November
The fresh water flush is a success! Well done Rob He hopes that this will put an end to the problem we have been having with scale build up. Rob has paid for the car, so we now own a car again! Pete caught the train down from Edinburgh to collect it and drove back to his. Thank you so much Pete! Our accommodation has also just been reserved for our trip to the UK! Ouch! But so exciting. We will fly to Pete’s on the 24th Nov. We will drive down south via family catch-ups, before heading to my parents on Hayling Island! YAY! Then we will stay at friends for a week, before going to our rented accommodation in Sunbury. Rob has cleaned and polished Hoopla’s hull! She is gleaming like a new pin! I removed the Hoopla spray dodgers and tried cleaning them, but they haven’t come up brilliantly. The Sahara sand has stained them Rob removed the autohelm motor and its computer on the 9th and (too quickly) it’s now the 10th! I finally got my implant fitted. Ouch. I’m back on the 11th for the temporary crown. The 13th bought a stupendous sail out with Sarah and Nigel ! We thought it would be a motor but the wind picked up and so the sails came out. It was a fantastic day. Just what the doctor ordered!
On the 15th, there were goodbye drinks aboard Hoopla. There was 8 (incl us) in total, in our cockpit! We were all heading for the UK at different times this week, and so we all wished each other safe and happy travels. We will all meet up again in the New Year. Jack had his 2nd jab on the 18th, which was followed by 3 days of unsettled and wet weather. There was rain, rain and more rain! A big cruise ship arrived and had to stay an extra night, as it was refused entry to Malaga – due to bad weather! The 21st was a washing day for UK trip, as we had a break in the cloud/weather. Rob took the opportunity and serviced the generator and our outboard engine. Rob also replaced the taps in the galley with a new mixer tap. The packing was started on the 23rd, and we had to borrow an extra holdall from one of our neighbours! Hahaha! So, 7am on the 25th, our taxi arrived to take us to Alicante airport. After paying the €120, we joined the MASSIVE queue for baggage drop! Sigh. The queue for security was even longer! Gulp! 1.5 hours later we finally dropped off our luggage and then found NO queue for security! We went straight through(!) and made our way to the gate (and got a stamp in our passport). It was a good flight, with just a little turbulence. It was damn c-c-cold stepping off the plane in Edinburgh! Pete met us and we were in a nice warm house with the kettle on minutes later. Nice! It feels very good to be on the same island now as our family and friends – but my life it is cold! We have an amber weather warning for strong winds overnight and it was quite windy walking around the town, but it was ok. We were all out for a wonderful meal and catch up with Mollie & Blair that evening. They both looked well and it was so lovely to see them! Another lazy morning the next day, before heading out to the train station to catch a train to Edinburgh. We quickly discovered that all the trains have been cancelled because of trees and trampolines(?) on the line….! So a short drive to a nearby park & ride centre later, we caught a double decker bus into town. We had excellent views from the top deck! We saw a huge queue for the Christmas Market and it looked packed – so we passed on that. Lunch was had in John Lewis with terrific views over the Forth. How lucky. I had a great time window shopping – but I was not allowed to buy the big bear… LOL! We had a lovely surprise the next morning! We all woke up to snow!!! A quick snowball fight had to be had when Jack eventually woke up. We were then at Mollie and Blairs for afternoon tea. We didn’t just go for cuddles with Cyril, honest! On the way back to Pete’s, we popped into Tescos for some GF haggis! We were on the road on the 29th, leaving Pete’s at 11.30. We had a grand time at Petes! Big hugs were shared all round on his doorstep before heading for Lindas Farne, and we arrived at 2pm. It was very, very cold with only a handful of places open and only one serving food. Then we were told that they all had had no electricity for the last two days and it had only come on that morning! Even so, I was offered GF soup with GF bread! How amazing was that! Robs phone bleeped and he had received an email to say that our airbnb has canceled! Bldy hell! Let’s hope we find some reasonable alternatives! We said goodbye at 3.30 and arrived at Aunty Pams at 8.30pm. We were very pleased to see her! She had a wonderful dinner waiting for us. Delish! Feeling very fat, we all had a fab nights sleep, followed by a very nice, relaxing morning. Rob drove us to The Beaches at 2pm, where we all had a scrumptious lunch. What a great start to our holidays! I can’t wait to see what December brings!
December (UK):
Words cannot describe how happy we were to see our family and friends! All three of us enjoyed our time in the UK immensely. It’s the 1st already and guess who forgot to buy advent calendars! Haha! Whoops! We all did our LF tests (all negative) before leaving Aunty Pams for Janet and Daves. It was so lovely to see Pam – and looking so well too! Unfortunately, we had horrendous driving conditions to Janet’s; torrential rain and strong winds! Yuck! We just took it easy. We found a small supermarket en-route where I bought 4 advent calendars! one each for Jack, Matt and Lizz and one for Rob & I to share. We eventually arrived at Jan and Daves in Milford at 6pm. It was such a looong journey haha! But worth it as it’s so lovely to see them! We had a wonderful few days visit, incl walks and a delicious meal out. Both Jan and Dave are looking very well! More LFT’s (All negative) before leaving. It was a lovely drive through the New Forest (one of my favourite places). It was full to the brim with its amazing autumn colours – and we enjoyed seeing the ponies. We finally arrived at Hayling Island and knocked on Mum and Dad’s door! It was more than lovely to see them in person! We spent a wonderful afternoon and evening catching up. Matt and Martin arrived at 11.30am the next day which meant that the whole family are back together again! There were big, body, squishy hugs all round!!! We saw Matts new car (even though he has had it a year already) and its amazing! Lucky lad! We had a fish ‘n’ chip supper – which we had all been looking forward to for absolute ages. But guess who forgot that neither of their boys liked vinegar? Whoops hahaha! I was forgiven, though, when I gave out the advent calendars.
More LFT’s were done before leaving for Nicola and Mike’s, at around 1pm the following day. They had prepared the most marvellous Sunday dinner! It was a fantastic meal and we had a fantastic catch up! Feeling very stuffed, we are now in the car, heading for Graham and Lu’s in Sunbury. We are so looking forward to seeing these guys again! It’s official – we are now Daan Saaaf! I was at Tinas, my bestie, by 9.30am the next morning! I was so happy to see her. Meanwhile, Jack caught up with some school work and Rob spent some time with Graham. We all had lots of catching up to do! Today (8th), Rob & I have a date with our garage. Deep Joy hahha! The plan is to take most of the storage out and then repack it more sensibly. We saw Pete from next door too! Lovely. Rob and Jack went to Taekwondo that evening and then met me at Matt & Lizz’s after More fun and laughter x Ben tha cat came down too! The next day found me at the Westfield Shopping Centre with Lu & Phoebe, while the boys were at Top Golf. Another lovely time was had by all – again! More negative flow tests all round on the 12th, before I met Brad in Covent Garden. We were wearing matching coats! It was SO funny! I was really pleased to see him and to hear all his news. On the 13th, I met some lovely friends at Polesdon Lacey. I’d not been before and, oh, what a lovely house! The weather was not really good enough to explore the grounds, which was a shame. More LFT’s before packing up our suitcases (again). There were lots of hugs on the doorstep of Graham and Lu’s before making our way to Barry and Maureen’s, on the 14th. We had a lovely few hours, plus Dom came over with Amber, his dog – she was very cute. We arrived in Esher, at Thorsten and Brittas, our sailing buddies, at around 5pm. We’re here now until the 3rd of Jan, so for quite a while. Lovely.
