New blog to follow http://www.failingsailing.blogspot.com/ Edi has started this blog to follow his adventures on Crazy Daisy sailing around the globe :o) Follow and enjoy his crazy adventures…

WHY, GUNS, WHY ???

A friend's recent facebook post made me think of something disturbing… Going back about fifteen years now… When I first moved to America. I remember pushing my cart around a supermarket in Tennessee with my Mum, when I was shocked to see an isle of guns and ammunition, right there between the isle of care bears, kids toys and kitchen equipment!!! And this wasn't just guns,it was rifles, shot guns, hand guns, knives, all sorts of weapons and ammunition, anything you could possibly want if you wanted to KILL something or someone… (why else would one want a weapon?) I have to say that I remember my Mum and I looking wide eyed at each other and wondering where the hell we had just moved to, and how quickly could we get the hell out of here? Quite obviously it seemed, we had just moved to a country of serious violence, where any Tom, Dick or Harry could just waltz into any supermarket, buy a hand gun over the counter without so much as a "by your leave"!!! then go out and shoot or kill whatever or whomever they chose… In England there are so many procedures, laws and requirements one has to go through to obtain a weapon, it is never as simple as a quick trip to your local supermarket! I can't help at this point reflecting upon the many horrific tragedies over the past fifteen years that have occurred in various states because of lunatics let loose with guns. How many innocent people have suffered the loss of a loved one through some maniac who went beserk with a killing machine that he probably bought in a supermarket. I truly don't understand the American obsession with guns, and this 'right to have a gun', why, WHY ? honestly?… Guns kill or maim, WHY should anyone have the right to own something that can do this??? Perhaps my understanding of this 'right to bear weapons' is alien to me because I'm British, thank God we are still a peaceful nation over there… Yes, I know that England has it's fair share of violence, but it's not like it is here in the States. Everything from America crawls across to the UK eventually, I just wish weapons weren't one of those things, but I know they will in time... It makes me very nervous...

A Very English Thanksgiving!

There's actually no English Thanksgiving, as I'm sure you're all aware. But then when we Brits live here in the States we have to take advantage of your holidays too, and Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity to get family together, eat and drink to excess and be quite merry, and we did… Sadly, without Edi who was still in California, and Bob who is in Grenada getting Daisy ready for the circumnavigation. So it was just me, Nic, Sam and Danni, but we still had fun. Sam helped with shucking the oysters and making us all cocktails while we cooked. Nic made Oysters Rockafella for our appetizer, which were absolutely delicious, and Danni found a pearl in one of her oysters. I made the entree, Roasted Goose with a port and cranberry dressing, green beans in hollandaise, twice baked potatoes with pureed parsnips, roasted sprouts, roast parsnips and chestnut and date stuffing. Danni decorated our humungous Thanksgiving cake made of coffee, chocolate and Scotch whisky decorated with shaved white and dark chocolate over a rich creamy Baileys, buttercream frosting… All washed down with several bottles of wine and champagne. Needless to say the following day we were all really suffering from the overindulgence of too much rich food, alcohol and diabetic shock! Fortunately these holidays excuses for shameless overindulgence only happen twice a year. We drank water by the pint, and the fridge stayed pretty much untouched for the day. Late afternoon we all took a long walk enjoying the crisp, fresh air on a beautiful sunny day. Now we have just a few short weeks to diet it all off before Christmas, when we can do it all over again...

Been A While! But Then Off Around The World...

Since I'm no longer bobbing around the Caribbean on Daisy, there seems very little for me to write about lately. So, forgive me please, I'm reaching here, but its been so long since I wrote anything, I just felt compelled to say something to stop my blog from being chewed up and spit out by the monster that is... 'the Mother of procrastination'. I really love being back on dry land, I am most sincerely a landlubber rather than a sailor, but, having said that, I really, really do miss the adventure, being onboard Daisy always inspires me to write. And my writing is always more entertaining when I'm onboard than when I'm on land… Sadly, I've discovered that it's actually pretty dull just living in a house in a neighborhood; but that's not a complaint, I'm actually quite happy because I feel safe, there are no enormous, razor toothed, slimy critters surrounding my dwelling here, (well excluding a few of the neighbors)hehehe just kidding. I'm not about to get washed off into the deep blue yonder or swallowed up by something hideous with bad breath, not to mention the benefit of not being seasick, so, other than a flash flood, I think I'm actually pretty safe here… I really love living in Atlanta, its the most amazing exciting city. The longer I'm here the more I like it. There's just so much to do, and the weather is absolutely fabulous. Life in America for me started in Tennessee, a State that I will forever love, it has the most friendly, warm, genuine people, and such breathtaking scenery, Oh the scenery, the Smokey mountains and the lakes were so beautiful, truly to die for. I have only incredibly wonderful memories of that beautiful state and its lovely people. Next came Cincinnati, Ohio, not even close to the beauty of Tennessee, Oh how I missed the Smokey mountains and the amazing scenery. Although, I have to say, even with Ohio not being anything special to write about, I met some really wonderful people, and made some very special friends. We had the nicest neighbors in Cincinnati that we've ever had anywhere, and while I don't miss the state, I really miss my wonderful friends. Columbus came next, Ohio again (yawn) I'm sorry, I just really don't know what to say about Columbus because I don't want to offend anyone, so I'll just say it was OK, and I'm so happy that I don't live there anymore. The only reason I go back is because Danni is still there, and I'm really working hard to get her to move somewhere else, anywhere else. Although, it has to be said Columbus does have quite a good university! Bob has only five days left in the States before he leaves next Monday to return to Daisy in Grenada, and get her ready for the long awaited circumnavigation, which starts on January 6th 2013. Edi (my son) will be joining him for the complete voyage, as well as Ted a family friend, and for the first six months of the trip, my brother Paul. Other people will be joining for various sections of the trip, friends and family members from around the world. It's all starting to get quite exciting. I fly out to join the boat in Panama in February, and I'm doing the Panama canal transit, and then the sail on to the Galapagos islands with the crew. Daniela will be joining us in the Galapagos for two weeks, where we have a five day cruise around the islands booked (on a luxury motor boat, yes we will be guests aboard a dreaded "Gin Palace" LOL). Then Danni and I will fly home, while the rest of the crew head on to the South Pacific islands of Tahiti, Bora Bora, Figi and so on… I sort of wish I was going, well actually I really wish I was going, but I just don't have the balls to do the sail... I'm not sure yet where and when I will next join the crew, possibly in Australia, I really would love to see the Great Barrier reef, who knows. But, I have my first book to publish, which should (if all goes to plan) hit the stores in February 2013… Then I have a second book that's almost finished, and I plan to write a third while Bob does his world rally. Who knows how much of that trip I'll actually take part in. I'm quite desperate for something to write about!

