October
What a busy and interesting month October was! Rob went diving at the first opportunity and now Hoopla has a nice, clean bottom. The cockpit tent has gone up as it rains quite a bit here! When the sun is shining, it is very warm though. There is always something going on here on the quayside every weekend! Its Great! This weekend, there is going to be a climbing wall, a free running area, strap line jumping, a skating park & a car rally! WOW! It so busy! I have bravely dusted off my running trainers and have started at 3.5k, slowly. Rob & Jack completed their first science experiment. This was with salt and potatoes and was to demonstrate density, which was interesting. Rob bought new reefing lines for Hoopla and booked our flights for our visit home. How exciting! We all visited the Torre de Hercules – which was a nice half hour walk each way along the sea front. We Explored the light house (Rob & Jack went to the top, but not me) and grounds, before heading back – via the ice-cream place. Uh Oh! Our TV is damaged in the bottom corner and it looks like it is spreading… It was possibly strapped in too tight while we were travelling. The weather is still warm and sunny, which is lovely. We do suffer with a constant swell in the harbour! It is even worse when the fishing boats go past, completely ignoring the speed limit! Robert went out and bought four new snubbers – and we have noticed that one has snapped already. We continue to wake up at 9am and Rob mentioned the horror of using an alarm in the mornings!! He was quickly voted out by Jack & I! LOL!! One weekend, we decided to visit the nearby castle. It was only €2 for entry. It was Small but good. I loved the underground water cistern and Rob & Jack really liked the arsenal! Rob’s (even though he keeps saying its for everyone) new folding bike arrived on the 11th. He is very pleased with it. There was a Party at Nemo’s Bar that night, and so we drifted off to sleep listening to loud (and sometimes quite bad!) singing lol. The 12th was a Spanish bank holiday and there was a Regatta in the marina which all the yachts ‘dressed’ up for, in their flags. This meant that there was another mega party at Nemo’s LOL. The weather continues to be really warm and sunny, but the locals are wearing coats, hats and scarves LOL! Our TV has finally gone! 🙁 It doesn’t have any colour and the screen is weird. Rob has ordered a new one. I bought my a new jacket with my birthday money from Pete – and I love it! I have said that I am not going out if it is raining, as I don’t want it to get wet! Hahaha! Unfortunately, our toilet has started to leak sea water from the bottom hose. Great! On the 18th I finally swapped around our shorts and t-shirts for long sleeved tops & fleeces. The time had come 🙁 It has rained all day BUT our new TV has been delivered. Yay! Rob has started working on our new hatch covers. They will be dark on one side and reflective on the other! So clever! They will have poppers on both sides and will be used constantly I think. In summer to keep below decks cool and in winter to stop the condensation. Its a brilliant idea, well done Rob! Recently, we have had rain, rain, rain and yet more rain. We are very pleased with cockpit tent!! This gives us the space to be able to take off our wet coats & shoes before entering the boat. It is so handy! Rob used the bike and followed the cycle path route.It is circular, 6.5k and is a very nice route. We haven’t had any wifi for a few days, and we think that it is because there have been a lot of new yacht arrivals recently. Hopefully they will all be leaving at the next weather window…On the 25th Rob booked our flights to Tenerife for February 2020! The flights were only €440 for all 3 of us! We are all quite excited! I have never been before and I am looking forward to seeing the black sand! After many conversations, we have finally decided to stay here for the winter! It would have to be a mad dash to get to Cartagena and, as we don’t want to miss the ria’s, Portugal, Gib etc, it would be best to stay here. We have been quoted €1330 mooring fees for the winter period, from now until April 2020. We feel much more settled now that we have made that decision. Rob has replaced the seals on the windows and he has booked our accommodation for Tenerife. Yay! The last few days here have been nice, warm and sunny.
29th England: We zipped up our suitcases for our UK trip and caught the 12.30 bus to the train station. Here, we caught the coach to the airport and a plane to London Stansted. All connections went like clockwork. The trains to London, and then to Feltham, cost £70! (ouch!). Graham very kindly met us at Feltham station at around 8.30pm. While on the Feltham train earlier, Rob booked tomorrow’s train ticket from Walton to Havant (£45) and Havant to Stansted £45! So much cheaper if you book in advance!
30th England: We took a taxi from Sunbury to Walton Station and we caught our train to Havant without any problems. Dad met us at Havant station and we all had such a lovely afternoon at Mum and Dads! It was so lovely to see them! They very kindly lent us their car during our stay (we got our own insurance). We left them at 4pm and hit lots and lots of traffic! We finally returned to Sunbury, via Tescos, as I needed new PJ’s because the elastic had gone in the bottoms hahaha! Its dry here but damn cold! Brrr!