Just to recap: we bought our car at the beginning of November. When Pete was on his way to collect it on our behalf, the garage contacted Rob to say that the airbag warning light had suddenly come on. The technician said that they won’t be able to look at it for a couple of weeks but its an easy fix. He dropped the price by £200 and so Rob & Pete agreed to accept it as is. We arrived at Petes for a few days at the end of Nov, before travelling down south. We got it booked into a garage on the 15th Dec, in Richmond. Rob & I caught a bus to Kingston, for some Christmas shopping. Unfortunately we didn’t return to good news. The car needs to go to a main Nissan dealer to have this fixed. The ECU costs around £500 – plus labour….Gulp. Rob contacted the original garage and they said that they would call us back…. Meanwhile, we had a wonderful few days in Esher, feeling very much at home, before more LFT’s on the 17th. We loaded up the car with our suitcases and Christmas presents and hugged our friend’s goodbye. They leave for Germany tomorrow, to spend Christmas with their families over there. We wished them a safe journey and a wonderful Christmas. We had a good travel down and we arrived at Mum and Dad’s at around 2.30pm, and had a really nice evening Matt, Lizz and Martin arrived at 1.30pm the next day and there was much fun and laughter whilst opening our presents We had a table booked for 6pm at the Yew Tree that evening and we left a good couple of hours later, feeling very fat It was back to Mums for more laughter before Matt & co. had to drive back. What a wonderful day! Many happy memories made!! We left around midday the next day (more hugs on doorstep) before finding lots of thick fog on the motorway, but we arrived in Esher without any problems. Phew! There was more catching up with our besties for all of us over the next few days, with many happy times and lots of cake! On the 22nd, we woke to a visit from Jack Frost! Damn it’s c-c-cold LOL. We wrapped up well and we met the Hibbs clan at Top Golf at 10am and we had a great time. I was very impressed with Jack’s golf swing! That evening Tina, Jo and I went out for a meal! It was great to catch up! Oh! Rob also spoke to the garage and all is positive. Rob is to call again on Tues, when Wes is in. It would be fantastic if its fixed by 6th Jan!
What a wonderful Christmas morning we had! It was extra special as Matt & Lizz was with us! All of us together They left at 11am to go to her parents and we had the most delicious Christmas Dinner later that afternoon, at Joseph and Teresa’s! We donned our t-shirts (courtesy of Graham and Lu). We loved them! Their house was beautifully decorated and we all had such a lovely time! I was back at Tina’s for 10am on the 29th. We watched The Holiday and had a fish ‘n’ chip supper! Nice! Britta & co. arrived back just after 2pm the following day. We were very pleased to see them all and to hear that they all had had a wonderful Christmas! Their journey back to the UK (by car & ferry) was also very good! Rob & I walked into town later that afternoon to get our IDP’s (independent driving licenses). These are not strictly needed for Spain but not a bad idea to have.
We are having such an amazing time in the UK! We know our last 6 days will speed by but we will enjoy every single minute!
January: 1st to 6th (UK)
The 1st of January 2022 saw Rob working in the morning(!) but at 2pm, we went for a drive to Newlands Close, Hersham (where I used to live as a young child). It looks a lot smaller than I remembered LOL! Later, Rob booked a table for 6.30pm, for tomorrow, at a Thai restaurant recommended by Thorsten and Britta. We are all very much looking forward to it! Tina and I spent the next day in Windsor. We love this place and I was so happy to spend the day with her, wandering around the shops. Jack also spent the day with his friends and Rob collected us both at 5.30. The Thai meal at 6.30pm was lovely, and it was a thank you from us to our hosts for having us. How lucky they are to be able to walk into Esher in two minutes! We leave them tomorrow and the meal was marvellous, with great company. The next morning, I packed us all a rucksack each for the next few days, so the cases can stay in the car. We are all looking forward to seeing Mum and Dad later. Rob rang Wes at the garage, who was very helpful, re our airbag warning light problem. Rob said that we don’t mind paying the £200 back, if they can fix it. Wes asked us to ring back at 4pm, if we haven’t heard from him by then, as he had to arrange it all. After packing away all our bits ‘n’ pieces, I borrowed some scales: 2 x cases at 18kgs and one at 10kgs. Hurrah! We had home-made pizzas for lunch, cooked in a traditional pizza oven! They were amazing! We have had an amazing stay here, with lots of wonderful memories made. We said sad goodbyes at just after 2pm and headed for Hayling Island, our next stop. The traffic was fine and we arrived at around 3.30pm. We rang the garage en-route and I spoke to Ray, as Wes was on the phone. He said to bring the car in on Wed and that they will sort out the airbag light. Yay! This is such good news! Pete agreed to collect the car (again!) when it’s fixed, and keep it at his until we return. How kind. We had a wonderful evening at Mum and Dads, with our last fish ‘n’ chip supper. A good game of cards soon followed! Mum won, seconded by Rob. It was good fun. Wow, we slept very well! It was a nice, lazy morning at mum and dad’s, just catching up and discussing future travel plans. We said our sad farewells at around 3pm, before heading for Sunbury Travelodge. We had to go via Esher, as we had to pick up some items we had forgotten! Nothing changes hahha! Matt & Lizz are due round early evening for dinner, so we had a lazy few hours just watching TV. Matt & Lizz arrived and it was so lovely to see them and to spend time with them. We had an ok meal with very good company but a happy time was had by all. The following morning, I completed our flight PLF (nightmare) and Rob checked us in (another nightmare) before Rob dropped me off at Tina’s, then Jack at Matts. Rob popped to Grahams before dropping the last few bits at our garage (and collecting our post) from no. 34. He then returned the car to the garage in Hertfordshire. His walk back to the station was in pitch black countryside – without paths! He did so well! Jack had a good time seeing Matt, as did I seeing Tina. Kim gave me a crocheted jellyfish she had made. It’s really very good! She is so clever. I had last cuddles with Leo before Jack and I returned to the travelodge. I HAD to make use of the bath! Such a rarity and it was lush! The packing needed to be done too, which was OK, but now I’m not sure if the cases are under 20kgs (gulp!). Rob arrived back at around 7.30pm (which was amazing) and we went down for dinner, which was nice. We turned in at 11pm, so we could get a good and decent sleep for our early start tomorrow. Our alarm went off at 5am(!) and Graham was in reception at 5.20(!!). His car door handles were frozen! It was SO cold! But we had a good journey to Gatwick, at 6.15am – but we can’t check in until 8.20! We found some scales and discovered that 2 of our cases are slightly over. We juggled with their contents and now each case is 19.9kgs LOL! Pleased, we then went for some breakfast. Check-in went like clockwork and soon we were on the aeroplane. Another good journey and we landed in warm sunshine nice! It is a Bank Holiday here (the arrival of the Three Kings) and so the coach for Cartagena wasn’t due for 4 hours. We decided to catch a bus to the train station – but we still had to wait 3 hrs for the train! We popped to Burger King for lunch, only to find out that our paper copy covid passports are not acceptable!! Jack’s is but mine & Robs are not! But they got us on the plane?!?!? Confused, we walked back to station and walked into another cafe. Jack suggested using our phone covid passports. These were all OK?!?!? So we sat there until train arrived. It was a good train journey but shame it was dark. We decided to take a taxi from the station to the marina (money well spent!). All feeling tired and jaded, it was one quick larder meal later. This was quickly followed by bed. But we are all so happy to be back on-board and home!