I'll keep you posted, meanwhile, back to packing :o)

It Just Get's Worse...

OH what would I possibly write about without the incompetence of man? Although, having read this my husband was of the opinion that I was partially to blame, what do you think? Read on, and let me know... My departure from the lovely Island of Grenada yesterday was somewhat bittersweet, I hated to leave, but I needed a break from all the back breaking work and I really missed my family, and my little Nicho-San. So, even though leaving was sad I couldn't wait to get home. The people on this little Island really are so helpful, friendly and happy. Even the staff at the airport, and that's unusual, in my experience airport staff in general are not very friendly or helpful. Anyone who has read my blogs on airline travel will be all too familiar with my thoughts regarding this industry. Coming home yesterday did nothing to improve my opinion of the airline industry and their general incompetence and bad management. The flight from Grenada was on time and even I could find nothing to complain about, well that is until I arrived in Miami. This is not one of my favorite airports, I've had so many bad experiences here over the years I truly hate the place, sadly it can't easily be avoided when one is traveling to the Caribbean from Atlanta. Upon my arrival in Miami, I had the usual 6 mile hike along endless corridors, up and down escalators more stairs, more corridors and eventually the immigration. The lines have now been split into 3 sections, Citizens, Residents and Visitors. My line (residents) was the shortest and I was through fairly quickly, but then I had to collect my checked bags to go through customs. Having brought half the contents of the boat back with me my bags weighed exactly 50 pounds each, and my 2 carry-on bags were also very heavy. We were directed to conveyor belt 8 to collect our bags. After a 25 minute wait one of the disgruntled passengers in the crowd shouted "Grenada bags are on belt 7." So all 350 people pushed and shoved their way over to belt 7. After another 10 minute wait we were directed to belt 5 and by a passenger, not a member of staff. The staff could really care less. 'Customer Service' not something they bother about... One thing that REALLY, REALLY, REALLY pisses me off in baggage claim is the way people all crowd around right up to the edge of the belt, this way no one can see the bags coming and everyone has to push and shove in order to grab their bags off the belt, after they've watched it go around 2 or 3 times because they were unable to reach it through the mass of bodies. If everyone stood back about 4 feet everyone could see the bags coming, and just step forward and pull their bag off with ease and without knocking people over, or injuring small children, whose stupid parents have let them stand right by the belt in everyone's way… Because we were in Miami, where in my opinion bad management and disorganization should win prizes, they had cordoned off one full side of the belt, so all 350 people were crowded onto one side. People had already been waiting over 30 minutes and tempers were rising, it was getting ugly. There was one woman with a husband two children and pushchair all lined up lengthways right alongside the belt, taking up about 10 feet of precious space. Where was her intelligence? Seriously, why not stand out of the way with the children and the pushchair, let the husband get the bags and keep the children from getting trampled in the stampeed. But no, the husband grabbed the bags and the wife lined them all up right alongside the belt just as if they were the only people there! I can only assume she was dim witted, well either that or she was just plain ignorant. Anyway it pissed me off. When my bags came around I had to climb over her bags to try to grab mine, I knocked the stupid barrier over and one of the airport staff told me to go around the other side. I yelled loudly at him over the crowd "there's no room around the other side, I can't reach it around there, if you had any intelligence you'd remove the taped barrier and let people get their bags." He told me again to go around the other side and I told him to "get lost." Ignoring him I pulled my bag's off the belt knocked the barrier completly over, and the stupid women's line of bags, and then struggled to put my 2 heavy carryon bags over my shoulder and drag 100 pounds in luggage through the long line of people waiting to go through customs, where they have to re-check their bags and get to their connecting flight gate. In just about every other airport I've ever been through cart's are provided for people having to collect and re-check their bags, but not in Miami, here you have to pay $5. The disorganization with the staff at the gate was no better than the idiot in the baggage claim. We were all herded like cattle through the gate, with 2 planes boarding at the same time. I handed my boarding pass to the desk clerk and was directed to follow the line of people. As I made my way along the corridor towards the plane another attendant took my boarding pass, looked at it and directed me to the plane, I handed one of my carry on bags to the baggage handler at the foot of the steps, they took it and placed it with all the others. When I boarded the plane I was handed a form to fill in, I took it and made my way to my seat, I was about to sit down when I looked at the form and wondered what it was for, as I had just cleared customs and immigration. I called back to the flight attendant "what's this form for?" He replied that I needed it for entry into the Bahama's! "f*@#*^%$#@" WHAT??? "I'm going to Atlanta" I yelled back. "Not on this plane you're not." He laughed, he actually laughed! I was not amused that he found it funny. So then I had to make my way back down the isle past the line of people cramming onto the plane, back down the steps find my bag and make my way across the tarmac with everyone yelling at me, to find the plane I should have been on… I'm not going to elaborate on my opinion of the idiot who directed me to the "WRONG PLANE" because he obviously couldn't read… Such are the joys of airline travel today! Had I not been given a customs form I could be in the Bahamas right now, probably sleeping in the terminal like Tom Hanks in the movie of the same name!

