October
Wow, what a fantastic, busy month we have had! Apologies for the long post – you might need a cuppa for this one!
Our 1st weekend here and there is a triathlon taking place – right by the Marina! It’s a major event with road closures etc, and very exciting! Rob is building a new chart plotter because the original one keeps going flat. He hopes that a new one will be easier to read in daylight. Our lovely neighbours, Sarah and Nigel, returned to our pontoon on the 3rd, and it was so lovely to see them again 🙂 We joined them for sundowners and we had lots of catching up to do, as we shared our adventures! The 12th was a Spanish bank holiday (on a Wed!). We were very kindly invited to a beach BBQ at the Mar Menor – Jack chose to stay behind and finish his studies, before going to the skatepark. It would appear that the beach BBQ is an annual event (and the first after a three year absence) and only the locals can hire a section of the beach for a friendly get together! The beach had a line of gazebos as far as the eye could see! We had a wonderful time and everyone was so friendly. There was an unbelievable display from a Spanish version of the Red Arrows, which was amazing! It couldn’t be a Spanish holiday without a parade, and one went by right near us! There were bands, people dancing and their local radio station was also was in it! Fabulous!
This month also included a Skype call with all of Jack’s tutors. Yr 10 and IGCSE’s are a scary thought, but They were all so friendly and encouraging.
Quite late, on the evening on the 17th, our guests, Thorsten & Henry, arrived to stay for just under a week. We showed them the town on the 18th and on the 19th, we slipped our lines and made our way to La Azohia, a lovely, local bay. We are meeting our friends, Tony and Gunilla, who are already there. They are on their way back to Cartagena after spending the season at the Azores! Our friends, Sarah and Nigel, are also making their way over. It’s going to be a fantastic reunion! We passed a few naval ships and heard cannons firing! Gulp! Sarah and Nigel slowed down so we could catch them up and we both arrived together We dropped our anchors at around 1pm and we were all straight in the sea, including me – even though it was a little cold hahha! Sarah gave Gunilla and I paddle boarding lessons and, as it was our first time, we both did very well! Meanwhile, the boys took the dingy to the shore. Late afternoon, we were all aboard Katerina for a wonderful BBQ! Jack and Henry loved the trampolines in the bows and we loved the company in the cockpit 🙂 We haven’t been as a group since June and so it was a fantastic evening, full of laughter! The next morning, Rob took Thorsten, Henry and Jack scuba diving, while I had a quick tidy up, before swimming over to all on Katerina. I swam back to Hoopla when I saw that the boys were heading back to Hoopla after their dive. They all had had a brilliant time. A quick change and at 3pm, we were all aboard Katerina again, for Leftover Lunches 🙂 Another fantastic afternoon was enjoyed by all! The following morning, Henry & Thorsten had another quick scuba lesson, before we started to prepare Hoopla for our return to Cartagena. It is quite humid today, so I am really struggling to get all our towels dry! We had to resort to our beach towels!
Jemini J left the bay fairly early, but we still had lots to do! Thorsten and Rob put the davits back and lifted up the dingy. The dingy sails etc, were returned to the dinghy. Meanwhile, I saw to the tiding up of the decks and galley. Jack and Henry pulled up the anchor at just before midday, with Katerina following just behind. Unfortunately, the lack of wind and a rolly sea made for an interesting passage 🙁 Just as we approached the harbour entrance, the winds picked up enough to sail!! Typical! But we had to grab the opportunity of a sail, no matter how small! So we had to have a little tack before we had to take down the sails, didn’t we? The crew (us) then put out the fenders and set up the mooring lines, before actually entering the marina. We dropped of Jack and Thorsten off on a pontoon, who then walked to our berth to catch our lines. It all went like clockwork! Soon after, Thorsten and I popped out for a selection of ham and cheeses for tea. A lovely end to a lovely couple of days at anchor!
The next morning, Rob washed down and hung up all the diving equipment (no mean feat) in fresh water, before we drove to Cabo de Pola. We had a walk around the lighthouse before the boys were all snorkeling in the sea. There was a cave by our beach which needed exploring by all! But not by me! Well someone has to look after the bags… We stumbled across a lovely cafe on our way back to the car that had a really good menu. It was, indeed, a lovely lunch. As it was their last evening with us, we decided to have a wonderful tapas meal in town. It was very busy, but we just managed to get a table with only a 10 minute wait. Another good meal was had by all 🙂
Our alarm woke us at 7.30 (ouch) the next morning. It was very misty when we waved our guests off, at 8.30am. We wish them a good and uneventful journey! We hope that they enjoyed their stay with us as much as we enjoyed having them! The sun came out a couple of hours later to burn it off the mist. We have just heard that Thorsten and Henry have a two hour delay! How disappointing. Rob is putting way all the dive equipment as it is finally completely dry! After, he winterised the engine and we wished her a good rest! She has looked after us very well this season 🙂
It’s starting to be quite chilly at night, so we decided it was time to dig out our duvet on the 27th. It’s lovely 🙂 Rob is leaving for Edinburgh on the 29th, so the Packing List has started. This appears to be mainly boat related items – I hope he has enough room for clothes hahhaha! Jack and I waved him off at 8.30am. Good friends of ours are going to the Valencia Boat Show, and so very kindly gave him a lift to the airport. Later that day, I went for a 10k walk to a nearby old castle. The strong smell of the wild flowers was unexpected, as were the amazing views!