31st England: At 7pm, we all went trick or treating! We walked around Sunbury for hours and by the time we had returned back to base, all the children had collected a major sugar haul each, had a great time and were shattered!
November
1st to 12th November: England: The weather forecasted rain for my volunteering at Park Run, Hanworth, and it bucketed it down! It was great fun but I was a cold, drowned rat when I returned to base at Sunbury! I could even wring out my socks! I felt human again after a lovely hot shower! Whilst in Sunbury, we had an amazing catch up with lots of our family and friends. It was so lovely to see them all again! For my bestie’s 50th on the 7th, the two of us caught the train to Windsor (after a lovely morning with her family opening cards and presents!). We had a wonderful afternoon, complete with a prosecco cream tea! Back to hers for some pizza, birthday cake and more presents! What a wonderful day 🙂 Our last few days were spent with more catch ups with family and friends. Soon, we were back at Mum and Dads on Hayling Island for the 11th, where we had a lovely few days with them, before we heading “Up North” to Pete’s on the 12th. BUT when we arrived at Ryan Air check-in, we were told that we had too many cases!! They quoted us £40 for the case (this was more than its actual contents were worth!), so we decided to throw away some its items and some we re-packed again in the other cases – all in the middle of Stansted Airport! Not stressful at all! Pete very kindly met us at Edinburgh airport and, boy, its cold! 2/3° – but it’s dry.
13th to 20th November: Scotland: Jack’s schooling continued as normal, but with lots of walks and family catch ups, and we had a wonderful visit! We all went to the nearby water gravity lock and then headed out to the two white horses. Brr its cold, though, hahaaha! The Kelpies were magnificent and they light up in different colours at night. Rob & Pete went fly fishing the next day, while Jack & I walked to the park in Dunfermline with a waterfall, Chinese garden and lots of squirrels. Pete also took us to the Christmas market in Edinburgh. It was so pretty! I bought some fake snow hahaha! I also booked myself a flu jab in the local chemist to Pete’s for £10. For our last evening, Pete booked a table at Dine 29 for their Hot Rox. Delish!
21st and 22nd November: UK to A Coruna: Pete dropped us off at Edinburgh Airport and he left with lots of hugs and promises of telephones calls. No nasty surprises at check in this time, but the Customs officers were very interested in our teabags, which were packed in “Mr Guitar Ager” LOL. Rob had decided to bring his guitar to Hoopla and so we had to book it a seat! It was the same again at Stansted Airport! We finally arrived at Santiago Airport at 21.20 and we caught the coach to the train station. We knew that there were no trains now, until the morning, and so Rob had booked us in overnight in a pension, just a 5 min walk away. We found that Rob had booked us a triple room so we all had a single bed each lol. It was really nice and friendly check in and the room was clean and comfy. We woke up the next day at around 10am, and we had all slept very well (considering Rob & I were not used to single beds hahaha). We had our breakfast at the railway café and we were ready for the 12.07 to train to A Coruna, via having our luggage x-rayed again). We arrived on Hoopla at around 3.30pm. She was a bit chilly and so we dropped the suitcases aboard, put the heaters on and went to Burger King for lunch! We returned to Hoopla via a supermarket for milk, ready for our 1st proper cuppa in days! It was pouring with rain, some heavy winds and it was cold. Welcome Home!
22nd to 30th November: A Coruna: The tumble dryer, unfortunately, was out of order and so I had to use the local laundrette, as I had four bags of washing! But it was all washed and completely dry in 2.5 hours. I have received my hospital appointment for my tooth removal and so we booked mine and Jacks flights back to the UK for March. Rob will stay here, on Hoopla. Rob, Gerry and I are now back for our drinks at Nemo Bar 🙂 Happy days. We also had some Scottish shortbread for Ana & Co in the marina office. Rob went and collected a van on the 25th and he left for Cartagena (the other side of Spain!) at around 2.30pm. He was off to collect the dinghy that he had bought from someone there a few months previous. Jack and I pottered around doing his schooling and tidying as normal during Rob’s absence and Rob returned at about 7pm on the 27th, with the new dinghy plus a passerelle. We now have grey skies, rain and it’s still quite cold. Our Webasto heating is still not working, so Rob had a look and he thinks that the new duct work is somehow effecting the sensor. We all retrieved the dinghy from the van and, after sanding it down, Rob & Jack rowed it to Hoopla – AFTER saving Sydney from Man Over Board! We made full use of the van as we also took it to Carrefours for a BIG shop. €200 later…..(!)
