Last land based post for a while.

Thanks to Tiscali, I've had no internet for the past 2 days so my apologies to anyone who has tried to email or contact me!

My father arrived yesterday morning to drop off his stuff ready for the cruise and then headed up north somewhere for meetings! He plans to arrive properly late this evening, (around 9.30-10.00 ish,) and then we head off tomorrow morning. Unless plans change, it seems that we will be heading towards the Shropshire Union. The weather forecast is not great next week which is somewhat typical given that this weekend has been glorious and I'm sitting here now with all the windows and doors wide open! In fact, the preceding few weeks have been fantastic so I guess it's about right to change now that I'm off on holiday.

Warning to boaters - NEVER, EVER book a cruise during the school holidays - you can guarantee that it will be wet, windy, cold and miserable as I'll be on holiday then!!

Spent yesterady and much of today getting ready to go. Cleaned the boat, filled up with diesel, water etc. even polished the brass and the outside! Tidied the engine room so I can now see the throttle, mowed the grass in the marina, (the first proper cut this year,) and visited the model shop to get pleanty of buildings and figures to make and paint on those wet, windy, cold evenings I expect to be getting.

Speaking of the railway, the Lord of the manor has built a folly on the hill! I now have the first of the terraced houses in place for the residents - only another 6 or so required!

The vicar is in the church as evidenced by the fact that his car is parked in the car park.

The farm is a hive of activity....

Whilst the farmer's wife has a good old natter over the fence.

The wagon wheels are just some of the painting I did over the past week in the evenings on board along with a lot of other farmyard junk!

The mail is being delivered to the farm workers cottage whilst the empty milk churns wait to be taken in for the afternoon milking.

The church now has people! The children run out from Sunday School and the adults sit in the sun and natter.

Many more people pay their respects to loved ones in the cemetry.

Enough of this fantasy! I think it's easier to lose yourself in a model railway than it is in boating and that IS saying something! Now to dinner.

Hopefully my next post will be from a mobile connection, (if I get a signal,) and to update you with more 'boaty' matters!