work, work, work...

Friday 19^th November

I discovered today my cut off point, a time out, enough’s enough, an everything stops here… a place where I am no longer able to tolerate anything and react with a degree of dignity.

My day started before dawn, my choice I would hasten to add.  I like to get up early it enables me to write without interruption, writing is a passion, for whatever reason it’s what I enjoy doing.  I really don’t care if anyone reads what I write.  I also know I’ll never be a literary genius, I just really enjoy writing, putting my thoughts and experiences out there for anyone who cares to be interested to read, or not, “whatever floats your boat” as they say!

But today! today really tested me… We had to get the boat back into the water, absolutely had to, because if we didn’t, the world as we know it would end IMMEDIATELY!  Really it would…

We still had a hundred jobs to finish while Daisy was out of the water, and everything had to get done so we could get launched. When Bob decides something has to be done he’s like a dog with a bone he never lets go, he has never and will never leave a job unfinished, it doesn’t matter how long it takes, or what the personal cost, unfortunately I am the other end of that, and unfortunately I do not have the same work ethic as Bob, I work very hard, harder than just about anyone else I know, but when I am tired I stop, or at least I will stop prior to collapse. Not Bob, he will work himself to dropping point. Obviously this is nothing new I have lived with it for 32 years now, but living on a boat brings a whole new meaning to tolerance. 

Once you stop work here there are no cool air conditioned rooms with comfy couches to flop into with a drink and relax, the condition our boat is in right now, there’s not even a bed that’s not covered in stuff.

At six O’clock I stopped work, the boat was in the water, but we had no power, all the power supplies on the dock were different to the cables we had, so Bob had to re-wire everything, in the dark with just his head-lamp.  I went up to the shower block and took a long hot shower, I ached from head to toe, and my hands were so sore from using heavy power tools, and lifting the anchor chain, which weighs about 1,000 lbs.  I hadn’t stopped to eat since 7am and I was feeling pretty miserable. 

Daisy all re painted and polished, on her way back to the water...

We had planned on going out to dinner, but I fell asleep waiting for Bob and ended up going to bed without anything.  My daughter Niki would say “look on the bright side Mum, just think about all the weight you’ll lose”I guess I do need to lose a pound or maybe 50.  

There is a local guy who works in the yard here, I give him bottles of water and he always rushes to help if he sees me struggling to carry something heavy, anyway, this morning he called me over to see a photograph of his Mother, and with the brightest smile told me “you are just like her, she too is short and round”! 

Daisy, back alongside.