All in all, October was a very busy, fun and social month! I think that November may feel a little flat somehow!
November
Pete drove out and met Rob at Edinburgh Airport on the 29th of October – and its a little chilly apparently! Their first job was to clear the lounge of its furniture and to take down the ceiling… Gulp! Jack had his orthodontics appointment on the 2nd, and it was confirmed that braces are indeed required; both top and bottom sets. For these, we were quoted €1,900! Gulp! Over 20 months, with monthly appointments! Double Gulp! It looks like we will have to re-think our 2023’s travel plans! Boat School continues and Jack is doing very well. We start at 8.45am and finish at around 3.30pm, with breaks. I have just been informed, in Carrefours supermarket, that there is a €90 minimum spend to qualify for their home delivery! The plan now is to buy 2 weeks worth of store items (plus food for that week) and then just buy food the following week. This plan worked well 🙂 We have had a Medieval Market here, for three days! This was fun to walk around! Lots of eateries and nik-nak stalls. Rob and Pete started the ground work for the new shed, and the new log burner was installed in the lounge – and put to work immediately, obviously! Well done guys! On the morning of the 11th, I heard lots of ships horns blasting! This went on for a while, so I went to see what was happening. I discovered that a scientific ship was leaving port for Antarctica! The local and naval ships were saying goodbye to it! On Friday the 18th, we had our first school trip this year, and we went to an Egyptian museum. It was ok, but a little disappointing, if I’m honest. Unfortunately, it poured with rain all day, which meant no coffee or cake for us after 🙁 Both Rob and Pete are working very hard and the shed is coming along nicely. Rob works outside on the new shed when it’s not raining, and inside on the lounge, when it is! So no rest but the results so far are very impressive. Sarah has just signed us both up for an extremely local 6k run, on the 20th. We have a max time of 48 mins to run it in, which we just about make! After talking to Rob, we decided to get a 2nd quote for Jack’s braces at another recommended dental surgery. This came out at €2,800(!) Ouch! But only over 12 months. What to do? We have a choice of more money for quicker treatment, or less money for a longer treatment! We finally decided on the €2,800, as it’s a quicker time for Jack – as well as less impact for our 2023 travels. I have made an appointment for Jack for January, soon after our return from the UK.
Rob has finished the ceiling in the lounge, but it won’t be plastered or finished off before the wedding, which is a shame – but not unexpected! The shed roof is on, as is the door. They are just waiting for a break in the rain to fit the roofing felt. While waiting, they have started painting the lounge. Busy, busy, busy! Matt and Lizz arrived at Pete’s on the afternoon of the 28th. Yay! I packed my case and prepped the boat as much as possible. I can’t pack Jack’s case until the 29th because I need to pack around his skateboard, and he is still using it! Jack’s case was finally packed after breakfast. The boat prep was completed; all cockpit cushions were stored below, all cupboard doors were opened (for ventilation), the shore power was disconnected (and a photo was taken of our meter). The suitcases were moved to the pontoon, and then Jack removed our passerelle and he placed it in the main cabin. Jack securely locked Hoopla and then loaded the cases in the car. I then realised that I hadn’t switched off the gas OR the fridge! Somehow I had to get back onboard! With a neighbours help, I pulled in Hoopla by her lines and I jumped aboard!! Thank goodness I had remembered in time! One final check for phone, money and passports, then we were leaving the marina at 2.30pm. Its so kind of Nigel and Sarah to drive us to Alicante Airport. We arrived at Baggage Drop at 4pm, half hour early, but we were allowed to drop of our cases. Jack and I then hit Burger King. €24 later…Gulp! The three hour flight was fine, but we had a bumpy landing in Edinburgh. Jack was amazed that, when walking from the airplane to the hanger, we could see our breath! BRR!! The cases came off the plane pretty quickly and then there was Rob and Matt waiting for us! It was lovely to see them both! It was nice and warm in the car and the fire was on at Petes when we arrived. There were lots of cuddles all round before our first fish and chip supper in a looonngg time! 🙂 A really, really lovely evening followed 🙂 We all woke up the next morning (St. Andrews Day) to a nice, warm house, and Jack Frost was outside. Rob and Pete completed the finishing touches to the shed in the morning. After a coffee, we caught a bus to Edinburgh. Lizz and I looked around the shops while the boys went suit shopping. And they were very successful! We all walked to the Obscure Camera for an excellent few hours, before finishing up in Pizza Express. GF dough balls – oh I have missed thee! Later, we went drove to Mollie and Blairs to say a quick hello and to help out with any last minute wedding prep. We are all very excited and looking forward to the Big Day!