We spent an absolutely fabulous 6 weeks in the UK! Such a long break which gave us so many good times with family and friends – and leave us with some very happy memories that will last a lifetime!
January: 7th to 31st (Spain)
Friday 7th, our neighbours, Nigel & Sarah, arrived here at around midday and offered to take me shopping. How kind. But €105 later…. well, it was a big shop as we had absolutely nothing in the fridge or lockers! They then invited us aboard Jemini J at 6pm for sundowners, before Sarah & I went to see the Christmas lights in town. They. Are. Amazing! We also walked around the Nativity story – which was a HUGE tabletop display in a marquee. It was unbelievable. The 8th saw me starting the mammoth task of unpacking. I’m not sure a) where all the stuff came from and b) where its all going to go LOL!. Its a little chilly (fleece weather) but nice and sunny. Rob cleared the fresh water filter and repositioned the anti-syphon pipe for the loo and put up our cockpit tent. We are very happy to be back and its very nice to be in our own bed. With no alarms (and a very dark cabin) we didn’t wake up until 10am! How spoilt are we! The BBQ at 1.30 was nice but the wind was quite chilly. Jack cooked our burgers and it was a great social get-together. Our first week day back and we woke to a lovely sunny morning – and saw that a cruise ship had docked during night. Jack & I are on maths today and Rob decided to work in the local MacDonalds. Their WiFi and coffees are really good hahaha. After work and school, Jack and Rob caught the bus to the shops to buy Jack’s new weights (a Christmas present from us) while I cleaned, tidied and polished our cabin. It does look good. The following day was still quite cold but I guess it is January! Rob has found a leak in our bathroom, from the shower. He replaced the pipe and jubilee clips, so it’s now OK. Well done Rob! After, he went to work in McDonald’s, but it was cold there. Thursday 13th, it had rained in the early hours but it had stopped, thankfully, by breakfast. Rob & Jack are working on science today. Its really quite cold and so we had our heating on for most of the day. Nigel & Sarah arrived next morning. I did our washing and I had to use the tumble dryer, as its still a bit yuck, weather wise. It does make drying the smalls a LOT easier! Rob is working in the TV room, while Jack and I are Boat Schooling. Its another cold day and later we are going shopping. Jack’s lights have arrived, via Amazon! These are on a LED strip and a Christmas present from us – he is very excited! Saturday 15th, Rob started working on an extractor fan above the cooker, using a computer fan. Brilliant idea and we hope it works! In the evening, Rob and Jack fitted his lights – which he loves! Sarah & I walked to the beach in the afternoon. It was a nice walk and it was great to see it again. We had an easy Sunday morning before the BBQ at 2pm. Its so great to see everyone and Jack cooked our burgers again. We had a lovely sunny day. Back on board Hoopla and Rob completed the extractor fan while I went for a walk with Sarah (just a small 11k) Jack went up to the skateboard park late afternoon and Rob finally ordered the autohelm and dehumidifier! Lots of €€€ ! It should be here next week and Rob is a very happy skipper!
The garage contacted Rob on the 17th, to say that our little car is all fixed now, and that we don’t have an airbag warning light anymore! Hurrah! Brilliant news. Rob paid them the £200 and Pete said he can collect her on 4th Feb. Thanks very much Peter! As we’ve now caught up with everything (packing, shopping etc), Rob and I decided to go and try to get my second Covid jab. I received a call up just before we left for the UK, so we shouldn’t have any problems. I gave the lady at the desk my NIE number and I went straight through. Rob also managed to get his certificate updated (remember Burger King in Alicante?) and I also was given my certificate there and then! Yay! We HAD to go and test our new certificates in our coffee and cake shop after! On the 21st, Rob & I went shopping after school and we literally found some pans with our name on them! (see pic) Hahhaha! Oh dear! Apparently the autohelm and dehumidifier are held up in Germany…. Sarah took me to San Pedro on the 22nd, and I finally saw flamingos close up! Yay! We managed to dodge the showers and it was pretty cold and windy, BUT WE SAW THEM!!! Very close up too! A lovely lunch followed before heading back to Cartagena. It’s lovely and sunny during the day but, my life, its cold at night! Thank goodness for our big duvet! Rob finally took delivery of his autohelm and dehumidifier. Phew! They are serious pieces of kits, the pair of them! Rob set up the dehumidifier to be on overnight straight away and we get roughly 4 litres of water in it every morning. Its made the cabin much drier. Jack asked for, and we agreed, that he could have the new pokemon game due out on the 28th, as an early birthday present. But when Jack & I got to Carrefours, we couldn’t see it on the shelf! I queued up in customer services and (in Spanish, I might add!) asked if they had any in stock. The chap went to their warehouse, and came out with three! Result! Jack was very happy! On the weekend of the 29th/30th, we went halves on a hire car with one of our boat neighbours. Rob collected the car at 10am and we now have a bright, turquoise car for the weekend! At 11.30, we (Rob, Caron, Mike, Lulu their puppy, and myself) all headed for Mazarrón. We did our chores first; shopping; before heading to the beach. We stocked up on some UK items plus bits for lunch. We found a slipway on the beach and we sat and ate, watching Lulu play. It was so sunny! We headed back to Cartagena, had a quick cuppa, before heading out to Lidl and Carrefours, making full use of having a car! On the Sunday, we had another alarm set for 8.30am (by heck it’s cold!) One quick breakfast and then packed lunches were made. We met Caron & Mike with Lulu at 10.15 by the gate. It was a 2 hour, very twisty turny, close to cliff edges, drive to El Castell de Guadalest – and we explored the village. It was so pretty with lots of nickynacky shops. Its warmed up to a very respectable 22° and we had another picnic sitting on another wall in more sunshine. We then walked to the top to find stunning views, which included a turquoise lake! Back at the car for a half hour drive to a national park for the waterfalls (Fonts de l’Algar) only to find it was closing in half an hour!!! A tad disappointed but we found a cafe before walking alongside a stream near the car. Puppy dog was so good! She is a great traveller and enjoyed herself today. In hindsight, we should have gone to the waterfalls first but never mind. We were all back home and onboard at 7pm, feeling a very happy tired.