Taking back the Reins

My life (emotionally) has been spinning out of control recently, as I've felt engulfed by the mountain of work facing me. Sometimes we have to be beaten down in order to find our way back up. I alone created this albatros, and I've allowed myself to become completely overwhelmed to a point where I can't make sense of anything. It's really important to know when to say enough is enough, deal with what you can handle and the rest will still be there tomorrow. I can relate the feeling to riding a horse, where I've lost the reins and my horse is galloping head first towards a cliff-face, while I'm aboard just barely holding on, crying and feeling sorry for myself, instead of fighting to take back control, grabbing the reins and steering away from the cliff. I've told myself to stop, take a deep breath, and look at the situation I'm faced with, so I can decide upon a "do-able" course of action. There's no one waiting to rescue me. No one really cares about my mountain of work or impossible schedule, or threatened nervous breakdown. Everyone has their own list of issues to deal with, their own pile of crap and problems. A strong person just gets on with it. Everyone keeps telling me how strong I am, although I haven't felt it recently. I think, at least I hope, that I started to do that today, well a little bit anyway. I created this huge impossible list of jobs, that need to fit into this rediculously impossible schedule, so basically I should be able to redo it. I'm here in one of the most beautiful islands in the world, and all I can do is feel sorry for myself, because I can't cope with my self imposed work load, how pathetic am I? Life isn't easy for anyone, I know that and life doesn't owe us a living either, nothing is handed to us on a silver platter. We are what we are, and we create our own happiness, as my daughter Daniela is constantly telling me. How brilliant am I that I gave birth to such a wise child! Well actually all three of my children are clever and wise, how did I manage that? maybe it was Bob's input, or maybe I actually had something to do with it. I really have to stop putting myself down. My first phase in improving my situation here was to move into one of the lovely resort cottages.

Daisy's Cottage

Dining Table on the porch

The View

Living room

The lovely, air conditioned bedroom

Galley style kitchen. For info on this fabulous resort go to www.lepharebleu.com - Now I have somewhere to escape the boat, and I'm no longer constantly faced with all the work I have to do. Another huge bonus of moving, is that I'm not breathing in the fumes from all the chemicls I'm using all day. I've been having headaches the last few days and the warnings on the product tell you how dangerous it is to breathe in the fumes. I just don't know how to apply the product without breathing in the fumes!!! Anyway, I'm now very happily situated in a beautiful little cottage, and I'm staying in Grenada another 10 days. Being able to leave the boat and come back to such (fume free) luxury is just wonderful. I feel like a different person, and don't even mind going to work on the boat all day when I can come back here and relax every afternoon… Why didn't I do this before?

When The Going Gets Tough

This is how I handle stress; when I feel under pressure I write about it. For years I wrote in journals, stuff that could keep a college full of physiology students busy for years. Today I write here, on my blog, for the world to read, why do I do that? I only know it helps me somehow. It makes me feel less alone because I know so many people read this. My Grandmother would fold her arms, purse her lips, frown and say I was "airing my dirty laundry in public" But such is life, we all handle our stress in different ways, most people keep it very private, I've never been one of those private people, with me what you see is what you get, I don't sugar coat or give false smiles, when I'm happy it's very obvious and the same goes for when I'm down. I don't disguise my feelings well. Right now, on Daisy, I am so completely overwhelmed with what I have to do and try and accomplish in the next 7 days I feel as though I'm suffocating. There's no way I'm going to get it all done even if I was to work 24 hours a day. This morning I was down on my hands and knees (again) trying to balance myself on the floor struts while reaching to sand around the edges of the galley, the dust was making me cough, the sweat was running into my eyes and stinging, my clothes were uncomfortable, wringing wet with sweat, my knees were painful from trying to hold my weight on the narrow struts which I kept slipping off while trying to shoo away all the flies, it suddenly all became just too much, and as I looked around me and saw how much I still have to do, and the mess I'm in everywhere, I just collapsed into a heap and sobbed for about an hour. I feel so alone here, I hate failure and I'm failing so fast its not even funny. Usually I can joke about this stuff and laugh at my inadequacies, but today I'm unable to find any humor in my situation. I offered to do this, I wanted to help, I turned down outside help because the cost of it was so extortionate and I was sure I could do it and save us some money. As usual I just bit off more than I could chew. If I just had one thing to do; the toerail, or the floors, or the doors, or any one of the other hundred or so jobs I've undertaken to do, I honestly don't think it would be a problem, but I have about 50 jobs started, nothing completed, and so much more to do I just don't know where to start. I'm procrastinating now sitting here writing this I know, but its because I'm so overwhelmed, I want to stick my head in the sand and pray it all goes away. Writing is my therapy, it helps me, and I now feel able to go back and start again, God help me I hope I survive this...

I'm So Bad!

Sorry guys I removed this post, things were said that perhaps shouldn't have been said. So it was better to remove it...

All You Can Eat and More!

