Polly

Yes I did great minds .........

Well, I have to say that the patronising behaviour in the chandlers reminded me of the snooty dress shop owners in 'Pretty Woman'; they came unstuck too. re Fridge freezer, bicarbonate should sort out the ingrained smell. re. The armchair critics: I think the nicest part of this whole adventure is that you are doing the ordinary things we all might do, like cleaning the mildew or changing the bulbs to make the boat your own. We can relate to that, and enjoy the journey with you. As for the boys' toys, well, I admit to glazing over with the very Hi-tech list, but what do you expect from a saily? All the others will love it, and I certainly 'got' the power to fridge/rubbish battery provision line in the narrative.

Yuk! That took me back to childhood! My dad was a keen angler, (obsessive in fact) so there was a running contest between mum and dad about where it was ok to store equipment and especially bait in our small home. Mum's red line was NO maggots in the cellar, so when dad upset a pint of the little horrors into the coal heap down there, he decided not to mention it. Eventually they hatched, and we began noticing first a few and then a good few coming up into the house. Dad then had to confess and in the cellar we discovered the walls covered with hundreds of them, that was a nightmare too!

I wonder if a 'craft exhibition' might be a good idea at the Spring Gathering? Forum's got Talent! I

Massive fish!

Hmmm I think timing is all for next year's meet ups then Steve, perhaps an index number 1..3 on arrangement to meet texts indicating last shower?

Yes a true hero.

Good, keep them coming!

Forum Name. Boat Name. Number of crew Friday. Y/n. Saturday.y/n. Sunday . Y/n chameleon. mike and pat fri/sat/sun Bound2Please. Charlie & Wench Fri/Sat/Sun Windmill Lady , SteveO & NikO - Saturday Nipper Doug and Helen Saturday Night. Timbo, Ellie and The Beagles...possibly on Royal Tudor Maurice Mynah, Nyx, 1, Fri + Sat + Sun Cambridge Cabby. Cerise Lady. Simon and Kate .saturday/Sunday maybe Friday Retired---john & Bern--Fri/Sat/Sun Stranger. TBN. Dave & April fri-sun or sat-sun SteveD Cavalier 3 adults, 2 Jack Russels Friday N Saturday Y Sunday maybe Happy Jax 3, Jack Snipe, Col & Lou. Sat night only. Aboattime. Aboat Time. Kevin and Lesley. Fri & Sat Malanka, Martin and Fiona, Saturday Zephyr: Gavin, Cesar & Max the lab Friday / Saturday Stranger, Princess of Light Dave & April Sat-Sun

Yes, happy 70th

Great, Martin! Maybe Malanka could lead a C in C from Malthouse Saturday noon?

This is growing nicely!

Excellent!

Yes a very unusual and interesting programme.

Welcome Lulu, and many happy hours boating.

Time for a quick thread boost... New members are as welcome as old, er I mean established, um mature er... Oh soddit! Everyone welcome at this event, so feel free to sign up. Forum Name. Boat Name. Number of crew Friday. Y/n. Saturday.y/n. Sunday . Y/n

Maybe a resourceful member of the Forum could do the Blue Peter thing and create ice breakers out of lager tins?

Silly question!!

Ahh well the definition of madhouse is based on that wet shed, all barking bonkers in my experience. Seriously, we thought long and hard about what was best to do with Brilliant when we bought her. In the end we went with doing as Hunters Fleet do, and she winters ashore. The upside is we know she is off the water for the worst of the weather, and the downside is that we are unable to enjoy her out of season. If she wasn't a saily, we'd join the wet shed gang like a shot, but the mast would spend too much time lowered with weights on the end to be good for it....so no go.

Excellent news, when are you starting the turned wood cradle?

Hmmmm, ice and wood? Are you leaving her in a mooring that could freeze, most mad woodies afloat are safely in a wet shed? BTW 'wood' was another word for 'mad' in Shakespeare's Day, ...just sayin'

Thanks so much for sharing this adventure, it's the boat most of us would never afford to buy, but we can enjoy the process with you. I liked the details of settling in, changing to LED lights etc that we all do, bringing it down to earth in a practical way. The mega booze, but no screwdriver aboard was really amusing to reflect on previous usage patterns, too. You may not be bound for the Med, but from the East Coast, The Netherlands is a good option, as is Normandy, neither known for being too swelteringly hot .

Up at 6.30, we have had our 31/2 year old alarm clock staying with mummy while they get building work done at home. Breakfast and t shirt painting...as you do. Our creation featured trucks, mostly, but there was an added bird on a roof to cover a splodge, and a pterodactyl flying at the top of the design by special request. Later we managed a big red helicopter on the back, so it was deeply satisfying. Lunch over, it was off to soft play for grandad, to play basketball and drive the fire engine, as you do, while mummy worked online and I prepped the course I was running this evening in a school. Everyone was pretty tired by dinner time, so we all chilled out, then it was time to wave the family off, stash the toys and hit the sofa. I will miss them tomorrow!

A warm welcome to boating with soul. Brilliant is tucked up ashore with Doug sorting her ribs out. Her larch arrived today as did my receipt for payment of same!

Harsh that, adding insult to injury?