December
We have nowhere to put a Christmas Tree! I have decided to use the mast-step and I am looking for a garland to put around it, but no luck yet. I have put out Nativity scene in a large bowl, with our fake snow. Jack’s schooling continues and he continues to do well. We are all new to this home schooling lark and so routines get shuffled around, if needed. Rob has sanded down and ‘teaked’ up the dinghy – and she looks much better! I found a garland as we got on the wrong bus to Ikea, and stumbled across a Christmas Shop! I have wrapped this around the pole and Jack and I have added lights and some red bells. We have also started making some paper chains (Rob not so enthusiastic over these hahaha). Rob has collected the new oars that he had ordered for the dinghy, from Pombo. The original ones were too big for it and old, plus gave both Rob & Jack splinters. Both are very happy with the new ones! I had a hospital appointment at Ashford Hospital, UK, on the 10th, so I popped back to the UK on the 7th and stayed at a friends in Ashford. I had a lovely visit and caught up with friends and went for a walk with Matt, which was lovely. Rob & Jack continued with lessons and Hoopla maintenance while I was away. My flight back to A Coruna was delayed by an hour and so I landed at 12.30am! There were no trains at this time and so I caught a cab to Hoopla (€20) and it was absolutely pouring down! I arrived at the marina for 1.30am and Rob met me with an umbrella! Saturday 14th we had lots and lots of Santa’s arrive into town on motorbikes! We are not sure why but they were a wonderful sight! It was such a shame when it poured down with rain in the evening 🙁 Rob has finished the reversible cover for our big window – but it is too windy to use today as we have gale force winds (30 knots) along with torrential rain. Great! We are so thankful for the cockpit tent! I’m thinking that we should have bought wellies and boots instead of flip-flops! The Christmas wrapping has started (so exciting!) and Rob & I think that we might be the only livaboards here over the Christmas period. The Spanish do not really celebrate Christmas (I believe a small gift is given Christmas Eve). Christmas day is a bank holiday, but the Spanish really celebrate the “Three Kings”, around 5/6th January (Epiphany in the UK). We have decided to carry on as normal for us and to celebrate Christmas. On the 24th, Rob took the dinghy out for her first sail! He put up her sails to find out that they are brand new! We had a wonderful day Christmas Day! Jack loved his new phone and Rob is looking forward to the magic show on the 30th! I was also very lucky with new clothes, charms and a new kindle case. BUT I dropped my phone overboard!!! I hadn’t zipped up my pocket and it fell out when getting off of Hoopla! Downer! But thank goodness it wasn’t Jack’s new phone! Rob dived in at the next low tide (12 hours later) and managed to find it! Wow! We left it in fresh water for a good few hours and when Rob dried it out and put it in Jack’s old phone, it worked!! We plan on buying a new phone in the January Sales. Rob designed and made a new step, as our current fender step will give way very soon! It was really easy and is brilliant! The end of December gave us much better weather! Finally sunshine and warmth! Monday 30th we went to the Illusionist Show, just a 5 min walk from Hoopla. It was very good – even if we couldn’t understand much of what was said! The following day (31st), my sciatica kicked in! It was sooo painful! I had signed up to do my first International Run too! Running does seem to help my sciatica and so we decided that I should be ok. So, at 4.30pm, I took some paracetamol and joined the crowd! It was my usual run route and I completed it without any stops! Brilliant! It was great to be running again in a crowd! The Spanish tradition of New Year is to gather in the town square and to eat a grape at each chime at midnight. We decided to join in and so we bought a bag of grapes and mixed with the people that were already in the square. Luckily it was not raining and there were lots of families too. I saw lots of people with their grapes in-hand, and, as the clock struck, we ate our first grape. BUT what we hadn’t taken into account is that this clock chimes fast! We tried stuffing the grapes in but we had to stop at six! Hahaha! And the ones we had bought had pips in!! We laughed so much! We found out later, that people half or quarter the grapes beforehand…..On our walk back to Hoopla, we saw quite a few firework displays and we turned in at around 1.30am – just as the party started at the Nemo Bar with some loud music and bad singing hahaha!
