Two weekends have passed.  Henry has had his first birthday.  Celebrations with a new yellow ball.  Evening zoomy sessions now included chasing the ball up and down the stairs!  We sailed to Bursledon.  A bit cold but we all wrapped up well.

Bursledon looked lovely, as usual.

And guess who likes a little sip of beer!  That came as a surprise and had to move the glass quite a long way away.....

Very cold brisk sail back, but all was well.

I've been to Compton painting

Bitterly cold, but managed a few sketches.  Forgot to take photos of them!

Finished the oil painting session with Lee.  Disappointed in what I did, but hey, there's always another time.

Went to Newtown yesterday and more sketching.  Appear to have lost the photos of all that. I'm sure they are somewhere.  Next week could be Freshwater.

New coronavirus announced.  Just when we thought we were getting out of the mire! 

Make sure that you take care.

Again have been busy.  Vaccinations are up to date.  Been to see the family, painting and sailing.  Start with the painting.  Went to Quarr

The piglets at Quarr

Went to Causeway (Freshwater) bit cold and damp but managed a load of sketches. Then yesterday went to Yarmouth and managed to do a load of sketches there as well.  Weather was a bit brighter, and then got cold.
Two weekends ago we went to see the family.  Had a great time and watched Alice swim and then our final day was with them playing in Soft Play.  Watched a film with Alice.  She got on really well with Henry, although Beatrice was a bit nervous.  Can't put pictures on because Google manages to misinterpret some pictures of children.

Went sailing properly! to Gosport this weekend.  Henry loved it. 

Had the wind blowing in his hair and he was mesmerised by the moving water.  Not the best of dockings in Gosport but on Sunday morning we did a pretty sleek depart.  How come people only see the poor bits of arrivals and departures and none of the excellent ones?  Although wind was in the right direction for the return, we had no sun so it was pretty cold.  Wrapped Henry up but he was still a little cold.  On Monday we bought and offshort crew outfit for him (!) wind and waterproof and warm.  We will be trying that out this weekend if the weather stays as predicted.

 Been a bit busy. Painting, boat, vaccinations etc.  Painted at Osborne again, with Mike.  Although damp day we managed something.

couple of sketches.  Also sailing club on Friday, but too wet and windy so stayed inside and did sketching.  New painting course with Lee starts this Thursday.

Lots of fun with Henry.  (Doesn't work with double-barrelled name) and I think everyone in East Cowes knows about him or has now met him.  So many people just stop and cuddle him.  What a sweeetie.

Just chilling on the boat.

Introduction to the sea close up at the Esplanade.

Yep.  Met with approval.

Just checking that I was making the tea properly!

We're off to see the family very soon, so it will be lovely to see how he gets on with the girls - and vice versa.

 Things have really changed in the last few days.  Coping with the grief of losing Bertie has been awful and we made the decision to get another dog.  Made a search through the Kennel Club but none were available in the near future.  So made another search, carefully I might add.  A ten month old puppy came up and I contacted the owner.  There was a possibility.  However, just a few days later he confirmed that the sale could go ahead, but it clashed with our visit to France to collect the van. He agreed to hold the dog.

We were concerned about all the things we had to do in France and fortunately things went pretty smoothly.  We stayed with Paulette and Philppe and had a really good time.  Messed with the animals, went for good walks and ate too much.

Van passed it's MOT, filled up with cheap diesel, closed the bank account and Paulette and Philippe filled our van with fruit and veg.  We've been eating peaches ever since.  Fantastic.  The person who has moved into our old house appears to be rather unpleasant and having a quick look at the property, it looked like the local dump!  Good from our point of view because it definitely wiped out any problems of nostalgia, but not from Paulette's point of view!

Long drive to ferry port, but at least we did it in daylight and fortunately that we did, because we had problems at the port.  The form we had partially completed was incorrect - panic! However, a really kind port employee helped us sort it all out, even downloading the new document and arranging the covid tests online.  Took about 45 minutes!  On board as we couldn't get a cabin, we rolled out our sleeping bags, and for the second time in five days slept on the floor.  Not too good for old people.  We were dreading the arrival in Portsmouth and anticipated that we would miss the ferry to the Island.  Perry sailed through customsin the van and I followed shortly in the car.  Managed to get the ferry to the Island with time to spare.  

