Let's start with work, boring I know but tax changes have meant that I can no longer be paid as a contractor so we have made the decision to close our company down. Now just the accounts to sort and we can be free, I was born a worrier and have never really been comfortable with the company another thing that perhaps has happened for a reason.
I continue to work two nights a week at Derriford Hospital and Mike is spending three days on the boat.
We have one full day together as a family and the other day is split in half before and after night shifts.
Our family, with Mia and Jacob's birthdays in March and Easter we have seen quite a bit of family which is always lovely. Seeing little ones grow up always gives joy and they develop so quickly. However, I also realised that you quite quickly become inept at changing those explosive poos! We were also able to welcome a new nephew at Easter a healthy little boy for one of Mike's sisters.
The boat! We had her lifted at Southdowns marina on the 1st April. And on the 4th April a fire broke out in the yard. One boat and one static caravan were lost to the fire with damage to some others, most importantly though there were no injuries. Ours thankfully was not effected but our thoughts are with those that lost theirs. A reminder that life is to short not to just get on. Mike is working 3 days a week on her (when we aren't galavanting visiting family) and progress is good although he keeps adding to the shopping list!
We have purchased another brass hatch to go in the saloon it has always been dark, it will also add ventilation. These are reclaimed from old tankers or ships by a company called Trinity Marine in Teignmouth. They have warehouses of treasures from these ships not one to take the children into though!
We have a new transducer to put through the hull for our forward facing sonar.
The interior fit out........... Cupboards to put everything safely whilst at sea and minimising our belongings so they fit.
We have got antifouling to apply and the topsides need a bit of fairing and painting. We hope to get the masts down so we can sand and give them some more varnish. So much to do and all you can see from the campsite is boats sailing across the bay!
The weather has been really kind down in Cornwall due to this high pressure, although my grass seeds are no longer sprouting. We are using our National Trust Handbook to explore little known places. I am writing this while the children are playing at Lanaloss Cove, which is worth the walk, bluebells and wild garlic blooming all around. We visited Wembury in the middle of March which was also glorious. Little adventures whilst our big adventure is being planned.
(ssssshhhhh and I don't have to go around Beaulieu this year to look at rusty old boat bits)
We hope this blog finds you well,
all our love
The Pirates