January 2020
Well, the party at Nemo’s Bar ended at 6am! We did manage some sleep though! Rob started work on the Webasto heating. My sciatica disturbed my sleep during the first half of this month and was very painful! I did some exercises which helped, but it was very painful first thing in the morning. Making full use of the brief warmer and dryer weather, I put on a wash load and hung it out to dry. It is still very painful moving around 🙁 Its quite chilly when the sun goes down. The Sunday 5th January saw the arrival of the Three Kings! There was a huge carnival and they also had a police escort! They were seated in the Town Hall and the queues of children wanting to see them went around the block! It was lovely to see 🙂 Jerry returned from Guernsey and he had brought with him Herm Bear!! How wonderful! We now have the full set! An Estonian live-aboard family arrived in the marina on the 8th and they had an actual fire on their deck! Blimey! Fires on deck are illegal and so they have been told not to have any more by the marinaro’s. Rob ‘teaked’ the passarelle and made new canvas covers for the side windows. By the 13th, three of our snubbers have snapped and our fourth is cracked! They are not cheap and should have lasted a lot longer than one month! The other two are ok for the moment. Rob has emailed the manufacturer, who replied stating that he needs to return them back to Pombo, which he has done. Pombo will be sending all four back to the manufacturer. Rob bought and fitted one metal spring in the mean-time. He flew back to the UK on the 14th (his flights were not affected by the 20knots of wind, thank goodness) as he was having problems with two of his crowns. While he was in Sunbury, he put up some shelves, repaired an outside lamp there and creosoted the shed at no. 34. Back in A Coruna, two Spanish Navy ships arrived in the marina and they were open to the public for two days, so Jack and I went aboard. It was strange to see “Spanish Armada” on the back of their uniforms. Matt popped over to see Rob while he was in Sunbury, one evening, and they had a great catch up and Rob was back on board on the 23rd. He had had a lovely visit, was happy to have had his crowns repaired but he was pleased to be back on Hoopla. Pombo still have not had a response from the manufacturer regarding our snubbers. Jack took the dinghy out a few times and collected rubbish from the marina. Rob finished the side window covers but brought them inside, as it started to rain (again!) very heavily. I have received the date to have my tooth out – 11th March. I have booked flights for Jack and myself and we will stay in the UK for 12 nights. The swell continues to be quite bad here and we are so looking forward to a break from it in Tenerife. We are hoping for a break in the rain, so we can take down a dry cockpit tent to store, before we leave on the 1st, as we are away for six weeks. We are all so looking forward to our break! Tenerife, here we come!
February (Tenerife)
Feb 1st, our alarm went off at 6.30 and we were up at 6.45(!). The cockpit tent had dried overnight (yay!) so Rob took it down and stored it away, while I cleared away our rubbish & re-cycling bags. We are all very excited! We caught the 8.32 airport bus and before we knew it, we were on an internal flight to Tenerife! When the plane landed (after a bit of a bumpy flight) there was a round of applause! We picked up the hire car and eventually found our apartment – and it has a very nice pool on site! Rob found a local spa and he went and picked up a few bits and we ate out local café. It is so WARM! Thank goodness, and no wind or rain! 🙂 We all slept very well. The apartment was very clean, with a new fridge/freezer. We had a bedroom each, a fab sitting room and a great patio. It is lovely having all this space in the apartment hahha! Rob & I really like the balcony! Its great! The beach was literally a two minutes’ walk. I was so pleased to see the black sand – it was really strange! Just like normal sand but black! Rob & Jack went snorkelling a lot. The water is so clear! They saw lots of fish incl a puffa fish. Jack was using Robs go-pro and even started editing his own videoing. A good way to learn the software! We love the communal pool! Its lovely to sit around but f-f-f-freezing! LOL! On our first or second day, Jack & Rob both jumped in. They are both mad LOL! Rob and I often had our lunch here, as it is a lovely sun trap. The only criticism we have of the apartment, is that there isn’t an oven – just a hob! We had to go out and buy an electric plate. This made cooking so much easier and better! The washing machine was quite smelly and there wasn’t a vent in bathroom either… We continued with school Monday to Friday mornings and then we hit the beach in the afternoon, Rob and Jack snorkelling & me kindling 🙂 We have noticed that it can be quite windy here, but it is very lovely and warm.
**** JACK’S BIRTHDAY ON THE 12TH ****
Jack was 12 on the 12th! He loved his presents and Rob & I had also arranged for him to go scuba diving in Los Gigantes (not far from Los Cristianos) with Rob, while I do some snorkelling. It was quite far from our apartment but we didn’t have any problems and got there on time. We were taken out in their rib (it went SO FAST!!) and we all had about 45 mins in the water – and had a blast! I enjoyed the snorkelling and I could see all three of them below. The sea was cold but so clear! We were very grateful for the hot shower after! A wonderful time was had by us all. The school said that if Jack takes his PADI course, they will deduct his dive of the price. Jack was keen and so we signed up for it! One expensive birthday! We found a café nearby for lunch and Jack bought himself a unicorn head(!) with his birthday money. We then explored around the area and we found a very nice restaurant, later, in the next town, for a Birthday Tea! Back at the apartment, we had some cake just before bed!