February
On the 1st, we had the pleasure of dog sitting Lulu (our neighbours 4 month old puppy) for an hour or so. She was very cute and very good – a good boat sized dog. It’s very windy today and our passerelle is currently being moved all over the place! Makes getting on and off most interesting hahaha. My glasses! They broke! Agghh! Wonderful Rob repaired them, but we don’t think that they will last long (gulp!). We will order a new pair ASAP! On Friday the 4th, we had our first school trip, so no alarms this morning! Today, we had breakfast at 10.30am! Nice. We have decided that on the last day of each month, we will have a school outing! We strolled to the underwater museum next to our marina, at around 11.30. I have been wanting to visit here for a looong time but it was closed for refurbishment when we arrived in October 2020, and then, of course, we had the covid restrictions. So I’m quite excited! It was only €3 each to enter for Rob & I and Jack was free! We can’t complain about that! It was really quite interesting – with plenty of exhibits from sunken ships. I think I found it more interesting than Rob or Jack, though, but we all enjoyed the nice coffee and cake after hahaha. On Sunday 6th, we had our first church service wth St. Dunstan’s, Feltham, via zoom in a looonngg time! It was so lovely to see friendly, smiling faces. This was followed by the marina BBQ in the afternoon. Jack did the honours and we had a lovely time. On the 9th, I set Jack up with history and then Rob & I took the bus to Mediterranean Park, a shopping centre. We bought a few birthday gifts and then we saw it! A beanbag! We were so pleased as Jack has been after one for ages – but it was €98! We decided to come back and buy it later. We then caught a bus to El Cort de Ingles (a Bentalls type store) where we saw another beanbag – for €48!! Brilliant! So we grabbed it! Then we remembered we had to catch the bus back! Hahaha! It had its own seat! Caron and Mike said that they would hide it for us until Friday (11th) afternoon. I was worried as its quite big but they were fine. Thursday 10th, we all had our appts at the police station(!) We met Inma (our solicitor) and, after two false starts (Rob cycling back once to Hoopla for our passports, and then again for Jack’s birth certificate) we have finally received our Spanish residency cards! Whoop whoop! Caron messaged me while we were there and asked if we could pop by and remove the cover from the beanbag so they could squeeze it into a cabin (it won’t fit through their doors!?!) I felt that we couldn’t really, as this would mean ripping the bag it came in, which is protecting the leather. I asked if we could leave it in the marina office until tomorrow afternoon and they said yes! Both Caron and Michael asked us if it would actually fit in Hoopla. I didn’t have any qualms but Rob is now getting rather twitchy hahha! That afternoon, I walked to a chandlery as I’ve decided that Rob shall receive Sardinia and Corsica courtesy flags for Valentines Day. The mans English was a good as my Spanish (pigeon) but I think we got there in the end. I don’t know Spanish for Sardinia, but I do know that it is called something different here, so I showed him the islands on Google maps. All was good and they should be here Monday or Tuesday, at the latest. Let’s hope I get a phone call Monday! Rob made Jack’s birthday cake on Friday 11th! It looks delish. Fresh cream and strawberries. HmmHmm! It took lots of whisking and Jack loved it! But we are not allowed any until tomorrow! Whhaatt?? Hmf! When Jack left for the skateboard park, at around 5pm, Rob & I left to collect his beanbag from the office. A few staff said it’s brilliant but also asked if it would actually fit! Gulp! But I got it into our cabin, no problem. Phew! I wrapped his gifts and the bag before Jack returned. Later, when Jack was finally in bed, Rob & I moved the beanbag, cards, gifts and balloons to the main cabin. Saturday the 12th is here and Jack is 14 today! Safe to say, he loved his beanbag! It’s in his cabin on the spare bunk already! We had cake for breakfast, chocolate for lunch and pizza for tea! His friend, Emilio, came over for a few hours. He gave Jack some chocolate and some fizz, before they hightailed it up to the skatepark. There is an important cycle race happening town today, with the finish line right beside the marina! Cartagena is buzzing and our marina access has been closed off for most of the day. Whilst Jack was at the skateboard park, Nigel, Sarah, Rob & I went to see the winners pass. It was so exciting! Later, we watched Encanto with our pizza. All in all, a marvellous day! At the BBQ the following afternoon, we met Sarah and Tony, Sheila and Glen and Paul and Chrissy. It was lovely catching up in the sunshine. The next day was Valentines day! I received the phone call from the chandlery during breakfast to say that the flags have arrived. What good timing. I wandered over to collect them just before lunch and Rob and I exchanged gifts late afternoon. I received a really lovely pair of earrings and Rob received a Corsica courtesy flag! He was pleased with his gift. It was quite funny because when I went to collect the flags from the chandlery, they had ordered in the letters ‘A’ and a ‘G'(??) hahha! I’ve no idea how! Thankfully, they had a Corsica flag in stock, which I bought. Glad he liked it!
