Been and gone!

Well Christmas has been and gone for another year and only the new year remains before returning to school. I am typing this entry from my father's computer. A light fluttering of snow has already appeared yesterday and more is forecast for Friday although it appears that the heaviest is due in the Midlands. Snow always seems to be at the opposite end of the country to where I am, the other week they had it in London heavy when I was in the Midlands and now it's forecast heavy in the Midlands when I'm in London!!

I plan to return home to the boat on Monday or Tuesday next week. A quick text to a neighbour this evening to confirm all was OK and the reply came back that it was due to be minus 5 degrees there tonight and so the neighbour has gone in to light a fire low for the night. It's nice to have the security of friends and a close community around knowing that things will be well looked after till I return. Only one week left until I return to school for the Spring term but then I guess the evenings will start to draw out and the first signs of Spring will be the next highlight in the boating calender.

I bought myself a smart new printer in the sales today and now need to find a home for the machine which looks as if it will take up most of the remaining saloon space available. It's one of these 'all-in-one' units that scans, copies and prints from botht he computer and directly from any format memory card.

Anyway, weather permitting, I plan a nice walk along the Wey and Arun with my father and the dog as well as plenty of walks along the River Wey and of course the Thames!

Finally got there!

Well, at last I have broken up for the summer, (wishful thinking...Christmas I mean!). Tomorrow I travel back down south to my fathers for Christmas so not sure how many posts I will manage in the next two weeks. Dropped the keys to the boat round to a neighbour who has kindly volunteered to look after the ship while I'm away just in case we get this cold weather that we are rumoured to get.

Seasons greetings

Simba and I would like to wish all my readers a very
Happy Christmas.

Weekend.

Well, what a hectic weekend!!
I spent the day yesterday cleaning the boat and sorting things out ready for going south for Christmas and it seems the more I do the more I still have to do! Simba went to the 'poodle parlour' and has now been beautified, (well wash and hair cut anyway,) the boat needs yet another hoover to rid it of dog hairs, I still have to do all the packing, (one bag for me and two for Simba,) the car needs hoovering and washing desperately, (in fact I have just triedto do it but can't find a hose that isn't frozen and my hands froze simply looking so I gave up,) etc. etc. The coldest night so far last night with my temperature sensor reading a low of -5.5 degrees overnight, (although of course I didn't notice it on board and still roasted in bed!!) I woke up this morning to find a thick layer of ice across the marina which is still there now and will probably last tonight as well. Two hectic days at school left and I am constantly getting text messages teasing me from all my friends down south who have broken up already. Ah well, another walk with the dog over the frozen fields beckons.

BTW, you will notice that should you have the urge to, you can now post comments on any of my blog entries to sympathise or otherwise! Simply click the comments link at the bottom of the post you wish to comment on. (Comments are moderated by me first!!)

Almost there!

Well my father arrived yesterday and is dog & boat sitting for me while I'm at work and having late evenings due to our Christmas productions, it was nice to come home at 8.30 last night to a full chicken roast all ready and done - the next best thing to a wife!

I plan on spending much of the weekend washing, cleaning, sorting things out ready for my trip down south over Christmas on Wednesday. I will try to update this blog from my fathers house over the festive period. Term ends on Tuesday next week and it can't come soon enough!

Correction!

Just had an email from my father asking me what work I need doing on the boat!! My last blog entry makes it sound as if he is coming up to work ON the boat rather than coming up to WORK on the boat!! He is using my boat as a bolt hole to work on so that he can get his work done!

Just had our first performance at school for the year 6 show and after some seriously dodgy rehearsals today was fantastic. They pulled out all the stops and performed their socks off! This time next week I will have broken up and be considering travelling back down south tomorrow for Christmas.

Weekend out!

Just returned home from a glorious weekend out in the boat. Left on Saturday and moored up with Steve,Julia and James from NB Even Balance. (You can click on the pictures I publish to see the full size version.) Spent a very enjoyable evening with a bottle of wine on their boat chatting about everything and nothing. Woke up to find the temperatures soaring, (for December anyway!) and thesun streaming through the portholes. Spent a relaxing time cleaning the boat and then madea gentle track back. For the firsthour of cruising back I only had my T shirt on. The sun was streaming from a cloudless blue sky and I can rarely remember a more enjoyable trip in Springtime! Arrived back to the marina, all be it rather reluctantly, to finish off cleaning and sorting things out. One more full week at school with carol concerts, the year 6 Christmas production and trying to keep an over excited class of 35 eleven year olds contained! My father is coming up for a few days at the end of the week to work on the boat and see our Christmas show so something to look forward to there.

First post from laptop!

WOW! At last my laptop is fully operational and this is my first post from it for the past 8 weeks! By uninstalling and then reinstalling Norton system works at least 3 times, after a visit to their website I have finally managed to get rid of all the little shadows it leaves behind everywhere and made a clean reinstall. It now works although I am still going to switch over to Kaspersky at some point.

I was planning on going for a Christmas drink with Steve and Julia from NB Even Balance next Saturday but my father is now coming up to visit so I decided I had better text them and say I wouldn't be able to make it. Fifteen minutes later there is a knock on the boat and Julia is standing outside! "I had no credit on the phone so decided to visit in person to answer your text" came the reply. It turns out I got the wrong week and it is this week they are up. Plans are now to go out in the boat with them over the weekend.

Just to see if the picture upload works, I have added a picture of my new car!

Laptop works.... but Norton doesn't!

After a length session last night, my laptop now works and is up and running again. Norton Systemworks however, I wouldn't recommend to anyone! It has caused more problems than it has soaved and so I am now looking into Kaspersky.

Laptop still doesn't work!

The continuing Saga!
Despite being told in emails that the laptop had been checked before being sent back to me, after around 12 hours of charging, when I switch it on, the fans start up and it appears to be working but absolutely nothing appears on the screen! This stage in the term is hard enough to get through with the kids - let alone no computer to use to keep all the paperwork up to date!

Watch this space................

***UPDATE***
Steve from the computer company is coming up to get it working this evening. I hope to be meeting him at about 5.30 this evening and he will fix it! Let's hope he can and that there is nothing too major wrong but credit due for him coming all the way up from essex to get it sorted for me.

Laptop arrives home!

Miracles never cease! This morning my laptop arrived back at school - 7 weeks after being sent off for a new screen replacement! I now have 7 more weeks to catch up with all the emails and work that I haven't been able to do in its absence. Hopefully I can start updating this more often now although I have to say that I haven't yet tested it to see if it works as I don't have the power lead in school.

New Weblog

Moonfruit have informed me that ALL added items are archived after one year and so from now on, all my exploits, travels, thoughts and opinions will be added here. If you wish you may bookmark just this blogspot or you may access it through my site.