Got home and had about and hour and a half to get sorted before our trip to the mainland to pick up the puppy.  Had a bit of a problem finding the house.  Picked up the pup - really cute.  I think it was very difficult for the family to say goodbye, but I understand the dilema.

Back home all appears to be going well.  The dog did not respond to the name he had been given, I think because it was monosyllabic, so we added Henry to the name.  For a short while he was Henry-Jazz, but then we realised he responded quickly to just Henry.  So we have decided to stick with that name.

Henry appears to be very comfortable on the boat and seems to fall asleep easily with the movement.  He finds it no difficult getting in and out - almost as though he has always known what to do! No problems with walking.   He's got used to the feeding routing, and apart from a couple of accidents - life is good. We have started the engine and taken the awning off and he is ok with all that.  Next is to move the boat off the mooring........ hopefully in couple of days time.

I have also been painting.  Went to Osborne House with Mike and a couple of others on Tuesday.  Mainly because we didn't feel comfortable about going back inside to paint at Riverside.  So for the time being we will try and paint outside on Tuesdays.  I finished the course with Lee and have just a little bit of tidying up to do on the painting.  Will post later.  Was very difficult to restart painting after the last few months with Bertie and then the decision we had to make.

Perry has even gone back to do a bit of cycling.  

Take care everyone.

 Trying to get on with life, but it is very difficult.  We have done a little sailing to take our minds off things, but Bertie's presence is always there.  We went sailing last weekend, and managed to anchor for the first time, off Thorness.  However to get there it involved sailing the whole length of the Solent, only to discover we couldn't get in to Haslar, so had to sail the whole length of the Solent to Thorness Bay. (Had spent previous night in Lymington).  Contacted Bucklers Hard on the Saturday, but no spaces, only on a mooring buoy, so we went up the Beaulieu river and picked up a buoy.  Turned out better than we thought it would.

went for a walk in Lymington to the marshes.

Thorness bay in the morning

tied to a buoy in the Beaulieu river

We have decided to get another dog.  The house is so empty and lonely (and tidy!) and we really miss the companionship and fun of having a dog.  We have just started looking, but cannot actually go and see one until after our trip back from France to collect the van.

 Life is not a box of chocolates!  Not been too good this month, hence has been difficult to comit to the blog. Last Saturday we had a little sail/float up the river.  It was quite warm and a nice change.  Little did I know what was coming.

We had to make the dreadful decision about Bertie.  On Tuesday we took him to the vet and his was put to sleep.  Life was getting so difficult for him and he was becoming more and more stressed.  The doggy stroller was now just a wheelchair and walking was becoming just too much for him. We had known for the last few months that we were on borrowed time, but it has still been just the most awful week.  We both miss him so, so much.  He did everything with us and was just so much fun.  As the old adage goes, a house is not a home without a child or a dog.  So true.  It is just so empty here, and the boat as well.

To make matters worse, we lost a good friend yesterday, who had been fighting cancer for the last two and a half years.

Take care everyone.

 oh my goodness.  May was my last post and now we are August.  What happened to the time!  Well I went into hospital, so that messed up quite a few weeks.  Wrote of May and most of June.  When I was able to move properly we started going down to the boat, and at the beginning of July I got the go ahead that I could go back to normal.

Managed to get a couple of days in seeing the granddaughters.  Which was lovely.  We have bought Bertie a doggie stroller, which makes life a little easier moving him about.

We had a few short sails, then a few days with the RVYC, first meeting at Lymington and then moving on to Weymouth and Portland.

Portland Marina

Chesil beach

Needles on return




We used Portland as a base, and went out for a couple of days sailing in the harbour.  However, it was not only very crowded but very very hot and was pretty stressful for Bertie.  On the return Yarmouth was incredibly crowded and not too nice.  Some of the boats in there were just too big and would have been better on the moorings outside the harbour.

Weather has yet again become unsettled although we've had the odd day out on the boat.  Yesterday I was given instruction in reversing round a corner i.e. reversing out of our mooring.  Looks like it's something I must do everytime we leave the mooring.  If the weather perks up next week, we hope to go out for a couple of days.

Cowes week here at the moment, so quite a lot of chaos.

 Looks as though my last post was taken down by Google.  Suggestion being it broke some rules.  I think that may have been a mistake and since I can't remember what I said in the last blog, I don't know if I actually did anything wrong.  But yet.  Such is.  

