In all probability it will be the last blogpost before I ship out of Tilbury with my mad-dog lascar Ady plus possibly Norman the Gnome and three chilli seedlings.
Read on.
SPRING
I have bought a box from Tesco-only 30 quid-and I'm going to keep all my spare bedding, mattressing etc in it and free up lots of space.
First the shed must be tidied.......and avid readers will know this is an ongoing requirement lasting many years
The grand plan is tidy the shed to the point of being minimalist, likewise the mooring and plant the surrounding area out like what Capability Brown would have done. Then prepare the boat for its BSS certificate (inspection booked for St George's Day) and job done.
The weather is on the up with more signs of Spring every day, though as the weekend approaches (22nd/23rd) the weather is turning wetter and windier. All the more noticeable after the last two beautiful weekends.
The Cowroast Lido flourishes with all kinds of wildlife settling in and it's hard to imagine life without it. I've been trying to photograph a couple of swans on the Lido against the sunset but they haven't read the script and being swans do anything not to please.I did manage to get a picture of the "Lido"at sunset published in the Berkhamsted Gazette (75p from all good newsagents) so its fame is spreading.SWANS-LATEST
On the subject of swans I am becoming increasingly confused.
You will remember that in the last post I thought that the lonely swan (missing its partner who flew into a cable) had either been reunited with its partner (restored to health by the PDSA) or had found a new mate or is on his/her own.
Now my problem is.....and you'll have to stay with me on this .... that I don't know if the injured swan has been returned or is still being treated or is dead cos the PDSA ain't replied to my enquiry. Nor do I know if one of the two swans is definitely the one that was left. I can't tell them apart. Add to this that I do not know the sex of the two swans now seen together. They might be male and female, two males or two females. They might be ,you know, thingy. Anyway, now it gets complicated.
There is also a new (or possibly the old grieving swan) swan who twice a day has a right Barney with one of the pair who chases it off with some force. It is reasonable to assume these two are males. What I don't know is whether the third swan might be the injured one returned either from the PDSA or the dead to find his bird, so to speak, nested up with a new bloke and thus got the right hump about it. Of course it might be none of them.
So there you have it in a nutshell:
There are either five or three swans.
One of them might be the repaired swan or the ghost of a dead one.
One of them might be the swan that was left behind when the other one got injured.But I don't know which one.
There might be;
three males and two females.
three females and two males.
four ma;les and one female.
four females and one male.
two males and one female.
two females and one male.
Or there might be the largest gathering of gay ( male and/or female) swans since swan-upping was invented.
I have sent a reminder to the National Grid asking if there is any news on fixing warning strappings to the cables over the lock. If I'm honest I fear the worst as far as the injured swan is concerned. The general opinion is that he/she has passed on to the Great Swannery in the Sky
Exhausted with swan watching a walk round Wendover woods was called for.
Before the walk an array of scooters wonderful to behold.I estimated there were over fifty and they all looked in tiptop condition except one that was obviously a new project.
A VAST BEHIND!
What's on the horizon?
Well I'm sailing from Tilbury on 30th March for foreign parts, loaded with limes and biscuits, gnomes and chillis.I am looking forward to the trip other than the mean scrotes who run the thing wont allow you to take any booze on board for a snifter in the cabin before dinner. I have come up with various ingenious ways of smuggling some illicit hooch but frankly can't be bothered other than for the enjoyment gained from a small victoxry over tyrannical capitalist running dogs.
I'm starting to think about St George's Day (23rd April) and the St George's party on 26th. What format, which charity...that sort of thing. Last year apart from a couple of proper charities we were able to put aside 60 quid in a Mooring Slush Fund.An investment that has earned 34p interest in a year.Yippee.
One of our moorers, Budgie, recently had a slight stroke while on board his boat and this got me thinking. Perhaps a donation to the local branch of the Stroke Association would be a good idea this year but also should we be thinking about our arrangements for getting the emergency services to the mooring (signposting,gate lock, the state of the path.) Hmmmm.....have to think about that.
Pleased to report Budgie is back on board and looks a bit more sprightly every day. Best wishes to him and Jan who has the task of coping with a less than perfect patient.
I recently received a very nice letter from the St Francis Hospice thanking us for our donation of 525 quid after our Christmas Gathering. When I can find a photocopier I'll stick a copy on the gate.
Bad news on the chilli front I'm afraid. Of all my original seeds I have only two rather frail looking seedlings and I fear life on board is not conducive to such horticultural endeavours. True I did move to quickly on my first three and transferred them to pots before they were strong enough but now they are all turning up their toes.I have planted another dozen seeds and will see what happens. If they come to anything they might have to come cruising with me round Holland, France and Belgium. They'll think they are little Stormtroopers.
Pam was driving me round the M25 last week and I was thinking I havent photographed anything interesting for a while when suddenly...............................................there was this fine looking chap travelling down the middle lane. I would love to have him on the moorings
but he is probably too deer.
I'd also like to mention a real bird hero. I was told of a crow that hangs around Cowroast Marina and depending on your viewpoint is up to no good. The nearby BMW dealer is slowly taking over the world. (sound familiar?) They park staff cars behind the Cowroast Inn, probably the main source of income for the pub nowadays and also in the lane adjacent to the mooring which is a bugger for us. Nobody seems to have thought of staff parking when granting planning permission for the larger building some years back or the Mini showroom added more recently.If the pub ever gets it act together, or is turned into a Bingo Hall ** and wants the parking back Lord alone knows what will happen. Anyway I digress.
Now BMW need somewhere additional to store cars and thus they rent space in the Cowroast Marina. The crow has taken a liking to the rubber window seals and wiper blades doing damage on a major scale. I'm sure they'll despatch the crow sometime soon so keep your eyes peeled for a flight of Luftwaffe Crows zooming in over the Chilterns with the sun behind them and blasting our thieving crow-shall we call him Rustle? Yes let's-out of the skies. Or perhaps Rustle does not operate alone and Helmut Crow and his chums might get a surprise. We shall never surrender.
(That's Rustle as in thieve rather than Russell as in Jane, Crowe or Bertrand)
Here's a strange sighting in the sky over the Cowroast Inn. Perhaps a plume of white smoke indicating a change off landlord? We know a change is coming but when?
THE BUDGET
** I mention Bingo Halls because the recent Budget made changes favourable to them and also knocked a penny off a pint.##
I thought the following was a spoof but I am assured by no less an austere organ than the Independent that it is official.
Amazingly condescending by our Etonian Masters, promulgated I understand by Party Chairman Grant Shapps, the same eejit who suggested using the canals as a linear Council Estate. He obviously hasn't taken a stroll through Rickmansworth lately though of course if he did I'm sure everybody would be at the pub or Bingo.
Even the Daily Mail had a problem with this one. Here's the link if you want to read more.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2584700/Let-play-bingo-Tories-fire-condescending-advert-highlighting-Budget-beer-bingo-tax-cuts-things-enjoy.html
##The penny off came just 10 days after the breweries/pub chains upped the price by 10p. This is the second budget running that a penny has been cut from the duty and the second year running the pubs have had a big hike in prices. At the time of writing I have not seen either reduction reflected in the price so why bother, George? There's no benefit to you as tax raiser nor to me as the consumer. And it's obvious the pub chains for all their handwringing don't need it-they just helped themselves to another 10!
Enough of the miserable world of high finance and time to pack my oilskins and telescope
But while I'm away on 3rd April Caz Nicklin's book will be published
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