Is it the 22nd January already?

Heavens!! Where does time go?
Well, I guess we can be forgiven for thinking it is flying very fast, because we have beeeeennnn buuussssssyyyyy!
You will see why soon.

Im not going to recount everything that has happened since we returned to the dock in Port Charlotte, but a few things of note have taken place.

We have had much fun babysitting the delightful Miss Muffin, next door who is now going on 10 months. She keeps us on our toes, and we love being around her and introducing her to new things:)

She is crawling everywhere and pulling herself up onto the furniture, but not walking yet. She does uncurl her toes now, when using adults as a walking aid, so that is progress. We brought her onto the boat on one occasion, and she had great fun going in and out of the door...and again!

 She was most taken with an envelope we handed her... she must have known it used to contain money!

 She and Waz had a good chat!

 She needed to get up close and personal!

 

The weather took a turn for the colder, and we were in jeans and sweaters for a week. Not a problem..in fact rather nice to be in winter!

One Saturday we stopped in at the coffee shop that actually makes a Flat White (passably), and they had locals making music...just for fun! Woohoo! We sat and enjoyed the coffee, but had to leave. We will be back!

 

I think this is a box tortoise...He stopped long enough for us to take a photo. We were tiki-touring in Englewood, for the afternoon, and this creature was on a vacant lot.

We enjoyed looking at the housing in the Englewood area, and this took our fancy. Not sure how many people live here, but...

I bought Blackberries (2 for $5) and made a Granny and Blackberry pie. I had had the pastry in the freezer and needed to get it out of there, so made a pie. Pastry was not that great. I would normally make my own! Pie has no added sugar, and of course we had to serve it warm with lashings of sloppy whipped cream:) What else?

The significance of this pie is that I made it with powdered ginger, allspice and lemon zest, and cut the zested lemon into chunks and cooked that with the apple. It was DELISH! I highly recommend doing that. Remove the lemon chunks before using the mix. Blackberries went in when the apple was cool.
The weather warmed up again (seriously, it was too cold to sew upstairs!) and I moved the sewing machine to the Fly Deck. One of the projects on the list was to replace the leather arm rests on the Pilot house  captains seat. My trusty old Bernina handled it like a pro:) The weather was great, and the water still, as you can see. This makes it easy, as the boat doesn't rock!
I needed the curtains up...it got pretty warm up there!

 The inside of the arm rests.

 Sewing the leather was so easy. We had stolen the leather from a couple of small seats we removed from elsewhere, on the boat. Fortunately we kept it!

 Leather ready to go on.

 All finished and ready to screw back on the seat.

...and while I was up there, on the fly deck...I had sewn some of the Olefin fabric together for another seat cover that wasn't going to work...so used it to make an antimacassar. We tend to put our hands on the back of the seat...and it gets dirty...and now it wont! well, the seat wont...oh, you know what I mean!

That was the beginning...of more sewing.

 One down two seats to go!

Yes, more food.....
I had been wanting to make these Cauliflower pancakes for a while. They are light and fluffy and delicious. Waz even suggested that I make them again. Easy to make too! Oh, you want the recipe?? ok!

Cauli Pancakes:

Steam half a cauliflower head till very tender. Mash it well. Add 1/2 cup of grated sharp cheese, with a couple of tablespoons of grated parmesan, 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, finely chopped green onion (your choice how much), salt and pepper to taste, 2 large table spoons Best Foods Mayonaise, and 2 well beaten eggs. Whip the whole lot together...and if you like curry...add a teaspoon of curry powder!

Place spoonfuls onto a hot griddle and cook as you would a pancake. Turn when brown on the bottom. They should bounce back when cooked.

Another low carb recipe that was delicious.

and while we are on the subject of food...

We are eating a late breakfast these day, eating only two meals per day. We don't feel we need the extra food that 3 meals gives us.

A spinach and cheese omelet, half an avocado, and a tiny croissant. The croissant is the only carb food on the plate.

We heard our friends Connie and Joe were in Fort Myers, so we made a trip down there to see them. We had spent delightful times with them on the Loop, and enjoyed their company again over a Japanese lunch. Connie walked with us around the Historic District, while Joe went back to their boat to pack. He was flying out to pick up their car to drive back to Florida.
Downtown Fort Myers is pretty. A lot of effort has been expended to make it pleasant for tourists.