Have managed to paint outside with Jo three times now, although the last one was actually outside because of the rain. Also I've been managing to sketch and paint almost every day, when I go out for my daily walk.  Some attempts have been better than others!  Additionally the RVYC has let us back to paint on a Friday, albeit outside, but at least it's a start.  Things should be getting back to some sort of normality on Monday, but as I will be going into hospital on Tuesday I won't see the first few days of the excitement.

Just remembered some things I may have posted that have been removed.  The family came down to see us and that was absolutely lovely.  Especially since we hadn't seen them since last October.  We even managed to go out on the Havenstreet steam railway!  Unfortunately it was very cold and damp for their visit, such a shame.  Hopefully we will be seeing them again in June.

In the meantime, everyone (including Perry who is the only one who reads this), take care and stay safe.

 Finally lots of things happening.  Lockdown starting to ease a little, thankfully.  We moved the boat to Island Harbour to have a bottom inspection.

Bloto at Island Harbour

Bertie resting in the heat.

Fortunately everything was absolutely fine so we were able to move the boat back down to East Cowes marina.  To our new mooring.

Look, we even have the boat name on the pontoon.

Can just see Bloto poking her nose out by the pontoon.

Following this, there was actually a day of good weather.  So we went out sailing!

Bertie very clearly enjoying the sail......

Considering it was still pretty cold, the Solent was packed.  Although perhaps this photo doesn't really show that.  Even Osborne Bay was packed and considering it was blowing from the North, it must have been really roly there.  Managed to get onto our new mooring safe and sound.  Now, unfortunately it's got incredibly cold again and the wind has been perhaps a little too strong for a gengle sail.

 And so lockdown goes on and on and on and.......

Not a lot been  happening.  Due to move boat to Island Harbour next weekend for a scrub off.  Will be there for a week then to our new mooring in the marina.  Hopefully then we will be able to legally sail and stay on the boat.  Let's also hope there will be an improvement in the weather, it's been very dull.  Just one sunny day in two weeks.

Still carrying on with ink and watercolour sketching.  If the weather improves soon, I should be able to go outside and paint, but at the moment still a bit cold.

 Yep.  Still in lockdown.  Getting a bit tedious.  We managed to get down to the boat.  Only supposed to go there for maintenance, still I think Bertie and I did our bit!

Lovely and calm, shame we can't go out.

Bertie working really hard as usual.  I think he may have dropped the scredriver somewhere, so he's passing the time thinking about it.

I've been carrying on with my virtual sketching tour.  Drawing sketch and then a watercolour sketch.  Keeping me sane, I think.

Perry is managing to do a lot of real maintenance work on the boat and we're looking forward to leaving the mooring.

 

We've been watching a lot of YouTube videos on sailing, and we're now experts - especially on sailing the Caribbean.....

Not long now, take care.

 Fortnight after last post, not a lot has happened.  Government has given us a roadmap out of lockdown.  So fingers crossed all goes to plan.  Have continued sketching and practising with watercolours, which has occupied part of the day.  We went out on boat on Sunday to recalibrate the fluxgate compass.  Unfortunately Perry didn't turn the calibration button on so we didn't manage that, but will try again next weekend.  It was nice to go out on the boat even though it was a very dull day.  I the river, the boats looked seriously beaten up by the winter rains. Sad.  Lovely sunny day yesterday, so we had tea and cake on the boat, oops sorry, maintenance of the boat.  That's the only thing you are allowed to do at the moment. However, very gusty.  Roll on spring.

 What have we been doing in lockdown.  Perry has sent a lot of time on the boat sorting the autopilot and some other bits and pieces.  And I've been painting, and painting, and painting...zzzzzz!  We've both now had our vaccinations, but it doesn't look as though things are going to change any time soon.  Long way to go yet.

Not the best photo, but a quick example of some of the stuff I've been doing.  Mainly messing with colours, but keeping up the sketching and watercolour sketching by doing a "virtual sketching trip", using photos of places I've visited in the last three years!  Take care.

we're in lockdown 3. Christmas got cancelled because we were only allowed one day with the family.  We had book a week in a cottage and Oxfordshire was showing high rates of covid, so we decided to cancel.  Long way to go for one day and into high risk area.  Then we all got shutdown!  Seems like we've been in lockdown since March.  Both of us are feeling a bit fed up now and fingers crossed we should get that vaccine soon.  In the meantime, I will try and carry on painting and Perry is, at this moment, cleaning the coooker - how desperate is that?  Take care.