Friday the 13th, February

We have been told that there will be 3 more Friday the 13th's, this year, 2015.

 It is a cold but sunny day, here in Sth Wst Florida. The weeks are marching by, as surely as one day follows another, and we are counting down the days until we leave FL for 6 weeks.

There have been lots of 'To Do's' on our list, and 80% of them have been accomplished, along with many that weren't on the list...you know how that goes, right? :)

I am sitting here taking a time out while our young friend, 10 1/2 month old Miss Muffin takes a much needed nap. We delight in watching her for our hosts, and so enjoy the energy and discovery of the very young, especially when they are learning to walk!!! oh joy!

She and Waz have a special affinity, and she actively seeks him out, to his delight. He has taught her to make 'raspberry' noises...you know, the ones where lots of spittle comes out at the same time!!:) She has a very long and active tongue which worries her two new bottom teeth and the one just below the surface, up top. That one wont be long coming down, we think:)

Muffin and Waz watching the birds, outside the window.

I was caught in the act of taking a photo!

 Quite happy to sing to herself and lean against Waz's leg...one hand on the table for reassurance and balance. She is getting very adept at holding something in one hand while attaching to a solid object with the other. She loves to make her way around the sofa and table, occasionally letting go to stand alone.

 Waz makes a good leaning post! She was very determined to get hold of the computer mouse, but he kept it firmly in HIS grasp!

Waz took down three of the outside lamps on the Host's house, to refurbish, during the past two weeks, and those are not back up. It was quite a job to get the old peeling paint off and respray them, but they look great, now.

 

He has also been down in the engine room spray painting various body parts (not his!) and replacing all the belts on both engines...well, one done, one to go! It is cold down there today, so perhaps he will finish that job tomorrow? Although the temperatures are going down; for Saturday, we are expecting high 30's overnight. We are sitting inside with the door closed and welcome sun streaming in the window, albeit with sweaters and sheepskin slippers on!

 

Yesterday was warmer, and we were outside having  wonderful clean-up day. In this photo, Waz is reinstalling the workings of the Pasarrelle, after taking them off to clean and restore. We love to see all the stainless nice and shiny again. All the stuff that was on the cockpit deck go transferred to the dock, and the ceiling was cleaned, and Waz replaced the clothes line and re-pegged it. It wasn't hot enough to dry any outdoor cushions, so those will be scrubbed when we return from our vacation, in April, when the temps are more conducive  that activity. For now, they will be covered up by all the new seat covers I just finished....photos down the page further.

 

 Do we really keep all this stuff on the cockpit?? The dinghy cover got a waterproof spray, and is supposedly drying over the deck chairs.

 Waz is putting the Pasarrelle back together. See how clean and shiny?

 

My winter mission has been to make covers for all the outdoor seating, a new cover for the wheel and dashboard on the Fly Deck, table cloth and covers, and if time permits, to cover some other things as well. The covers do protect against the elements and dust. We find this place to be VERY dusty.

 

We have a boat detailer coming in two weeks to wax the boat and make her beautiful again, so the covers will protect that while we are away.

 

The Fly deck, all covered in blue, looking towards the bow. New tablecloth with shock cord around the bottom to make sure it doesn't go anywhere. This is 100% improvement on the previous tablecloth I had on there, which moved all the time. This one is going nowhere!

 

 

The new wheel and Dash cover. I wont both unpicking any old covers, in future. The dash has had new additions, and I should have made my own pattern. It just seemed easier, first time out, to unpick and use the old as a template. Hmm...we live and learn.

 Looking from the dash towards the stern.

 

 

Of course, Miss Muffin had to 'help' out with some of the sewing. She happily scooted back and forth around behind me, while I sewed, occasionally come to sit and watch. She was VERY fascinated with the needle going up and down, and didn't like being told that thing was an 'owie'!

 

 

 

The corner seat cover isn't pinned down...makes it easier to remove, we decided, as we often like to sit and eat and just enjoy this space. Nice to have it weatherproofed though.

 

The last cover to be made was the cockpit seat cover. This presented few challenges with how to secure it so that the rain didn't get inside and wet the seats themselves...the very reason for covering them...dry! I got around this by putting 'anklets' around the poles, which appear to be very effective, as the fit tightly, secured with Velcro. I have double sprayed this cover with waterproofing, after one application didn't quite do the job

 

 The cover fits neatly and tightly with just one dome on each side to pin it down.

We took the cockpit table off it's pedestal so we could fit the seat cover properly and decided we liked the extra space! :)

I just had to take photos of the cockpit sans 'stuff'. How lovely and clean and tidy it looks, but how devoid of obvious 'life' too. Only the doormat says welcome!

 The table now has a cover too...also with shock cord around and underneath it to keep the cover on no matter the wind. We will keep the covers on when underway, to protect the seats.

When the back curtains are up on all three sides, it is lovely and private on the cockpit and keeps the sun and rain out...for the most part...when we need it.

Note the plants on the back of the fly deck! The dill and mint are flourishing after a couple of heavy downpours. A little fertilizer works well too.

Waz reports that his list is losing some of the numbers, and reminds me that we have all of summer to complete his list:) yeah riiiight! As he says, if we do it all now, what is there left to look forward to?? His excuse ??ha!

We have a new Grandchild due any time now. Our son tells us that Baby (in-utero) is now 7lbs, so he is cooked and can appear at any time....due date is Feb 21st, we believe.
Waz and I will be leaving here to be with the new parents and baby, at the beginning of March, and look forward to 2 weeks with them, getting to know the new family member and delighting in this special new life.:)

We are then going onwards to NZ for a month to visit our precious family members, especially our seniors, now 86 (Mom) and for Poppa's 93rd birthday. Apart from being legally blind, Poppa is still healthy and has a keen sense of humor. He maintains most of his marbles, as does Mom. We are most grateful!

Our friends are kindly putting us up and putting up with us. Thanks to them...we couldn't do this extended trip without their hospitality and kindness. We will do some much needed chores for those who ask, and enjoy just hanging out with familiars, eating fabulous food, supping good NZ wines and Latte...just one or two, as they are expensive in NZ, but the milk maketh the product! Cant beat the grass-fed meat! Looking forward to seeing everyone. Not long now!

Well folks, that's about it for now. Lots of things going on, per normal, but I don't think you want to know ALL the details:)

Ciao for now