arrived at the yard and the Big gate! Was closed!! So we had to walk and carry our stuff. Magin that walk and carry at the same time.  Spent the day messing with the Duo Gen generator then it rained!! I got wet, Phooy  Quit while we were ahead and drove home in the rain short visit the Dunn’s for dinner and now finished this.

Sun. June 4.

We have the house to ourselves. Whoopee!! 0730 Up. Tea. Breakfast Eggs, rashers tomato’s and mushrooms.  The new went to work washing the boat cover. Finished that and left them out to dry while I drove Sally to Church and I went to a coffee shop and sat outside watching the scenery. Sally found me after church and we returned to Shearwater got the sewing machine set up and spent the rest of the day sewing patches and seams in the sun and listening to the wind pick up. Got every done and sally went off to visit her mom. So all in all a productive day.