Everywhere I turn I see more work needing to be done, I'm starting to feel completely overwhelmed. My list of jobs seems to have become a living thing that's breeding baby jobs which are growing before my eyes into bigger and bigger adult jobs. This morning at 5:30am I tackled a new job "delivered" yesterday! While taping around the toe rail our helper Terry used duck tape as he ran out of masking tape… Word of warning here "NEVER USE DUCK TAPE IF YOU INTEND TO REMOVE IT IN YOUR LIFETIME" I'm now left with the nastiest sticky residue that all the sanding dust has glued itself too, in the most permanent "never to be removed" fashion. Desperately searching the Internet for ways to remove the said residue, also proved quite useless. I tried in vain with different solutions, I also used denatured alcohol, that's usually quite good at removing that sort of sticky mess, but that was about as easy as pulling a car up a hill backwards. It took me 20 minutes to clean just 12 inches, and I have about 80 feet to do, "not in this heat!" So, as I sit here drinking my coffee and eating toast and messing around on the computer for a few minutes I decided I would do something else today. It's only 8am and it's already swelteringly hot, there is little to no breeze, so I'm happy for my little sheltered area on the floating dock, where I'll be in residence all day sanding all the galley floor sections.

My little work shop, providing me with some welcome shade.

Happier Times, I need to remind myself of them frequently while I battle the heat and the dust and the bloody duck tape residue, ARGHHHHHHHH… OH and just in case I'm not having enough fun... A little bee decided to sting me while I'm sitting here and that hurts like the devil. The razor toothed, invisible insects are also all out in force today, with no breeze to keep them away they're all busy excitedly arranging for an all you can eat buffet on the Daisy boat, with me as the main ingredient… OH yummy I'm in for a fun day! Don't you just wish you were me?

Heaven on Earth :o)

Sadly, it's not where we are right now. Despite the beautiful surroundings, lovely weather and friendly people, we still find ourselves up to our necks with the ever increasing list of jobs. Poor Captain Bob is becoming quite overwhelmed. It's not even as though the jobs he's doing are going well, each job started leads to another problem. The problem leads to a need for parts or equipment that we don't have and almost have to sell our souls to be able to afford if its possible. The boat parts suppliers all seem to be professional rip off artists; a part that probably costs $5, can be as much as several hundred, and then there's the shipping and the customs, not to mention the time spent in locating the parts and waiting for delivery. I swear you need the patience of a saint to work on a boat. On top of all the problems we're trying to deal with right now, we're also fast running out of time. Before Bob can leave here for Antigua (for the start of the World Rally) he has an enormous list of jobs that really must be completed before moving Daisy to the boatyard to have her hauled out and her bottom painted.

Bob only has 2 days left here before he leaves to go back to work in Europe and America, and he won't be returning until the end of November, and then he's coming home for a week for Christmas, so between now and the start of the Rally on January 6th, he has about 3 available weeks to do about 6 months work and no one to help him… Not a happy prospect, and one that is really beginning to tell on him, he's really feeling the pressure… I'm doing all I can but, sadly I'm not an engineer or a boat technician, I can't fix refrigeration, or replace pumps, or any of the other technical jobs he's trying to do, the toerail needs some major work to repair a crack before I can start the varnish, but we can't seem to find the right glue, or clamps to do the job, a trip into town costs us about 2 hours in time and $80 cab fare… So here we are "part" less, and out of time… My friend Lynn who flew out to stay with us this week, has pretty much had to entertain herself, fortunately this is a pretty nice place to be if you don't have work to do… So life aboard Crazy Daisy is pretty much living up to its name :o(

Broken Bits!

So this is how it goes, when working on a boat: You decide which job to start first, you get the tools out needed for the job, and set about deconstructing the 'said job' in preparation for the "repair"… You already have a time frame in mind for how long it will take to complete, anything from 10 minutes to an hour, but whatever you decide (or rather hope) it will be, you secretly know it will actually take much longer. To start with the 'said' thing won't come apart, when it finally does, after much bashing, teasing, cussing swearing and throwing of one's toys around, something breaks, or, as in the case of working on a boat, the said thing/part falls overboard into the ocean, lost to the fishes forever. This is followed by much more cussing, swearing, and toys continue to fly through the air. This small headache/disaster is then shortly followed by many frantic calls to whatever dealer, distributorship or supply store that can be located within a reachable distance from wherever we happen to be at the time. "OH yes" is their immediate response, "no problem, we can get that for you, but, OH wait, it has to be ordered from the mainland,and special shipped here, probably 5 or 6 weeks, and it's going to be X- hundred dollars, much more than you know it would be on the mainland, a $5 part can sell for $50- $100 in the islands). At which point we say 'OK" because we have no choice, as they well know. However, this is only the beginning of the sad saga of the shipped parts, because once the said part/parts arrives in whatever corner of the globe we happen to be currently marooned in, it's then held up by customs, because they also want their share of the pie. You then have to pay a "customs service charge" which is bizaar as they haven't provided a service, but you are helpless, so you pay up, and end up spending hundreds of dollars, hours and hours of wasted time, and much frustration all for a $5, 5 minute fix (anywhere else in the world)..

Fantastic!

Well scrub yesterdays post, no last coat of varnish on the galley doors for me! The work was not up to Captain Bob's standard, so I have to take all fittings off and re-sand and varnish every single door. Sometimes being married to a perfectionist is a bloody pain in the neck. And the amount of work ahead of me is so overwhelming my head is spinning, I'm going to have to be a miracle worker to get even half of it done, bearing in mind I have to meet the highest of standards… I'm so sick of the dusty mess we're living in, I've been eaten alive again by the invisible insects with jaws, my legs are covered in bloody scabs, and I itch all the time… crap, crap, crap… How I love boat life!!!

My Reason Why!

So, here are just a few of the reasons that I've not been posting on my blog this week...