Matt wanted to give jack a go-pro for his birthday, and so we found one in Los Gigantes. When he used it next, he saw an octopus while snorkelling! Jack’s video editing has improved a lot. Thanks Matt! It was mid Feb when we followed a local, marked lava trail! It was amazing to think that we were walking on actual lava! We saw lava tubes, lava flows (these around 10,000 years old) and a water spout. It was a lovely walk in warm sunny weather. Jack continued working though the online PADI course and he had a dive booked for the 17th. When we arrived, they gave Jack a t-shirt for his birthday! How kind! While Jack was diving, Rob & I explored the town, enjoying coffee or two. His next dive was on the 20th at 9am, so we had to leave the apartment at 7.30! Ouch. We (I!) found a Lacoste shop and I bought a dress for my niece’s 30th. Jack did very well on his dive, but he got cold. We had pizza in the local café afterwards for lunch. He had another dive on the 21st and I, on our walk, I found an infinity pool! I would have loved to have had a swim (and a photo!). The beaches here have normal coloured sand! I was surprised to learn that not all the beaches have the black sand. I was very pleased to have it so close to our apartment! Rob & I walked quite often along the seafront to the sea wall, where we then stopped for Rob to swim while I read my kindle. It was always back to apartment, via a café… Sat 22nd we all went to our beach for more snorkelling. Jack returned to the apartment after, but Rob and I stayed on the beach. It was quite windy but warm. We noticed a haze in the distance, the mountains were starting to disappear. This turned out to be a huge sand storm from the Sahara! The next day, the sky was orange. And I mean, orange! We stayed in and Jack completed his module 4 for his PADI. The sky was no longer orange on the 24th, but the air was still thick with dust. We (as did a lot of people) stayed indoors. All of the cars are covered in sand. It is so strange. Tues 25th, we found out that a hotel in Adeje is in lock down re flu from Italy. Luckily, not near us but we do have to drive past this get to Jack’s last PADI lesson on the 26th. Both Jack and Rob dived this time, while I went for a wander around the shops. I stopped at a café with my Kindle… I met up with the boys at 11.30am and HE HAD PASSED!! YAY!! He was so pleased, but he deserved it. Rob now has a dive buddy! We/they plan on doing lots of diving in the rias and on our way next season, to Cartagena! We were back in our apartment by 7pm (via a bar for a sangria!).
March
The first week in March was our last in Tenerife. This was spent with school in the mornings, then Rob & I going for a walk (and a beer/sangria) in the afternoon. Unfortunately, Rob came down with a cold and a nasty cough. It wasn’t too bad during the day, but it did disturb his sleep 🙁 We finally made it out to Mount Teide! We couldn’t go before because of Jack’s diving course. It was a bit scary driving around the bends with the sheer drops! But it was a great day out and we did enjoy it! On Tues 3rd March, we decided to have a day off school! Hurrah! We went to Loro Parque and it was a fantastic place! Just as we entered the park, we met staff selling ‘behind the scenes’ tours. The lady gave us really good route instructions, so we saw ALL of the shows and ALL of the animals – and the tour itself was brilliant! It was quite a cloudy and chilly day, though, but it was ok. We had a wonderful time. Back in the apartment – the mammoth packing task continued! We have no idea where all the stuff had come from! Rock pooling and a coffee after was just what the doctor ordered! The 6 weeks in Tenerife has sped by! I never did get to visit the aloe vera plantation and the town (for shopping) near us, which was a shame. Maybe next time….. We arrived at the airport at 4.50am on the 7th March, but it didn’t open until 5am! We then found out that our cases were over by 2kg. We were quoted €36(!) but they let us off when we said we would rather take some of our stuff out! We went and found a café for breakfast (GF muffin for me) and both Rob & I slept on the plane. We arrived back to a lovely and dry Hoopla and the unpacking was started! It was nice and sunny – but not as warm as Tenerife! We have missed our oven, though!