On Wednesday 16th, we were invited aboard Tony and Sarah’s yacht at 5pm, for sundowners. What a lovely, beautiful boat they do have. We discussed our plans for Sardinia (and possibly) Corsica and they know both islands very well. They even lent us their pilot book for Sardinia for a couple of days. How kind! Rob and I spent some lovely hours pondering our routes! Friday the 18th had storm Eunice heading for the UK – with another right behind it. We hope our friend’s and family will be ok! Our (mine and Sarah’s) photograhic walk in Cartagena for tomorrow has been cancelled, which is a real shame. Sarah & I will go out tomorrow anyway! We HAD to plan our walk over coffee and cake first though! Rob started to work on one of the davit mounts and he had to move the pasarrelle to the top of the ladder. It’s a bit scary – but ok. Sunday 20th saw Sarah & I heading out for our walk at 10am. We both took a fleece but quite quickly realised that they were not needed! It was so warm! It was a wonderful walk to the Fort. Just ever so slightly scary in places, as the path was narrow and a tad close to the edge ! 11k in total and the coffee and cake after was well deserved! While we were out walking, Rob was varnishing the dinghy and finishing off the davit mount and Nigel was fitting a new instrument panel. Jack spent the morning with Emilio’s family before heading to the skateboard park. Our neighbours, Sarah and James, have returned from the UK for 11 days and it’s great to see them again. The davit mount repair is a success! Yay, well done Rob! The pasarrelle is now back in its place. Monday 21st saw Rob putting on a coat of varnish on the dinghy oars, before working in the TV room, while Jack and I completed a maths module. It’s quite windy here – but it’s nowhere near as bad as the UK at the moment! We were invited aboard Tortola for drinks with James and Sarah. Very nice too but it was chilly when the sun went to bed! We had such a pleasant evening. The next morning (22nd), Rob cleaned up our solar panels – which were filthy and immediately the battery charge went up! I guess we should have done them ages ago! Whoops! It was on Wednesday 23rd that we learnt that Russia has invaded Ukraine. Words cannot express how sad this news is. Just so sad. Walking back from town earlier, we came across a crowded, sectioned off area in the main square. Rob & I joined the crowd and soon after, we watched a ceremony take place. We think it was a celebration of 100 years of something, but we are not sure what! There was a military band and guards with bayonets. It was great to watch. We woke to grey clouds on the 25th – and its a bit chilly. I worked out Jack’s IGCSE timetable for Sept! Rob had already drafted one but we had to remove a subject. Hopefully, this one is the final draft! It’s both scary and exciting and Jack is looking forward to it!! Rob decided to work today in our cockpit instead of up at the TV room and he reported back that it was fine and comfy. We have an evening of dog sitting later. Caron & Mike dropped Lulu over for a few hours, while they go out to dinner. She was very cute! We would have a boat dog tomorrow but it would make our passages difficult and popping to the UK impossible. On the morning of Saturday 26th, Nigel & Sarah very kindly took us to a boat yard in San Pedro. We have now provisionally booked in Hoopla for a lift out, so that Rob can do some work on her. Sarah drove us around, showing us the area, which incl visiting a delicious cafe for cooked breakfasts all round! With a proper mug of tea! We will definitely be back here! Later that evening, Rob found accommodation for us for the duration, just a stones throw from the yard. Nice! Rob continues to work on the self steering gear, fitting the cable through the stern cabin. I have also ordered Jack’s school books for year 10(!) Normally, these are delivered upon registration with Wolsey Hall Oxford but (courtesy of brexit) we would have to pay extra tax and admin fees. I also completed Jack’s application for his IGCSE courses! When we left to start our travels back in 2019, his IGCSE’s seemed so far in the future and, now, here we are! Blimey! Sarah WhatsApped me on Monday 28th, saying that there is an organised run in Cartagena on Sunday 13th March! How exciting! But its 10.5 km and I am only just up to 5km – but we have both signed up for it! How can we not?? The route goes right past our marina! Rob & I have been invited aboard by Sheila and Glen, with Sharon and James, for sundowners – and we stayed until midnight! What a fabulous evening! I found out that I quite like white port…. it was such a lovely, fun evening!
February was a good month! I’m not sure what to expect from March but hopefully it will be just as good! We are thinking more and more of our route to Sardinia, so I guess March will include preparation for that – as well as continuing with Jack’s schooling.
March
We are both feeling a little hung over after last night!! I still did my run this morning, though, but it was quite hard work, surprise surprise hahah! Jack’s school books for Sept have arrived! We collected them from the marina office and they do look really good! Exciting times are ahead! Dodging the wet stuff, we still managed our regular coffee and a cake in town most days hahaha! One afternoon, while dog sitting Lulu, Rob & I (with Lulu) left for my last dental appointment. Hurrah! They finally fitted the crown and now my implant is complete. €1200 total cost… We returned Lulu home at 5.30 so she should sleep well, bless her! She was so good! Rob and I have decided to postpone Hoopla’s lift-out until October, as it is work than can wait until then – and he has also cancelled the Airbnb. A good decision we feel. No alarms for us this morning (yay!) as its now school trip number 2! We woke at 10am and breakfast was 10.30ish. It is pouring with rain (again) but we dodged the showers when we met Mike at the gates at 11.45 and we all walked to the Spanish Civil War museum. It wasn’t far at all and it was a very good museum, well set out and we learnt a fair bit. Our thoughts were often with the people of Ukraine as we walked round. So sad that another war has been allowed to happen in this day and age. So sad. Finally we got a break in the weather, so Rob took the opportunity and removed our leaking flag pole! He also finished fitting the rudder sensor for the new autohelm (our cabin is currently in a right mess LOL!). We had Jack’s friend, Emilio, unexpectedly stay for tea and I managed to make our burgers, posh chips and beans stretch. We found out (haha) that Heinz beans are mainly a UK delicacy! He was very interested! But he ate them and said they were nice. I never even realised! Hahha! Brilliant! Emilio and his family are leaving tomorrow (12th) for the Balearics, so we met them all at the top of our pontoon at 8pm, and we made our way to a pizza restaurant in town. We had such a great evening and I can’t believe that this is the first time that we have met. We toasted their travels and we wished them well! The next morning, we woke to size 9 boots clambering aboard and knocking on Jack’s hatch! It was Emilio! At 8am! Jack scrambled into his clothes and off they went. Jack saw them off at around lunchtime – we will miss them. Rob spent the afternoon varnishing the dinghy oars and making the wooden mounting panels for the autohelm. Very quickly, Sun 13th, Race Day, arrived! The atmosphere was amazing! Sarah & I were finally off at 10.15 and we kept a slow and steady pace. It was great seeing Rob and Nigel waving as we passed our marina! We both did brilliantly with Sarah finishing at 1:25 while I was just behind at 1:26. After collecting our medals we slowly walked back to base (via the coffee and cake shop, obviously!) The following afternoon, the sky started turning a weird colour. Rob & I went shopping, hoping to be back before it rained sand. We didn’t quite make it! Jack spent the evening at the skateboard park but he was fine. We’re not sure how much sleep we are going to get tonight! We currently have 30 knots of Sahara wind here. It is weirdly warm! At around midnight, Rob & I checked the boats on our pontoon in the wind and rain, which included taking down a neighbours new bimini and moving two fenders on another yacht, to protect its stern from smashing into the pontoon. This was an hour or so ago, and we’ve just seen the marinaros come along and check the yachts too. They are currently adjusting the slime lines of the above mentioned boat. We woke the next morning, to find another cruise ship has arrived – and it is covered in sand! I’ve never seen anything like it before!
