Displacement activity

The weather is appalling today; I am missing the canals dreadfully but there's not much point travelling up to the boat when it's this grim outside. So I am making the most of my downtime and getting creative: this is the signwriting on the rear panels of Caracol...

...and here is one of the tie-backs I am making to tidy up the curtains in the front cabin of the boat, when we get back to it...

...and this is the view from the kitchen window today.

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside...

...when the seafood is as good as this. This was halibut with smoked bacon, kale & leeks in a creamy oyster sauce. Hic!

Happy Birthday tooo meeee....

Thanks, everybody!

Birthday Flowers

Look what arrived yesterday!!! They're lovely. Thanks, Mum!

Another non-boaty weekend...

...mooching about. Spring looks as though it's nearly on its way, though.

Valentine's Day

Nothing boaty to report: the weather has been so grim that we've only managed one brief trip, which was a quick scoot down Stockton Locks and back again last weekend. But Caracol survived the snow and the big freeze, the days are getting longer, and we've got another year of cruising to look forward to. On Sunday we took a trip to the new exhibition at Dover Castle... very impressive indeed. The whole of the tower has been 'dressed', even down to the cellars which were my favourite bit.

Another flying visit to Caracol for some maintenance and a quick trip down Stockton locks for lunch at the Blue Lias. Much busier than last time we visited - so we didn't have to tap on the window to get the barmaids attention to open the door from the garden this time. Apparently they don't routinely open the back door through the winter. First time that the spindles on the lock gear have been bright red with rust rather than shiny metal. Looks like the cold weather and stoppages have really reduced the traffic.