It was grand to see our neighbours again; Gerry, Sara, Anton and Ana in the office! Lessons continued Monday to Friday, as normal. Rob went to find out about our snubbers at Pombo and the manufacturers have refunded us with a credit note! YAY! Rob will spend that without any problems! (he is thinking about the metal sprung snubbers) and then he took the dinghy out that afternoon. Unfortunately, Sara & Anton leave early tomorrow morning, so we said our sad goodbyes. I have lots to pack for mine and Jack’s trip to the UK: winter clothes, Jacks school books, computer & CI Bears, if possible. I am going back as I have an appointment at Ashford Hospital (Surrey) to have a back tooth removed (gulp) and Jack wants to see his friends.
Jack and I flew out (after many hugs with Rob) on the 12th and all the connections went like clockwork. We flew to Heathrow, took the train to Hatton Cross Station and then I booked an Uber to my friends in Ashford, Surrey, where we were staying for the first week. My life, it was cold hahaha! It was lovely to see her and to catch up! My tooth was removed on Friday 13th(!) without any problems and Jack met up with his friends after school. We are hearing lots about the coronavirus spreading through Europe. It is very worrying. Our 2nd and last week here was spent with family in Sunbury. Lessons continued as did meeting up with friends. Though this week was different from last, ie, not meeting in houses and keeping our distances. Our flight home was cancelled and it was confirmed that lockdown is actually happening! Jack and I had no-where to go as we couldn’t stay in Sunbury! Pete, Rob’s brother, very kindly invited us to stay at his, just outside Edinburgh. I booked our train tickets for the next day, the day before the national lockdown.
The 23rd was a VERY stressful morning! I couldn’t fit all our belongings in our cases, so we had to use two plastic shopping bags! Graham arrived at 8am to take myself and Jack to Kings Cross Station, which was very kind of him. We arrived at 9am to an empty, deserted and absolutely freezing station! We had an hour to wait until our train, and Jack & I took turns warming up our hands around my cup of tea (Jack didn’t want one). I resorted to star jumps to warm up – much to Jack’s embarrassment! Our train left dead on 10am and there were only three other people in the whole carriage! We moved to a table and it was a very pleasant journey. Pete met us at the station and we were in his house (with the kettle on) by 4pm. We made it just in time, as the whole country went into lockdown at 6pm! The next day, there were queues to get into Tesco’s and a lot of the shelves were empty. I struggled to find gluten free bread and there were no packets of GF pasta anywhere! Pete had to work from home and, after school, Jack and I went for walks. It was around this time that a long lost friend found me via the wonders of Facebook! Brad found me via Matt and I was SO pleased that he managed to track me down! If we was down south and we didn’t have Covid, we would definitely have met up! We will keep in touch, though, and we will meet up as soon as we can! I did a wash load, putting the heavy clothes on line and our smalls in the tumble. I am looking forward to wearing clean jeans! Pete cleared out his study so he could work from there and we met up for lunch, sometimes in the garden, when it was nice. Rob and I spoke every day to swap news.
Meanwhile in A Coruna:
16th March: Rob decided to rewire the anchor winch. Luckily, he had lots of wire and connectors aboard, as he would not be able to buy any more as all the distributors are starting to close down 🙁
20th March: He needed to cut off the navigation light so that he could put our passerelle (gangplank) mounting in the bows.
21st March: Rob created the platform/step for the pulpit in the bows. This is so that we can put our passerelle in the bows or stern.
23rd March: The bow steps are now finished. Rob made these out of discarded pontoon wood that was being replaced (he did ask permission first!).
26th March: The first day of full lockdown in Spain. There was no staff at the marina and all the bars and restaurants are now closed. Masks are compulsory and police are everywhere! Rob managed to buy a mask from a pharmacist (at €8!). Gerry (the one other liveaboard there) met up, once, for a drink together on the terrace of the closed Nemo bar. They took their own beer but were approached very promptly by a very large Guardia Civil boat (gulp) and were quizzed then asked to leave (the police originally thought that the bar was still open!). Rob started and ran the engine, only to find that the water pump was leaking! There was nowhere to buy any spares, but he eventually found a supplier, via the internet, that was still open and would ship to Spain. No mean feat!
30th March: Rob is only allowed to leave the marina to go shopping (and then only at the nearest supermarket). The streets are empty and deserted.
31st March: Rob found a cheap method of making mooring compensators. They only cost €6 instead of €40!