We woke to a light orange sky on the 16th, but not as bad as the last two days, thankfully. Rob caught a bus at around 11am, as he wanted to see Alain about our davits. Rob reported back with a plan and so now we are just waiting for a quote. Well, the rain arrived at around 3pm and it got harder and harder! It started of with the Sahara sand but, thankfully, this eventually cleared to just rain. Here’s hoping it washes the decks! Jack still wanted to go and get his hair cut, though, and returned very wet! We are all very grateful for the cockpit tent! This gives us a place where we can leave our wet coats and trainers! The torrential rain continued but the cruise ship is now nice and clean hahha! Onboard Hoopla, we can hear lots of car and lorry horns blaring. Tey are very loud! The ports are being blocked by lorry drivers in protest of the high fuel prices. During a break in the rain, Rob replaced the vent over our extractor fan above the cooker, as its leaking. We can safely put our bowls away now! Hahahha! Rob & I walked to the Rambla (a huge culvet made to collect and carry away excess rain water) and it has quite a bit of water in it! We’ve only ever seen it dry! Blimey! Rob cycled to Leroy Merlins, as our local chandlery didn’t have the wire he needed for for the autohelm – and couldn’t resist a purchase of a toolbag. A late Father’s Day gift apparently! Hmm! LOL! Its now cloudy but warm as the sun keeps trying to come through. Our weekly shop this week came to €140(!) but we did buy quite a few bits ‘n’ pieces that we don’t normally buy. It’s normally at around €100. Oh my life! Today a really noisy cruise ship has arrived! It sounds like we have a helicopter constantly hovering overhead! Everyone here is complaining about it hahha. That afternoon, a beautiful, old fashioned rigg, an Armada training vessel, arrived in Cartagena at 3pm. She had 4 masts and all her sails were out. The Spanish Armada also went out to welcome her in and there was a ceremony too, quayside. Unfortunately it rained, and it rained hard! Such a shame. The noisy cruise ship left, thank goodness, at around 4pm and the rigging left at around 5.30pm, again, with her sails out. She was beautiful. Rob finished wiring up the autohelm motor, so he bit the bullet and reinstalled it! No mean feat, either, but he succeeded. Well done Rob! It now needs to be connected, which he will do tomorrow. Jack met his friends at the skateboard park – before the showers returned at around 8pm. Sigh. So. Much. Rain! During a break in the wet stuff, Rob and I took deep breaths and cleaned the decks! As did most of the other boat owners here hahaha! The sand was everywhere! But Hoopla looks so much better now! Rob then worked on connecting up the autohelm to the motor. Its a very tricky business but he did it! Nigel & Sarah are away with friends this weekend and they very kindly lent us their car! Rob & I went for a drive at around 5pm to Cabo de Palos – and the heavens opened soon after! Heavy, heavy downpours, hail, thunder, lightning! The lot! At times, the roads were like small streams! We turned around and headed back hahha! It eased off around at 7pm but left us with a fair roll here in the marina. Its not too uncomfortable, just unusual.
So, March ended up being a very wet month! Lots of people here have said that this amount of rain is unheard of. It’s been cold and miserable so we are hoping for a warmer April
April
Well, we finally woke to blue skies and sunshine! Hurrah! No school today as its our 3rd school trip! As Nigel and Sarah have very kindly lent us their car, we decided to have a look around Murcia! We managed to find the free car park, which was rammed! One of the lads there showed us where a space was – for a tip. But we would not have found a space if it wasn’t for him, so the tip was justified! We walked over the bridge to our first stop: The Real Casino. Its not a casino really, more of a private members club. It was stunning and worth the €3 entrance fee. We then headed for the Cathedral de Murcia, which was also very impressive. A leisurely lunch in the sunshine before a slow walk back to the car, taking in the city. We had a wonderful day! We spent a good few hours, the following day, reading through the Sardinia maps and pilot books lent to us by Nigel and Sarah. It does look like a magical place and we can’t wait to explore it! Rob repaired a section on our deck that was damaged and he also prepared the 2nd davit mount, while I tidied up and completely sorted out the port side main cabin area. We are slowly getting Hoopla ready for our departure in mid May (which is not that long!) We’ve received another weather warning of F4/5 gales and a 3m swell ! So, as expected, it was quite rolly, very wet and a little chilly! Lovely. We were getting used to the sunshine too! It rained most of day until 5pm, when I popped to the local supermarket and came back with a box of cakes. These helped lift our spirits! Still, more rain arrived later. The winds have died down, thank goodness, but not such a good night for us all, what with all the banging and crashing of the pasarrelle on the pontoon. Neither Jack nor I left Hoopla the following day, but Rob did cycle to the supermarket – and came back absolutely drenched! Yuck! Finally we have our first day of sunshine! At last! We haven’t seen any of our boat neighbours in days so, it was nice to catch up and compare leaks hahha! Rob has a new office, now, working aboard a huge yacht. It’s still so lovely and sunny. At 5pm, Rob and I walked into town just as an Easter procession was starting! We sat down on two of the many chairs put out (and was charged €4 EACH!) So we stayed until the end hahhaha but it was amazing! We saw our first Spanish dancers too! Fantastic! One Saturday, Robs jobs included a gel-coat repair and davit mount replacement, while I deep cleaned the bow cabin. We wandered into town at around 7pm and saw two more Easter float parades. The town was packed with people. The following day, I took down all of our curtains while Rob finished of fibre glassing the davit mount, before sanding and varnishing the stern anchor mount. We finally had a marina Sunday BBQ at 1.30pm, after a long bout of cancellations, because of the wet weather. It was a fantastic catch up with friends. More rains were forecasted for the next morning, which turned into the big grown up stuff by around 1.30pm – and stayed all day! Rob risked putting on a coat of varnish on the anchor bracket, so he had to cover it quick when rains started. But it was ok! Phew! And there we were, all hoping that we’d seen the end of the rain. Sigh! But two days later, I managed a wash load and line-dried it for the first time this year! The clothes smelled really lovely and the curtains came up a treat too. It was quite windy but warm and sunny from the afternoon onwards. Maundy Thursday started off cloudy but warmed up nicely. We saw the town preparing for a major procession when we popped in at 5pm and at just after 1am, we heard a marching band! We popped outside and saw Roman soldiers parade pass our marina and there were fireworks on the hour until 5am!
