Back for Christmas

We woke up as early as we could manage, following quite a hectic December. Th car was then loaded but we had to pop into town to collect the meat order almost as soon as they were open for business.

By 9:15 we were on the road, calling in Bodmin for a fill up with diesel at Asda. It was raining most of the day - not heavy but a little drizzle that made driving rather difficult with spray from other vehicles. Concentration was needed all the way, with just a short 'comfort' break at Sedgemoor. Fortunately there were no holdups - even the M25 turn off just before we left the M4 just slowed us down rather than creating a long tail back as can sometimes be the case.

When we stopped for fuel, Mike re-arranged the ladder in order to have a better view of the left side mirror. What ladder you my be asking? s the blog recorded, last time Mike fell into the marina water from the side of the boat and we became aware of jut how difficult it can be to pull oneself out again. So, in the intervening period we bought online a rescue ladder and gangplank made from aluminium. It is not quite as long as our original wooden plank but much more deployable and can double up as a rescue ladder.

Arriving at the boat after a longish break is always a bit unnerving - what may have gone wrong in the intervening time, especially in winter? Of course, this time the weather has been so mild that the effects of a freeze up were not on the list but there has been plenty of rain. The only significant item on this occasion was that the hosepipe had blown off the roof - fortunately we did not leve the tv dish still there!

As it happened, Mike had left the hose stretched out along the rooftop in order to make it easier to fill up on our return - especially of we had arrived in the dark (it being the Winter Solstice!). So only the last part of the hose had been immersed but its condition and that of the reel showed why we would not want to use a hosepipe after such an event. Mike managed to cut the pipe well above the waterline and there was enough, joined to a spare length, to reach the filler point. Without that it would either have been a quick trip to the shops or a lot of kettle filling!

We had brought most of our evening meal ready prepared so it was only a matter of putting jacket potatoes in the over to cook.

Texts from Three added to Christine's frustration as she tries to switch from her old mobile to the one that Mike replaced earlier this year. Surely issuing an unlock code (not needed with newer phones, of course) ought to be done in seconds but they seem to insist on taking at least a couple of weeks over it. To top it all, a spec call from their sales department, starting with a line something like, "Of course you have been having such a fantastic service from Three . . . " as a prelude to selling us yet more options, did not get the hoped-for response from this end! The caller's attempt to connect us with someone who might look into it was not a lot more successful but did result in another text saying that it will take another seven working days! They also left  a message on voice ail but the number to call back does not respond . . .

Calls to Windsor and Devizes established more details for the next few days. It now sems possible that we might even leave the marina by boat for Christmas and Boxing Days!