Daisy deconstructed, working on Diesel engine, and generator, sanding and varnishing the salon table and every other wooden surface!

My collection of galley doors, and companionway step outside getting final coat of varnish...

Fitting new solar panels...

Entire toerail waiting for finishing touches before varnishing...

Navigation station, deconstructed… Living on a boat really is just maintenance in exotic places...

Drunken night at the Bar!

So, hard work and exhaustion often lead one straight to the bottle, or, in our case the bar at Le Phare Bleu. Pizza, champagne, beer and cocktails do not a great mix make! But it didn't slow us down, we had a great night. My favorite, absolutely, worlds best barman, Rudell, along with Rachael, took great care of us tending to our drink and food needs, and managed somehow to keep us in control (well almost in control, from what I can remember) at least we got back to Daisy without falling off the dock into the ocean LOL… I have a vague somewhat drunken, silly call to Edi and Paige, hopefully they will forgive our stupidously, incoherent, drunkeness at least it was a happy call...

Bob helping (hmmmm) Rudell behind the bar…

Rachael patiently humoring her very silly, somewhat drunk customers...

Hard commute!

Most of us moan and bitch at times, usually all about nonsuch, nonsence, unimportant stupid stuff, I'm the worse for this, I'm always moaning or bitching about something, thinking "why me?" And occasionally something will happen to slap me back to reality with a real wake up call, then I realize things really ain't that bad! I've only been back in Grenada for five days, on Daisy working my little butt off sanding like a crazy person and getting ready to varnish. Daisy is alongside on the dock, actually on the T Dock, so we look out to the little island just off the far point of the peninsula off our part of Grenada. The distance from the mainland to the little island is probably less than a quarter of a mile (bear in mind I'm useless at guessing distance)

I believe the island is privately owned, and rumors run riot here at Le Phare Bleu as to the identity of owner of the island, is he a drug lord? or someone famous, or just a nobody with a shit load of cash, anyway he's built/building two amazing houses on the island, he has a dock and a very fancy motorboat, and he's apparently not very friendly. But then if you think about it, if you wanted to be surrounded by nosey parkers you wouldn't buy an island to isolate yourself on, would you? He obviously wants his privacy, but that doesn't stop people gossiping! Anyway, I digress, the point of this blog… The other morning, well several mornings actually, I've noticed this guy with a back pack and a long stick, walk down the VERY steep hill to the shore, climb carefully along the rocky shoreline and then proceed to make his way "on foot" across the ocean between the shore and the private island.

This photograph shows the distance he has to walk! He is sometimes up to his neck in water, but he carries a stick to locate his way, and obviously knows the path across. This journey takes him about 45 minutes. He then goes to work on the construction site, at five he makes his way back across the water to the mainland clambers along the rocky shore and walks up the very steep hill home… And I thought I had it tough, talk about a hard commute!

This photograp[h appears twice on my blog, but its one of Bob smiling and looking happy, not something you see too often, he is talking to his Dad on skype, and that usually makes him smile...

Photographs of Le Phare Bleu

Drunken Dinghy Fest...

So, here I am at last back in beautiful Grenada, at the fabulous Le Phare Bleu Marina and Resort. I thought I was coming back to varnish Daisy's toe rail. It wasn't until I was on board that Bob informed that the entire boat's interior needed varnishing. And I have only two and a half weeks to do it. This is a job that could easily take a month maybe two. Fortunately, realizing it was more work than even I (the varnishing queen) could manage, Bob enlisted the help of a local to do the sanding on the toe rail.

Photo of Le Phare Bleu... I had decided to take it all the way back to the bare wood, but after an hour of serious sanding I'd only finished about five feet of rail and there's at least one hundred and thirty feet, at that rate I'd never get the rail finished in time, let alone all the woodwork throughout the boat. So, the hired help was gratefully received. We managed to finish our days work at a respectable hour (before dark). The resort was hosting a dinghy fest in the next bay. There was a floating platform with a bar, reefed to a barge, and Dieter's Swan (sail boat) was anchored and reefed alongside the barge. Along with about 50 dinghy's all filled with all the yachties that are anchored in the bay.

Crazy Dinghy Fest... It was a crazy sight, this huge conglomerate of people all gathered in the middle of the bay, singing, dancing and generally acting like idiot teenagers.

Our launch dropped us off and we grabbed a couple of beers and joined the drunken group, as with everything in our lives we were among the last to arrive. The live band were hyping up the atmosphere and everyone was dancing, waving their arms in the air and singing along. To my surprise even Bob started to dance! There was a real carnival spirit. Having only arrived in Grenada two days ago I was seriously pale, and next to all the deeply tanned sailors I looked a little out of place, not that any of the drunken sailors cared. The party continued until dusk.

Bob on anchor duty, on the Swan... Instead of taking the launch back to the marina we made the return trip on Dieter's swan. It was a quiet sail under a full moon and totally amazing, the sea was really calm, the breeze was like silk on my skin, it was wonderful,although sadly too short. But then all good things come to an end. Back at Le Phare Bleu we headed to the restaurant for Pizza night. The restaurant was filled with the noisy group from the dinghy fest. Fortunately we found a table outside by the pool where we ate really delicious pizza's under a moonlit sky next to the ocean. Days or rather nights like this don't happen often enough.

Back to Daisy, Almost!