No school today (Good Friday) so Rob & I went to the Murcia Boat Show in San Pedro, with our boatie neighbours. We went, really, for the life-raft demo, which was very interesting! The 6 man raft looked as if it’s very cosy for 6 people! Lets hope we never have to use one! We had a nice lunch out before heading back to Cartagena. It’s very warm and sunny and there were more parades in town – very sombre, lantern lit ones for Good Friday. Rob spent a whole day and night replacing the bottom hose on our holding tank. This was the only hose that was not replaced when he converted it to a fresh water flush, when we arrived here, back in Oct, that now needs replacing. It was not a nice job! Later, Jack said he saw the Penitence parades in town. Oh, our water pump has been coming on, even when we are not using water, which indicates that we have a leak somewhere. Not good! And it will be even worse while travelling! Rob looked and looked over the last few weeks but he couldn’t find it, nor even which locker the water was leaking into! He could pump it out though, so that’s good. Today, Rob found that it was our hot water tank that was leaking, and into a locker under our hanging locker (wardrobe). He traced it to the pressure relief valve and so he has ordered a replacement. The Easter Sunday parades in town started off at 10.30am. We didn’t see them but they were really impressive apparently. The floats were full of flowers – He has risen! Rob had a well deserved day off today while I swapped over our clothes from winter to summer – and wore shorts for the first time this year! Lets hope I haven’t scared the sun away! We had out last BBQ of the season today, as people are planning on leaving next week. We even had to apply sun cream! Rob is working onboard Giraz II, an 80′ yacht. Rob has been asked to remove all the plastic coating from her rails, which is a very time consuming job! The pressure relief valve has arrived and, after lunch, he replaced it. This did indeed stop the leak! Hurrah! It was very awkward to sponge out the locker, though, but now it’s all dry. I put back our curtains in our cabins and they look much nicer. We were taken out for a meal by our neighbours as a thank you to Rob, for looking after their boat during their absence. We had a lovely evening! Jack didn’t join us as he had arranged to meet friends. He was happy to grab a pizza! Oh, apparently our davits will be ready next week! Yay! Too soon, we woke to thunder, lightning and more rain! A really dark, thundery sky. Lulu was dropped off at 9.30am, as her owners had an appointment in town. After a quick fuss and explore, she settled down to help Jack with his maths The rain finally stopped and the sun came out at 10am and, as Rob needed something from town, he took Lulu for a walk. They returned just just after 11am and heavens opened again, with more thunder and lightning! Good timing! One of Robs crowns have cracked in half!!! We couldn’t believe it! It’s still under warranty, so he is trying to sort something out in the UK. But both him and Jack have check up dental appts, tomorrow lunchtime, so let’s see what happens. Jack is doing amazing with all his assignments this week! He received a complete bill of health from the dentist, which was good. The dentist also glued Robs crown but said its only temporary and that he must be careful. Rob has booked flights to UK for the 10th to the 22nd of May, so it can be replaced! Unfortunately this means we have to delay our departure for a couple of weeks. Our new date is 1st June. Another busy, busy, busy day! Rob is working on Giriz II, continuing with the removing of the plastic from her rails, Jack is working on his geography assignment (a brochure on the Middle East) and I put on a wash load, prepared dinner, cleaned the galley and our bathroom. At 4.30pm, I went for coffee and cake with friends, before we collected our goody bags for our charity walk on Sunday. It’s a 5k walk for autism, an excellent cause. Rob is leaving Hoopla on Monday (25th) for Italy (work) and so we decided to push the boat out (did you see what I did there?) and eat out Sunday night. A local curry place comes highly recommended and even better, our boatie friends can also join us! Yay! Rob has a dive planned for under a boat today, followed by Hoopla, to scrub the prop and the anodes. Meanwhile, I met Gunilla and Sarah by the marina gates at 10.30am, for the walk, and we made our way to town. It was a good 5k walk, but quite slow! It was a wonderful sight; a sea of blue shirts! Rob said later that the visibility in the water was very poor, following our recent rains and strong winds – pea soup was mentioned. At around 8.15pm, we all started making our way to the curry restaurant. It was a good recommendation and it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening! On Monday, Rob and I walked to the station at around 3.15 and I saw him off on his train. Back to Hoopla, via Lidl, and a Lidl version of a Baileys just fell into my bag! If it’s any good, I’ll have to buy another bottle for 1st May! Today, I managed to do some preparation work on our 2021 summer. Did you know that we stayed in 41 places in the Balearics! Wow! It was mostly anchorages, and most of which were beautiful. I was invited over to Katarina for sundowners and I took the Lidl Baileys – and didn’t come back with any! hahha! On Saturday 30th, Jack & I went with Sarah to Decathlon and he chose himself a new skateboard – he’d worn out his last one! Back on-board, I finished the quick tidy up before going aboard Katerina for sundowners (again) with our neighbours. It was a most enjoyable evening! We toasted everyone’s safe onward travels and my parents on their emerald wedding anniversary – 55 years!
So, April also ended up being a rather wet month, unfortunately, but we did have quite a few wonderful, warm sunny days! As we enter May, we are starting to look at timelines for Hoopla maintenance, school deadlines and onboard tinned supplies! This month will speed by, we are sure.
May
We had some very excellent news yesterday! Matt and lizz have moved into their new house!!! They are so happy and we are so, so very pleased for them! How exciting! Rob’s stand is doing well in Milan too. Sunday 1st May (today) is Mother’s day in Spain. But no cuppa in bed for me this morning as, at 8.30am, I was saying goodbye to lots of people Krissy and Paul, Caron and Michael and then Nigel and Sarah between 9 and 9.30am. I took lots of photos for them. It’s very nice, warm and sunny. A good day to be leaving, if you’re leaving! I had a very lazy day – just what doc ordered. I was at friends for sundowners when they very kindly invited Jack & I to dinner. What a lovely evening. We were back onboard at around 11.30pm. But we heard that friends of ours have runaground! We hope that they have a good night! The next day is a Bank Holiday here in Spain. I met a friend at 11am as, after bank duties in San Pedro de Pinitar, we are then doing a 10k loop walk on the salt flats to see the flamingos. Jack is working on his geography assignment until lunchtime and then he will go online with his friends. We had a fabulous walk but not many flamingos at all! We heard that our friends have been rescued, thank goodness, and are now in a nearby marina, with a damaged windlass. Not a brilliant start to their holiday huh. Jack is loving his new skateboard. Rob is due back tomorrow evening and our friends have offered to collect him tomorrow! How kind. The following afternoon, I prepared dinner before leaving with Gunilla to collect Rob from Aliicante airport at 7pm. It was a good run there and back and we were all back together again at 10.30pm. Happy Days! We woke, next morning, to rain, again, and lots of it! Rob is working in the TV room, and very thankful of the lift yesterday and not travelling in this. I planned on doing the laundry today, but can’t as both machines are in use – with more bags waiting. It’s cloudy but dry at last! Our friend’s are leaving tomorrow, so they filled up with fuel. Its double the price now. Ouch! They said that they would sail whatever the weather, to save the now very expensive fuel. We might have to do the same! Both Rob and I saw them off at 9am next day. Both washing machines are still being used, so I decided to do wash load in the evening, while Rob is cooking dinner. I’ll hang it out in the morning. After shopping, we were onboard with friends. They had bought Liquor 43 (locally made in Cartagena) and it was very nice! We all arranged to go for a curry on Sunday. We woke to another lovely, sunny day. I put the wash load on the line, washed up and then ran. It was a lunch time run, so it was hot and hard work! Cream crackered now hahha. Rob, meanwhile, took down the cockpit tent and he repaired it in the TV room, sewing the zips and splits. It actually fitted in its bag afterwards too! Rob also made a bag for the oars that he bought yesterday. Then he made two new navigation light mounts, which now need varnishing. We walked into town for coffee and cake and the town was packed! Lots of people were dressed up in all their finery. Lots of music playing and people dancing. Apparently it’s Las Cruces de Mayo and the fiesta lasts 3 days hahha! I put another wash load on while Rob prepared dinner. Sunday the 8th was another busy day! Another wash load was put on the line, the dry clothes from yesterday were put away and we had a marina BBQ at 1.30. Rob continued the varnishing and he also put up a new towel rain in the bathroom. I put away the rest of our clothes, when they were dry, so Rob can pack tomorrow. We were more than ready for our curry at 8.30pm, with Sheila, Glen, Heath and another couple. It was a really lovely evening and we fell onto bed at 1am. More lovely sunshine the next day! And an easier day. Rob packed for England while finishing the varnishing and preparing davit the mounts to take the dingy. We did the shopping and Rob went for sundowners while I prepared dinner. Rob left Hoopla at 6am, before the sun was even up this morning. He caught the bus to Aliicante airport, no problem, and it was only €11! His flight to Stansted went to plan too and he caught the trains to Feltham, where his friend met him. Meanwhile, Jack completed his revision on geography and started his last assignment. I managed a 9k run this morning too. Boat school is going very well. We should finish this week!
