Thursday 31st March
Our first morning on board, we rose fairly late and had a breakfast of muesli bars. Mike checked the main gas bottle which, amazingly, still contained gas, so he re-connected it and we could make tea and coffee. I took all the upholstery outside and beat them with a carpet beater and gave the interior another clean. The weather is lovely and what, I believe, what most people would consider utterly perfect – bright and clear with some warm sunshine. The young and hardy are sporting shorts and t-shirts but the rest of us need a light jacket or cardigan.
At 1.15 we walked to town, stopped at a cafe for a drink and divine ham and cheese baguette sandwiches, bought a new rope (our mainsail outhaul line has been badly frayed), a French sim card for the mobile phone (investigated mobile broadband but pay as you go is too expensive), exchanged our spare gas cylinder for a full one, and finally went shopping at the supermarket for basic stuff like rice, spaghetti, flour, salt and spices. We managed to find clothes hangers, one pot (the only one they had with a lid) and one frying pan, and the last two pillows. Fearing our cases would be too heavy, one of the things we had removed at the last minute was a set of cutlery thinking they would be easy to replace - but no such luck. On board we found one knife, one fork and a couple of spoons. That will have to do for the moment. The good news is that whisky and wine are cheap, the bad news, everything else is expensive. (I foolishly paid the enormous bill by debit card, forgetting that we had cleared our account drawing euros. I tried to get them to credit it and let me pay cash but she said it was too late. Yikes! Now my dear sister Lucy is helping me out with the bank in UK.)
When we’d nearly finished, we telephoned our friend Helmut and asked him (his wife actually as he couldn’t hear me on the phone) if he could collect us. Yes, that was fine, and he did come but half an hour later than agreed. When we’d unloaded and we asked his charge, he growled, deadpan, “€500” and this time we laughed uproariously. Mike got his wallet out, but Helmut now waved him away, saying ‘demain’ – tomorrow – got in his car and drove off. Our Helmut obviously takes a bit of getting to know, but it seems his heart is good - thoroughly weird. It was 6.30 by the time we got home and were both exhausted.
Mike had oiled the frozen padlock the previous day and today he could open the cockpit locker and retrieve our hosepipe. He now washed the deck and cockpit again, and dropped the foresail. I fiddled down below and put everything away.
Too tired to cook a proper meal, we ate bread, cheese, olives and an artichoke for dinner. I drank my whisky and Mike had wine. It was a beautiful warm evening. And the sky - clear, deep blue, spotted with early stars. How I have missed the sky! Now I know why I love being on the boat so much. The sky is just there, all the time. You don’t have to go looking for it. You can’t miss it. Forever is cleaner and getting more comfortable, and I am adjusting, getting happier by the day. There are a few mosquitoes about, but not biting.
A half hour after eating, Mike lay his head down beside me and fell asleep. I went to the ablution block alone, which I don’t care to do late at night, skipping quickly through the dark shadows cast by hundreds of boats. Not afraid, I was nonetheless glad to get back to Forever. For middle of the night excursions, we have a bucket, which Mike empties and washes in the morning.
Friday 1 April
Good news! I found the shoes. Hooray, they are both so nice – a pair of slops (ideal for around the yard and in the shower) and a pair of sandals. They were in an unsecured pocket in another suitcase, so I have still to figure out what was in the other pocket which was unzipped and flapping open when it came off the conveyor belt.
Taking a shower this morning, there was a masculine cough from the booth next to mine. I really don’t mind the blokes using our showers (it is one way of meeting all your neighbours), but it means you have to dress inside the booth, with a very wet floor. Tricky business putting wet feet through knickers and trousers without getting them sopping, and making sure you don’t drop clean clothes all over the floor. I have checked the shower situation with Mike, who uses the men’s. He assures me they are perfectly alright. I had a look myself. In fact they are newer and nicer than ours and both toilets even have proper plastic seats on them.
There’s lots of work to do and we are marching through it. Mike works hard all day which is a nuisance as he constantly wants me to assist in everything, but it makes a nice change from watching tv all day, usually from behind closed eyelids.
I am using the wifi connection at our new restaurant. We are told it is free, but of course it isn’t completely. You have to have a drink, so an icy cold diet coke goes down very well.
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