So, Sunday Bob and I were supposed to be flying back to Grenada to Daisy. However, as so often is the case with our travel plans, both Mother Nature and American Airlines had other ideas. Hurricane Isaac was making its way past Florida, bringing everything to a standstill, our flight out, being one of those things. As it happened, this wasn't a total disaster. Bob has had so many boat parts and equipment delivered over the last few weeks, that I was no longer able to even put my car in the garage. All these things needed to somehow, either travel with us, or be shipped out. Had we left for the airport Sunday morning with all the boxes we would possibly have been turned away, as apparently there's an embargo on boxes until September first… SIGH… typical airline crap… Anyway, I've not complained about spending a few extra days on land, although I do have so much varnishing to do while I'm there, I'm now worried that I won't have enough time to get it all done… Hopefully we will be able to fly out on Wednesday, please keep your fingers crossed for us. Cheers Daisy :o)

The Mile High Club!

I'm sure most people are familiar with the "mile high club" but if not, let me enlighten you, I'm trying to think of an unoffensive way of putting this, basically it's having sex in a plane during flight. For those of you out there who may be curious, no, I'm not a member. However, I may have been exposed recently to a couple who quite possibly are. My flight back from Columbus this week was a morning flight. I was seated in first class (having been upgraded by a very nice attendant on the check in desk) next to a very nice young lady. The couple sitting opposite us were about my age, I've never been very good at guessing the age of people. The woman, and I say woman in preference to 'lady' was dripping in fake diamonds and dressed in shorts so short there was little left to the imagination, quite inappropriate to my way of thinking, for someone of her age, or in fact any age. She wore a skimpy, loosely knitted top, without a bra. I became aware of this because her nipples stood out like corks through the top. Not that I'm in the habit of looking at women's breasts, but when she stood up in the isle in front of me it was hard to miss. She had blond 'just fucked' hair, which hung in a tangled straggly mess down her back, a sorry attempt I felt, to look like Pamela Anderson in her hay day. Maybe she was one of "The Real Housewives," the show that exposes the very spoilt, quite old, stretched face brigade, who are married to even older, very wealthy guys. For the entire flight the two of them were making out, and not discretely, the guy was practically climbing on top of her, putting his hands places one should never put hands on another, while in public. They both showed little regard for the other passengers on the plane who were subjected to witnessing their public display of affection. I was amazed that the flight attendants didn't say something. This all sounds very prudish, very Mrs Bennett of me. However, I do feel that there's a time and a place. And, while first class gives one much more room to move around, I really don't think the extra space was designed for sexual activity... Airline travel (sigh) never a dull moment!

This is Why!

I felt I had to post this, it's two e-mails received from my husband, Bob. Yet more evidence of the stresses and strains inflicted upon one through airline travel. This is by no means an unusual occurrence for my poor husband, and easily explains why he's usually stressed when traveling… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..... E-mail sent Saturday 25th August: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Hi Heather, So the plane flies us into London on the big British Summer Holiday weekend. The August Bank Holiday weekend. Down thru the clouds, out of the clear blue skies and sunshine. Down thru the clouds Down thru the clouds Down thru the clouds ................The clouds don't stop until the plane is 50ft off the ground! It’s dark, grey, overcast and drizzling. Miserable! Oh well, this is the English summer holidays. So the world and his wife, their 3 cousins, and their dog, are all at Heathrow airport... Along with the entire world contingent of wheel chair warriors, all crowding in to take part in the Paraplegic Olympic games (that I also timed my travel to co-inside with) I'm in awe of these amazing people and their incredible talents, I just really didn't need to be traveling through the airport the same time that they were ALL arriving... So I have plenty of time to one finger this update into my blackberry as I stand waiting in the long winding line. That every so often the prison guards come to extract anyone who is within 1 hour of boarding time. The rest can expect many fun-filled hours stood in these regimented ranks of the downtrodden, under the watchful eyes of the warders. Oh well I will keep waiting, and people watching. See you later, Luv Bob, …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...... Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Hi Heather, So... after an hour or so. A prison guard stands in front of the drill yard and calls out that all the prisoners who had been told to stand in line to await their sentence, if it was for the crime of wanting a boarding card, then you had received an incorrect sentence. We should have been sent to another prison So after waiting in another line. Finally I got my boarding pass. Less than 90 seconds. Great now I have been moved to a new line, where we wait to be let ride up escalators, where you wait in another line to be let ride down escalators. To wait in a line to…! (I think this must be a modern version of Chinese water torture, but I won't crack). Occasionally another prisoner can't take it, and breaks ranks to makes a break for the plane. hmmmm.... But the warders are to good for that. And they were only looking for an excuse to make an example of him. I am keeping low profile waiting my chance to slip away un-noticed, into the sanctuary of the frequent flyer lounge. (I hope I don't have to wait for the cover of darkness to provide cover, I would miss my plane) I only have 8 hours to plan and execute my escape before the last rescue plane gives up and leaves at 15:00 hrs. PS, if you get this message, send food and a file for the bars. Luv Bob, ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Daisy's Book

So, I thought it only fair, to let you all know that my book will not be published until the end of the year. I've stumbled, clumsily across so many complications of late. There's so much more to publishing a book than just writing it. The writing of a book truly is the easiest part of the whole process. That being said, I don't think the problems with my book launch will particularly interest anyone, so I won't elaborate on it any further. I do, however, realize that this will be a huge disappointment to the millions of you out there counting the days until my book is released… just kidding… I wish! Meanwhile, as the finishing touches are applied for the publishing process to begin, I'm working about 20 hours a day on the second book. Needless to say, the consequences of this are the need for a larger pant size. Sitting for hours and hours do not favor a slim figure!

Thank God for my beautiful horses, without them I don't think I would leave the house.