April
The month of April went by quite quickly. My flights for April have been cancelled again (sigh) and I have rebooked them for the beginning of May. I still can’t get hold of any gluten free pasta! There is no need for people to clear the shelves of foods and toilet rolls. If people bought as normal, there would be enough to go around. But we are all slowly getting into a routine. We (Pete, myself and Jack) have breakfast at around 8.30am with school 9.30am to 2.30pm and Pete working in his study 8.30 to 5.30pm. Sometimes the lessons go really well and others…. well, not so well 😀 But we muddle through. Jack is actually doing well and he is receiving good marks from his tutors for his assignments. After school, he goes on Fortnite, etc, in his room, surfacing when dinner is ready. Weekends mean a bit of a lie in for us all. I do some housework and Pete and I go food shopping, taking it in turns to pay for the weekly shop. In A Coruna, Rob and Gerry (a Guernsey skipper also stuck in A Coruna) meet up most days for a drink on Gerry’s boat at 6pm, and this is the only time that they actually get to see and speak to another person! Back in Edinburgh, both Pete and I join in the “Clap for the heroes” 8pm on Thursdays. It’s a good chance to catch up with the neighbours (socially distanced, of course!). Fergus is out at work twice a week and he cooks the most delicious meals most evenings, with Pete and I taking it in turns to wash up after. I make sure that I have a walk after school for fresh air and for a bit of exercise. I aim for a minimum of about 5k and sometimes Pete joins me. Jack and I have a game of football in the garden some afternoons (I bought a football during one of our weekly shops). I am luckier than Rob in A Coruna! There is a VERY strict ban on anybody leaving their homes (or boats, in Rob and Gerry’s case), unless going directly to a supermarket for food. The Guardia Civil are stopping and questioning anyone caught outside, issuing fines or making arrests. It’s very scary and surreal! During one of their 6pm catch-ups, Rob bought a Fortress anchor from Gerry, to use as a stern anchor. With the teak that he salvaged (with permission) from the pontoon repairs, he created an anchor holder that is now fixed to the solar panel arch.
May
The month of May was mostly quite warm, which was very nice. This meant that Pete and I could, mostly, have our lunch in the garden. School continues as normal: Monday to Friday, 9am to 2pm. Jack & I are doing quite well, making our way through the modules and the assignments. Jack only has one or two assignments left in each subject and then he has finished for the year! We occasionally met up with Pete’s next door neighbour on Sundays, at 6pm, for an hour or so. It is so nice to be social for a change, even if it is over a garden fence! Mine and Jacks flights were cancelled and re-booked a few more times during this month 🙁 and each cancellation was more soul destroying than the last. We are all struggling to see an end to all of this, no light at the end of this tunnel. It is tough for us all. Both Rob and I feel that it was so very kind of Pete and Fergus to make room for Jack and myself and we all thought we would be heading back home by now. We are all trying to stay positive, but sometimes it is hard. It is a strange, and sometimes difficult, time for everyone! But I carry on going on my walks after school, and the Clap for Heroes continues, 8pm on Thursdays, which is good. Rob used up his credit note from Pombo and he bought the bigger mooring compensators. We now have two of these on the stern to help with the constant roll. These have worked much better than the rubber ones and they are stronger. Rob doesn’t think that these will be needed so much in the Med, but they are very much so for A Coruna! Towards the end of May, Pete’s daughter asked us if we could look after their dog while she and her partner are at work. This would only be a temporary situation, while they look for something more permanent and we jumped at the chance! Jack was ecstatic to look after a puppy Dachshund, named Cyril! Because of the lockdown restrictions, Cyril was dropped off at 8.30am by the open front door, and his bag of items placed in the hallway. This worked in reverse for his 6pm pickup. He. Was. Gorgeous! Cyril soon found his favourite chair for naps in between playtimes, and where the treats were kept. He also enjoyed coming with me on my walks – and I enjoyed his company. Cyril absolutely loved Jack’s football! He chased it all around the garden, eventually piercing it with his sharp puppy teeth! Cyril was very pleased, as this now made it much easier for him to pick up! Jack, however, not so much! I thought it quite funny, though!
June - Edinburgh
The weather continues to be nice, warm and sunny – I actually bought a pair of shorts! I know! In Edinburgh! Who would have believed it! Jack’s schooling continues as normal: Monday to Friday, 9am to 2-3pm – and I ensure that I go for a walk after school, for about 5k. I am beginning to know the area very well LOL! A member of my local running group from Feltham (Feltham and Bedfont Runners, or FAB) arranged a group 24 hour relay! This was on behalf of Endure 24, raising money for the NHS. A team of people are to run a relay around the clock, for 24 hours. I ran first, to hand the baton to Leanne. It was hard work as it’s very hilly here but was so good to run as part of a team, even if I am in Edinburgh! Everyone did so well, especially the ones who ran through the night! Jack worked hard on his school assignments and on the 19th year 7 officially ended!! Jack did SO well!! He received an average grade of 80% across his subjects! All of his tutors commentated on how hard he has worked and of the high standard of his assignments. One very pleased mama!