The second half of May started of very quiet in the marina. It was also quite windy but sunny and warm. Boat School has practically finished, we are just waiting for two assignment results and then we have just a few bits of admin to complete – and then we are done! Wow! I was very happy on the 20th as the Disney cruise ship arrived! it looked amazing! I would have loved a look around inside, but I was not allowed. Then followed a very busy weekend! It became very busy in the marina as all the sailing yachts left – I counted 18! In town, it was La noche de la museos (The Night of the Museums! These (and some churches) were open to the public until 1am. Jack and I walked into town at 11pm and it was very busy with people waiting to get into them. Rob was due back the next day (Sun) and he had a mare of journey! First, he arrived at the airport an hour early, at 3am. But that wasn’t too much of a problem. The flight was good but he soon found out that his luggage wasn’t on it!! We need (and would like) everything that is in that case! It had some items that Robs brother had made for our passerelle, his laptop chargers and our Hoopla shirts! We were so disappointed! He then found out that, on Sundays, there are no coach/buses, just one train to Cartagena at 6.30pm!!!! This meant that he wouldn’t be here till 10/11pm! Sigh! What a nightmare! He was also let down on Bla Bla (a car share network) but then he was told that there actually is a coach leaving the airport at 5pm, which is going to Cartagena! Hurrah! He was back onboard Hoopla at 8.30pm. What a looonng day! We found out the next morning that his case is at Alicante Airport and is being sent here via courier! Yay! Panic over! We are SO relieved! This ended up being another busy day: Rob repaired the navigation lights as they weren’t working (it turned out to be a blown bulb, thankfully) and he fitted a new air filter on the engine. I’ve put the wash load on the line and Jack completed his last maths assignment. My phone says it is 25° and that feels about right. Nice! By 6pm, Robs suitcase was aboard Hoopla! Thank goodness for that! We then cycled to Cala Cortina (our nearest beach) and Rob had a quick dip before we cycled onto San Francisco Square. Rob donned his wetsuit and dived under Hoopla the next day, and scrubbed her bottom! A neighbour saw him and asked him to do the same to his yacht, to which Rob said no problem. Apparently he upset a crab that had made a home on the rudder hahha! While Rob was busy diving, I put the dry clothes away and went through our hanging locker. I binned a few bits that have not been worn in the last year (don’t tell Rob!) and put our fleeces away for the summer. Coffee and cake was our reward. Our friends have returned to Cartagena as they have a lot of work to be done on their mast. We were all up early next morning as we are taking Robs air bottles to be refilled and to be tested. They need to be visually tested annually in Spain (its every 3 years in the UK). Back onboard, he fitted the new bulbs in the navigation lights – and Rob is very pleased with them. While Rob made the new cleat bases for the davits, I tidied up and started making our cabin ship shape. In the afternoon, we walked to San Francisco Square for a well deserved Baileys and a beer. Thur 27th saw another wash load on the line. Rob carried on varnishing his new cleat bases and then took Jack summer clothes shopping. Later, Rob & I popped to the chandleries for blocks for the dinghy and flags (Sardinia and Italy!) and we then made our way to Kuss for coffee and cake. We sat down with the calendar and we’ve only 3 or 4 full days left before we leave!!! How exciting! The following morning, Rob cleared and jet washed the decks, while I worked on preparing our main cabin for the 1st June. We met our friends for a well deserved coffee ‘n’ cake at 5pm. Its so very warm and sunny BUT our 12v charge points have decided to stop working! We will need them when under way! Rob fixed the 12v supply problem the next morning – he had to replace the wire as it had deteriorated, and he then completed a few small repairs. I worked on the galley and main cabin. We had our friends over for a meal and Rob had made a delicious Beef Wellington A fantastic evening all round was had. The 29th saw more cleaning and tidying away. We caught Guernsey Bear pole dancing (!) Rob fitted the two new pulleys to the davits to make raising the dinghy easier Rob then fitted the waterproof cover for our chart plotter and made its support for the cockpit. Rob also started work on making a new mosquito net. I put the last wash load on the line before D Day. Rob finished the davit cleets and attached them to the stern. We then took a deep breath and went Supply Shopping! Carrefours €116, Aldi €50, Lidl €30, then back to Carrefour for a final €35. Ouch! We are so grateful to Sarah and Nigel who had lent us their car while they are away! We also picked up Robs air bottles – all filled and tested! The last day of May (also my dad’s birthday – happy birthday Dad!) continues with storing and tiding for me and Rob finished the davits and continued to prep Hoopla for tomorrow! Vera (Jack’s Spanish teacher from last year) was free to meet up for a farewell drink, which was lovely. Tomorrow night, we go to bed at the Mar Menor! So exciting! We plan on sailing to and exploring Sardinia for the 2022 season! The departure point for Sardinia is Menorca, so we need to get to there first. From there it’s a 2 day and 1 night passage! Gulp! But we are quite excited for the challenge! We plan on an overnight passage while travelling the Balearics, for practice. Jack will be taking a turn on watch duty (4 hours on, 8 hours off). Let’s go!