I'm beginning to understand why so many writers become hermits. It's so easy to live in your writing. In my case, my book is non-fiction, so I'm basically living in my past, I'm not sure how healthy that is either, especially when I'm writing about so many of my dumb blunders at sea. A life at sea will test you in every way possible, I believe that I failed so many of those tests. Fortunately I'm able to laugh at myself, and make fun of much of my stupidity. However, I'm not slow at making fun of others either. People do some really dumb stuff on boats, there's little you can get away with, without witnesses when you're living the watery life! :o)

Happy Days :o)

Daisy I'm Coming Back

As Bob makes all his preparations for his circumnavigation, I have to do my bit, even though I'm not doing the trip, there are still several jobs for me to do. In 21 days I fly out to Grenada for 3 weeks, I'm going to be varnishing, don't forget I am, the varnishing queen! At least I am to to Captain Bob. According to Captain Bob no one can varnish as well as me :o). I'll also be packing up as much of my "stuff" on the boat, as I'm allowed to carry back with me. This will be a huge relief for Captain Bob and my brother Paul, who was astonished by the amount of crap I had on the boat. It took me 5 years to completely fill every single little space on Daisy, and I'm going to have just one trip to empty it. I may be giving the Islanders a lot of things. But one thing is for sure, when I'm done Daisy will be a lot lighter, and sit much higher in the water, LOL I haven't been on Daisy since January of this year, it's going to be strange to go back, but I'm really looking forward to my time at Le Phare Bleu with Bob. We barely see each other these days, and we're not going to see much of each other over the next 2 years. I'm really quite happy living in Atlanta now. My days are so stress free, I barely know what to do with myself. I've had so much stress for so long I'm still adjusting to my easy going lifestyle. Apart from taking care of the horses which I love, and running all over Atlanta with my camera, photographing butterflies and plants, I spend my days mostly working on my writing. If everything goes to plan my first book will be published by the end of this month. I'm already half way through the second book, and I have plans for a third. So, while Captain Bob is making his watery way around the globe I'll be busy writing, marketing and shamelessly promoting my books. My first book is titled "No Fixed Address, Tales from a Reluctant Sailor" and will be available on Amazon and at Barns & Noble. My web site is currently being built, details will follow, and Nic and Robert are helping me plan a book launch party at their studio in October. So much happening, and so far all of it good. I'm hoping to find other fun

things to write about when I'm in Grenada, so watch this space :o) Back soon...

Reptile's in Atlanta

What is one to do for entertainment in Atlanta on a day when the heat's soaring to over 100 degrees?  Well I would think that it's obvious really, take a drive outside the city with Nic and her friend Holly, to a Reptile exhibit, where there were a million heat lamps burning brightly in a room filled with hundreds of every kind of reptile and critter not to mention some of the scariest looking people, and the heat inside exceeded the heat outside…  I really didn't think that was possible.

The heat in the exhibit soared as more and more people came in,  and when I say it was hot, I really mean hot.  If we were slightly sweaty before we entered the exhibition, we were soaking when we left.

The experience was bittersweet for me, because I love gecko's, snakes, lizards etc, but I'm terrified of spiders, and there were lots and lots of them in the exhibit, thankfully for me (but not so much for the spiders) they were all safely contained,  but I have to add that I really don't like seeing anything in a cramped plastic box where it barely has room to move, even if it is a spider.

The exhibit had so many incredible gecko's, some of them were really friendly and cute, whereas some of them were freaking out poor things, there were some amazing and colorful snakes, from tiny little worm size things to huge 15 + foot long Boa's.

 People were walking around wearing their pet snakes around their necks like jewelry,  I wasn't impressed, I felt as though they were exploiting the defenceless creatures, and I couldn't help but feel so very sorry for them, but that's just me, I love all creatures, but I also believe that most would be happier being left in their natural environment instead of being draped around someone's neck.  Truthfully though I have to say I don't know what scared me the most the people or or the tarantulas?

Nic's friend Holly who has several vivariums and critter tanks, bought a beautiful little gecko, rescuing it ( I felt) from further exhibits and road trips.

Nic and I resisted the temptation to set up a vivarium ourselves, we both loved the Gecko's, but weren't sure we could deal with the insects required for feeding them.
Then we saw the beautiful little rain forest frogs, so colorful and so tiny, tiny, tiny, unbeliveably cute, no wonder Bob and I were never able to spot them in the jungles of Panama, no matter how hard we looked, they're about the size of my fingernail, you would almost need x-ray vision to spot them.  We also loved the baby bull frogs, so colorful, fat, and adorable,  we actually very nearly came home with some, but thankfully sensibility took hold and we left the exhibit empty handed.

It was a hot sweaty way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but a really fun and different one,  I'm so glad I went.  Holly's little gecko is now called Gunther, I'll see if I can post a picture of him…

Life in Atlanta is turning out very different to how I imagined it would, but I'm loving the change.

New Stuff !

Well it's been a while since I wrote my last blog, sorry about that.  Life has been really busy, and a little difficult, in as much as I've been trying to get everything organized and tidy in a house that is quite small and has no storage other than a small attic, and I have so much stuff…  It's been a little like trying to pour a gallon into a pint pot.
I'm still not as tidy as I would like to be, and I'm missing a guest bedroom, an office, and an art room, but I have the best kitchen I've ever had, love, love, love my new kitchen.  The 3rd bedroom sort of doubles as an office and a guest bed, all be it with a futon, or sofa bed rather than a real bed, which according to Danni is bloody uncomfortable and much like sleeping on the floor :(  and my dining room is mostly used as an art room.  Improvisation in motion here.

The back yard is really tiny, a small space squished in between us and the house next door, but I've still managed to plant 17 tomato plants, 5 pepper plants of various types, basil, tarragon, cilantro, parsley, squash, zuccinni, 2 eggplant's, spearmint and rosemary.