 A Little History.

 The old Post Office building is something to behold. The stone is Florida Key Limestone, and is full of fossils...fascinating!

 It is now an Art's Center.

 Brain Coral fossil...sawn, obviously.

 Fan Coral fossil...now stone.

 More fantastic Brain Coral.

We said goodbye to Connie and Joe late afternoon, and went to Mega JoAnn's to buy some white fabric. Yes, more boat sewing jobs. Will explain when I do it.

Another job that was completed was the repainting of the lines and text on the Pilot house dashboard, and in progress is the dashboard on the fly deck. This involved scraping the old oil based paint (which had mostly chipped out) out of the text and lines before cleaning and repainting. The repainting involved a really steady hand. Fortunately the lines were already there to paint. We painted with acrylic paint this time. It shouldn't chip out.

The fly deck dash in progress.

the fly deck dash is much larger than the pilot house dash.

We have not played much music for a long time...well, make that since we have owned the boat...because the CD player would stop in the middle, make weird noises and generally made listening a chore. This was on the TO DO list...change it out for one that works, Yay! Waz changed that out yesterday, and the music is wonderful now:)

He has been busy finishing painting the Genset sound cover, finished the Perspex on the fly deck windshield...which looks fabulous! he does a great job!!!

Today he installed the new tap set on the fly deck, so we don't have to wrestle with the old one that didn't function well....and installed the new TV (19inch) in the master bedroom, complete with DVD player (think what you like!!!!:) ), and tomorrow will install a new shower set in the VIP suite. The old one is junk!

The list is getting less...we think, and it is very gratifying to get them done.

We have 5 weeks to complete the rest of the chores/list, before going on vacation...yayay!

So, now you know what we have been up to...kind of! Each day presents new challenges, including the weather...which is about to get cold again, this weekend. It will drop 15 degree overnight.

We have some more socializing to do in the near future, and babysitting too:) We enjoy both.

Time to go and watch Big Bang Theory..sorry!

Ciao for now. Have a great weekend.

Time Out In Our favorite Place

Waz and I sat on the back of the Fly deck together, over a cup of coffee, and just enjoyed the peace of the moment and being in our favorite anchorage at Cape Haze. Yes, that is my vacant seat on the left:) Our view extends out to the ICW, just beyond that vacant piece of land, which we swear we will buy, should be win the Lottery any time soon:)

 

 A residential canal comes out into the keyhole that is our anchorage, and it is a popular place to come through from the other end, where it meets the ICW. A couple of Kayak/stand-up paddle board tours came through there as we watched.

 and off they go back to the ICW, just west of our position.

We are here because we didn't want to spend a whole week or more sitting in a berth at a marina, which is the alternative to our 'normal' dock, in Port Charlotte. That is presently taken up by a boat that needs some work doing to it, and we gladly vacated in order to spend some time out at anchor. It has worked out well for us, in the week after Christmas and before the New Year celebrations which promise to be very noisy, at the Marina. We are taking over the berth of the boat that is in our normal spot. What a great exchange!

It is now 5th January. How time flies when you are busy and having fun:)

We left Cape Haze on Monday  in time for the 11.30am opening of the Boca Grande bridge (which is the last bridge on the ICW before Charlotte Harbor) arriving at Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda just after 3pm. Waz backed into the slot allotted us and which had been vacated by our 'exchange' boat. We are all tied up and not particularly enjoying all the rocking and rolling that results from the particularly busy marina and retail village adjacent. The weekends are like Main Street with all the fuel dock traffic which has to go past all the docked boats, right to the land end of the marina. Most of those boats don't know what a SLOW sign looks like, let alone observes the rules of the waterways. Hmmmm....Cant wait to get back to our residential canal hideaway!

Christmas was delightful with a similar crowd to last year. Some of the regulars were ill with this flu bug that has now reached epidemic proportions in these parts, and some of the regulars who were there came down with it post Christmas.
Waz is coming out the other end of the flu bug today (Monday 5th), thank goodness, but I have missed him...no contact for the week because I don't want his bugs!!!

New year....Well, Friday of Christmas week, we up stix on the boat and went to Cape Haze...but you know that already. Last Monday we came back to Punta Gorda and have been here ever since.