As I still hadn’t received any news (or cancellations) regarding our flights for the 23rd June and so I ordered some reusable masks from Amazon and started our packing. We (Jack & I) planned to stay at Matt & Lizz’s for two days, before heading back home to Spain. I was looking forward to seeing them again and I wanted to spend some time with these people before heading back. It has been so kind of Pete to open his door for us for the last four months! Who knew back in March what was on the cards. For our last meal in Edinburgh, we had a lovely fish and chip supper! The next afternoon, Pete very kindly dropped myself and Jack off at Edinburgh Airport and we said our sad goodbyes.
June - England
We finally boarded a plane and flew from Edinburgh to Heathrow on the 20th and then Jack & I caught an Uber to Matt’s and Lizz’s. We had a wonderful couple of days! Jack & Matt playing on the X-box and eating pizza! Lizz and I catching up and Ben, their cat, was still so fluffy and enjoying cuddles. Jack and I went for walks in the afternoons while Matt and Lizz were out at work and the two days whizzed by. Before we knew it, it was Thursday and Matt was to drop Jack & I off at Heathrow, on his way to work. But earlier that morning, Rob phoned me to ask if our flights were OK. He said that there have been no flights at Heathrow! Worrying! I had not received any notification from the airline (Vueling), not one email and their app had not alerted me of any changes. I checked their website but this didn’t say anything, either, about a cancelled flight! I rang their customer services in the end, to be told that, yes, the flight WAS cancelled!! I couldn’t believe it! What are we to do now? Rob, straight away, booked us on the earliest flight to Porto in Portugal, which was on the 25th. He planned to hire a car in A Coruna and drive to meet us at the airport. This meant that we had an extra couple of days at Matt & Lizz’s, which was an unexpected bonus. Lizz and I walked to her local shops most days and it was so nice to chat and catch up. We had a wonderful stay and it was so lovely to spend some time with these lovely people!
BUT just the following day, the 26th, would you believe that Spain closed its borders to Portugal! They were now due to be opened up on the 1st July! Rather than cancelling and re-booking our flights, Rob found us an apartment in Porto for the five days. Unbelievable! Hopefully there will not be any more surprises and we will all be back together on the 1st!
June - Porto, Portugal
The flights that Rob had booked for Jack and I were from Stansted Airport and at 11am. This meant that our check in was at 7am! Gulp! We could not get there for that time via public transport but then Graham very kindly offered to take us! How generous! So, at 6am, Graham picked us up from Matt and Lizz’s and, after one false start (I left my handbag back at Matt and Lizz’s!), he drove us to Stansted Airport. I gave him some petrol money but it was so very kind of him and we were very grateful! We waved goodbye and we made our way to the “luggage drop” queue. In this queue, we saw one family of five, one couple and a man, all of whom were flying to Spain – being turned away at the gate! Double Gulp! We (thankfully) were allowed through! I think I aged 20 years waiting our turn! As it was such an early start, my plan was to buy breakfast air-side – but nothing was open! All of the cafes and shops, etc, were closed and taped off. I should have realised that this would be the case. But packets of crisps, chocolate and drinks from a vending machine later…. we decided to eat these in our departure area. After a while, I slowly began to notice that no-one was actually joining us in this departure lounge. I went to double check the details on the flight information board, only to find out that our check in desk had moved! Jack and I had to run three desks along and we were the last to board! Stress! The flight, itself, was ok and we all wore our masks. These were only allowed to be removed when eating. All of us passengers were given a sealed lunch bag, which was an unexpected bonus! We landed and walked through customs without any problems. We found a taxi to take us to our apartment, only to find that the office was closed, for Siesta, and opened again in two hours. As we had our luggage, we found a nearby café and then went and sat beside the river. It was so nice and warm! At 5pm, we were given our key and we found the apartment (at the top of a very steep hill!). Unfortunately, there was no Wi-Fi, no oven (just a hob) and the microwave blew out the electrics frequently! I left Jack in charge of the TV while I left to find the supermarket (at the bottom of the very steep hill). We are only here for five days so we can cope with this! All three of us are so looking forward to us all being together again and of the return of normality! In the meantime, Jack played video games in the mornings while I read. Jack and I went for walks in the afternoons, over the bridges or beside the river, where we saw the traditional port boats. I so look forward to coming here with Rob in Hoopla 🙂