It’s been a long long time

Since I last posted.  We haven’t done an awful lot although Jim came and stayed for a night and a day and we went down to Braunston on the boat to pick up a freezer from the chandlers there.  It was the first time Jim had actually been out on our boat and I hope he enjoyed it, I think he did.

The freezer has enabled me to put the dogs back on a raw food diet.  Raw food is so much better for them, they have more energy and they don’t scratch half as much as they did on processed kibble.  Neither do they drink so much.  Hamish used to drink until he was sick but he has stopped doing it now.  I feed them raw meat with raw fruit and veg in.  Apple and strawberries seem to be the favourite at the moment. Carrots and green beans are another one.

Of course the freezer benefits us as well, it has made shopping much easier as I just fill it up once a month and then shop for bread and milk etc when we need it.

We have had our boat carpeted everywhere but the kitchen and bathroom.  It’s made it much cosier and cleaner and if Martyn falls, hopefully it won’t hurt so much.  We’ve also got two new chairs as the other ones were falling apart. Our new chairs are fake brown suede and beautifully comfortable and came with little stools to rest our weary feet upon.  Martyn fell asleep in his one, the first night we had them.

We went down to the New Forest last week for a few days in the car.  We stayed at Oakdene which is on the edge of the New Forest and is a place we have stayed at before albeit many years ago, when the boys were small.  I can thoroughly recommend this caravan site.  The static caravans were spotless and very comfortable.  They were also well equipped in the kitchen.  So much better than the one in Cumbria.

We had left the dogs at the kennels they go to, they are always happy to go there, the girls are very friendly and we are happy that the dogs are happy and well looked after.

On Tuesday we went to Monkey World.  Again a place we have been to before,  Unfortunatly it was a little bit of a disappointment this time.  All the indoor living areas were being cleaned out so all the monkeys, chimps and orang utans were outside.  It was quite chilly outside and they didn’t look very happy about it.

We walked all the way round it, well I walked, Martyn drove his scooter, and back again, but there wasn’t really much to see.  This is the first time we have been disappointed.  Usually it is a brilliant place to go to.  Perhaps it was the time of year.  After we left we drove into Poole and had a look at the boats there, before deciding enough was enough as it was raining and we headed back to the site.

On Wednesday we drove down through the New Forest to Beaulieu and the Motor Museum.  Yet again, somewhere we have been plenty of times but this one never disappoints.  There is so much to do and see at Beaulieu.  We toured the museum, had a quick lunch in the cafe then strolled down to the house.  There was an exhibition about the Secret Army near the house where I left Martyn whilst I went on to look at the inside of the house.

One of the family who lived at Beaulieu was a young lady called Elizabeth.  During WW2 she was an ambulance driver in France.  When her unit retreated to Bordeaux and back to England, Elizabeth refused to leave and decided to go to Switzerland.  A journey that was fraught with danger.  Upon arriving at a hotel where she begged the manager to find her a bed, he told her that there were many Germans staying at the hotel.  When she left in the morning, she found two members of the Gestapo were following her.  She boarded a train and with the help of two salesmen she managed to evade the Gestapo and eventually found her way to Switzerland.  After the war she became a director of films and also a writer.

The history of the family at Beaulieu is an interesting one and the house is lovely.

From the top clockwise: The longest traffic jam in 1985, sat navs, a vintage car, something to do with the land speed record I think, padlock tree made from metal, couple who get married at Beaulieu get an engraved padlock or two to lock onto the three, Alice in Wonderland tea party, the padlock tree again.

Clockwise from left: beautiful flower in the garden, Beaulieu House, and the gardens

Afterwards we had a delicous cream tea at a cafe in Lyndhurst.  A phone call from Martyn’s mum on Thursday caused us to leave early and drive to Kent.  Our chairs had arrived and were in two huge boxes in her hallway.  We weren’t actually expecting the chairs until the middle of November so it was a bit of a surprise.

We got back to the boat late Thursday evening.  Just in time for storm Brian.  He was certainly a lively fellow, rocking our boat about.  But with our nice warm carpet and our lovely chairs we were quite cosy in the boat, fire ablaze and watching a DVD of the story of Elizabeth Montague.

Yesterday, Sunday, we had a surprise visit from our niece Becky, her two boys and her mum.  It was lovely to see them all and we are hoping that Becky and the boys will come and stay for a few days next year when the weather is better.

Martyn has brought a sewing machine and is currently making new covers for the cushions on our dinette.  He is so clever.

So that’s us up to date.  We are back down in Kent for two days next weekend.  Martyn has dentist and optician appointments and then we will be back.  Hoping to go out on the boat but we are also waiting for Kinver canopies to come and measure up for a new front cratch cover.  There is one there now but it is ripped, so a new one makes sense especially with winter approaching.  Also waiting for a chap to come out and weld some seats on the rear deck so Martyn has something to sit on while he is driving the boat.

A few random photos: Sunset over a rainy marina, The day the sun went red, huge boat at Poole Harbour, a chimpanzee, a quote at Beaulieu and a chimpanzee hanging around!