The New Year was seen in with little fanfare. We watched the fireworks across the bay on the Port Charlotte side and a few on this side, but nothing to get too happy about. Rather disappointing really, especially for the pyromaniac on board:)

We have been out and about a bit, had a couple of meals out...mostly lunches....and done some shopping for some bits and pieces we will need when we are abroad in March.

Small jobs get done, and best of all, on a bright and hot and sunny day with a stiff wind blowing, the boat got a thorough wash. Yay! I do love being out there with long handled brush and a bucket of soapy water...yes! really...not being silly.:)
I was yelled at by the neighbor who happened to be sitting in the cockpit of his yacht, smoking, when he managed to be in the line of fire for some overspray. It wasn't deliberate, but heck!!

SO...I forewarned the neighbors on the other side of the boat, re the overspray, and they were disappointed that they didn't get any...wind going in the other direction, and all that:)

So, here we are! Ready and waiting to leave.
Oh...You want some photos??
ell, I may just have some. Stay there.....

Fog!! how original!:) Didn't burn off until almost noon:(

This has to be a Heron...no egret feathers! and it has green legs and beak..Nice!

I love these Yellow Crested Night Herons. They are patient hunters!

 We returned to Cape Haze by car, last week, to take a closer look at our favorite place, by land. We discovered this Osprey with a fish, sharing a perch variously with egrets and gulls, all looking to take some of that fish, he is clinging to. They were unsuccessful!

...and wouldn't you know it!!! They have Mermaids in these parts:)

 

 

Another day we ventured to Walmart for something, and came away with these Fruit of the Loom V-neck T-shirts. YAY! new shirts for me:) and a couple round necks too. We have been wearing (out) the black and white cheapies, so it was time for some less cheap shirts with some color...woohoo! I am all set to travel now! T-shirt and shorts is all we need!

 

 

We went to the Farmer's Market in Punta Gorda, on Saturday. Bought some tomatoes, a couple of croissants and a couple of sticky buns, which we ate then and there, having had fruit salad for breakfast and now feeling a bit...ummm Peckish:) They were disappointing! No cinnamon, just round cooked dough with some sticky frosting on top:( not even any raisins!!! for shame!

 

This gorgeous hibiscus is a new plant at the Marina...had to take a photo of course. The bloom is the size of a salad plate.

Back to the Farmer's Market.....We visited the woodworkers booth yet again...and here was this glorious rocking ..um....bike?  It really is a work of art...and one that adults can play on! Sounds good to me:)

So..somewhere along the way we went to a Butchery. We bought some 100% grass fed bison hamburger meat and I made meatballs. They were delicious and we had about 5 left over, which I put in the fridge. 5 isn't much of a meal for two, so what to do with them?


I had two sweet potato growing sprouts, in the cupboard, and a whole cauliflower in the fridge that needed cooking....hmmm...inspiration was needed to concoct a meal out of these three!

Fast forward a couple of hours..

2 x steamed sweet potatoes cut into rings (see last photo)

1 x cauliflower cut into large florets (you could make them smaller if you like)...steamed al dente.

Into a bowl place:

2 tablespoons Best Foods/Hellmans Mayonaisse
2 tablespoons Sour Cream
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese (yellow kind...I like strong)
Finely chopped Green onions  (spring onions) or chives, and handful of chopped parsley
Mix together


Butter a pan well..bottom and sides.
Place sw. potato slices on the bottoms and up the sides too.

Crumble the meatballs (or crispy cooked bacon, chicken or other left over meat) on top of the sw. potato...

Put the cauliflower into the bowl with the mayo/sour cream mix, and liberally cover them. Place the  cauliflower on top of the meat, and cover with any remaining sauce. Top with enough grated cheese to make it crunchy and brown when  cooked.

Bake in pre-heated oven at 375F for at least 30 mins, or until the top is well browned and the dish heated through.

This was absolutely delicious! It looks a bit of a hash up here, but the flavors were fantastic, and we licked our plates clean...yes, literally! don't tell the children!!!!!:(

 

There was sufficient left over (yes, left overs again! deja vu?) for another meal, which by chance was the day I cleaned the boat and felt like a broken woman (this old body aint what she used to be!...sigh), and was ever so grateful to have left overs ready to put in the oven...again.

Ciao for now...I am trying to get enthused by Jane the Virgin...a new series, which is a bit bonkers, but.... night night!