We have banana trees growing on our back deck and a couple of days ago we had a fabulous Regal Moth stop by, Nic and I were very busy with our cameras taking splendid photographs of the incredible creature.

Regal Moth, or Royal Walnut Moth

I'm learning my way around Atlanta slowly, but I have to say the drivers here are the worst I've encountered anywhere, they're so rude, and I've seen more accidents in the last month than I've seen in the last 5 years, it's certainly made me sit up and pay a bit more attention while I'm driving.

Travis and Sultan are happy (I think) in their new barn, it's a small family owned barn, nothing fancy, no indoor arena, but lovely people that give excellent care to the horses; along with various other animals, an enormous pig called Princess who freely wanders the property and sleeps outside of Travis and Sultans stalls, and there's a goat called Billy, and a hen called Elane.   I could write a children's book about this place.  There's no grass on the property but the best, beautiful hay, so my boys are happy munching on delicious green orchard/alfa,alfa hay.  

Having almost organized myself in the house, and settled the horses into the barn, I'm now planning on putting a photography show together for the Fall in Nicolette's studio.  I have so many amazing photographs from all my travels, so we'll see how that goes.  

More later...

Postponement...

This is stretching itself out to be the longest move, with numerous complications and interruptions.  I'm still in Columbus waiting for Travis to recover before we can trail him down to Atlanta.  The morning of our planned move he was limping around with apparently sore feet following a shoeing the previous day. He's looking better today, so unless we have another catastrophe overnight we should be able to leave tomorrow, but who knows, when dealing with horses nothing is ever certain.

I keep thinking "once I'm settled", of course it could be possible that I'll never be settled, this is quite simply the way my life is,  just one chain of events after another that will permanently keep me busy doing things other than what  I actually plan to do, always preparing and planning for something but never actually doing it…

With luck I'll get the horses safely to Atlanta tomorrow,  and then the next faze of my peculiar life will begin.
However, with regard to my many plans, I'm not holding my breath...

Almost Back To Normal

Life's been so totally crazy for me over the last couple of months, and I have to admit I'm quite exhausted.  I've really missed my writing while I've been busy packing, clearing out, house hunting, and moving, and I'm so looking forward to getting back to posting again regularly.  My blog will have some changes though as my life's about to do a total ass over tit about turn… From a wind blown yacht bitch sailing around the Caribbean, to a hippy, happy, artsy, Atlanta hopping Daisy on land…

Me posing outside the home I'm hoping to win, in Serenbe
 (thanks to Edi who has entered my name every day for 2 months)
fingers crossed, I think I have as much chance as the other 2 or 3 million entrants… LOL

Tomorrow Danni and I move the horses to their new home in Atlanta Georgia, which will be the final phase in the 13 stages of the "Morgan move".

I've rarely stopped to take a breath over the last few months, and moving into a new house that's much smaller than the house I moved out of, has been quite a challenge, but I've found that a positive attitude really helps.  My new house with Niki, is really cute, and I have quite possible the nicest kitchen I've ever had, including my kitchen at Morgans Run.

We're right in downtown Atlanta, and despite my reservations about living in a hugely built up area I love it, the neighborhood is nice, the neighbors are really friendly and helpful, and I'm only a 6 minute drive from IKEA, a store I've frequented regularly over the last 11 days.

Despite an emergency root canal performed right in the middle of the move, everything seems to be falling into place finally.

I'm excited about getting involved with Nic's studio, and I'm already planning my first photography show, which will be the next item on my agenda, I'll post photographs of the show (when it happens).

In the mean time, I'll be on the road tomorrow, transporting Travis and Sultan to their new home, hopefully the weather will be kind to me, with no horrific storms or interstate pile up's and long traffic delays.  One can always hope...

My fabulous new kitchen under a deluge of boxes,
this was not even half of them!

Atlanta, Georgia, I'm on my way :o)

The 13 Phases of The Morgan Move...

Being me, nothing is ever simple or straightforward, and moving house is certainly no different.  Most people pack up, move out of one house and then move in to another, simple, straightforward, case open, case closed, with maybe just a hic-up or two along the way, but that's to be expected.   In my case hic-ups are guaranteed.  Seriously, I could complicate the opening of a package.

This, the 13th move in my life, and is really just confirmation that 13 is definitely NOT my lucky number .  There are also 13 phases to this move/s

Phase 1, find Danni a new apartment, and move her in.    X done
Phase 2, Find a new barn close to Danni's new apartment and move the horses in.  X done
Phase 3, Edi comes home and packs up all his belongings and vehicles etc... for either taking back to California, or putting in storage. X done

Notice U-Haul van in the background,
ready for Edi's third 2500 mile road trip back to California.

Phase 4,  Have a Yard Sale, and clear out all unwanted furniture, and belongings, take unsold items to Goodwill. X done
Phase 5,  Pack up the house, get moving quote and arrange to store unwanted furniture and belongings. X done

Packing up my Art room :(

Phase 6,  Transport the Lotus to Kentucky, where she will remain for the next 2 - 3 years.

Loaded and ready to go!

Phase 7,  Find somewhere for the Sea-Doo, and transport it there.
Phase 8,  Pack up all Horse equipment and take the horse trailer to new Horse Barn in Atlanta.
Phase 9,   Movers arrive, to take all furniture and belongings.
Phase 10, Drive to Atlanta
Phase 11, Movers arrive (2-3 days later) and move us into new house
Phase 12, Ship Horses to New Barn
Phase 13, Celebrate (if still alive) Move/s completed…

We've now moved on to Phase 6, as Steve makes his way down to Kentucky with the Lotus.

Beautiful day for a drive.