December
The day before the wedding, there were the last minute preparations. Rob & Pete managed to hire a van to pick up the final wedding decorations and deliver them to the venue. Jan and Dave popped in to Pete’s for a cuppa, and then we all went to see the Kelpies. On the way back, we went via the Falkirk Wheel – what amazing technology! Tim and Colin (very good friends of Pete’s) popped over later that evening – and stayed for dinner! We are all looking forward to the Big Day tomorrow!
Rob dropped Pete off at the hotel next morning. Our taxi was booked for 1pm to take us to the cathedral – but it arrived late, at 1.30! Thankfully, we arrived at 2.15 (the service was at 2.30). We were blown away by the fantastic cathedral! Mollie and Father Of The Bride (Pete) looked stunning walking down the isle. A coach was laid on to take all of us guests to the reception, following the ceremony. What a wonderful day and a perfect evening followed, seeing and catching up with all the family.
The following day, we all had a much needed lazy day, before dropping Matt and Lizz off at the coach station, that evening. We were sad to see them leave and even more sorry that Lizz had had a rotten cold 🙁 (definitely not COVID, as she had taken several tests) but we did have a good time all being together, especially Matt and Jack.
Cyril the sausage dog was delivered to us at Pete’s to be looked after, while his owners have a mini break – and he is SO cute! We are all enjoying this little munchkin! Unfortunately, one by one (Pete, Rob, Jack, Tim and Colin) all started to come down with colds… and just as I thought I had escaped them, so did I. Pete then tested positive for COVID, but Rob and Jack didn’t. And then later, so did I. It was all very strange, as Colin also didn’t – but Tim did, when they had both had returned to England. So, unfortunately, we have had no choice but to cancel all our planned family visits (so, so disappointing). This meant a change of plan and so we stayed Up North until the 16th, when I tested negative. Thanks Peter, for putting us up, or putting up with us (again!). It’s currently a balmy -3(!) and Rob has started coming down with ANOTHER cold! Unbelievable! We met up with our sailing buddies in Edinburgh for a lovely walk and a catch up, on the 15th! The weather was a little different to Ibiza(!) where we had last met, but the fun and laughter was just the same!
We left Peters at 10.30am the next morning, the 16th. Rob was full up with cold, but he felt OK to drive. I did say that I’m happy to do so if needed. The roads were busy, but the traffic kept moving and the fields were still covered in snow. I’ve always wanted to see The Angel of the North and we went right past it, quite close too! I was so happy. We arrived at our Travelodge at 6pm, and it looks like a very comfy room, so warm and toasty. We had a nice, relaxed cuppa, before jumping back in the car to try and find a chippy restaurant, but we could only find a takeaway. Neither of us fancied eating in the car, so we drove on and, just around the corner, was a Hungry Horse. It was quite busy when we went in, but we found a good table and sat down for a tasty dinner. All feeling stuffed, we headed back to the Travelodge and watched TV in bed! Hahaha!
We left the next morning at 10.30 and found a Tescos for breakfast (as only a boxed breakfast was on offer at the Travelodge, and not gluten free). The motorways were quite busy in places, but we finally opened the door in Esher at 4pm. Another relaxing cuppa before heading back out to the local supermarket to stock up. We feel very lucky to have been given the keys and a place to stay for our visit down south. We are helping out our friends too, by house-sitting, so its a win/win for us all.
I don’t believe it! I can feel a cold coming on! Seriously?! Jack met up with his friends immediately, and we took them all to Top Golf. I had a lovely time Christmas shopping with my bestie (and two of her girls) in Kingston! I am sneezing and coughing for England but I’ve tested negative for Covid. I’m taking some Paracetamol too, which really helps. Matt and Lizz came over to us on christmas Eve and we all had a wonderful time! We have all spoilt each other this year! Rob cooked a fantastic meal for us all x we were very lucky to be invited over for Christmas Dinner by friends and, oh my, what a dinner it was! It was just amazing! My sneezing has swapped for coughing. Deep joy! We had a quiet few days before heading over to my parents on Hayling Island, on the 30th. My brother was already there and Matt and Lizz joined us on the 31st. My parents had bought us all a wonderful New Year’s Eve meal locally. It was a really great evening with all the family! They had a fantastic band and fireworks at midnight! What an amazing end to the year.
¡ Farewell 2022 and Hello 2023 !
! January 2023 !
After a lazy New Years Day, we said our sad farewells to my parents in Hayling Island on the 2nd, and we met up with our friends in Sunbury, for a lovely pizza evening. From there, we finally met up with our Esher friends, as they have returned from Germany! Yay!
I’m still coughing, though, and trying to sleep upright. I try not to disturb Rob with my cough and constant need for water. Its not much fun 🙁 Rob booked our taxi for the 5th and checked us all in with the airline, while I sorted out our cases! We are very disappointed as there were a lot of family and friends that we couldn’t visit, because of all our colds and covids! These guys will take priority on our next trip!
It was a good flight, though, and we were met at the airport by Sarah, after our one hour(!) queue at Passport Control. It was so lovely to see her but such a shame I was so poorly. It was straight to bed for me when we got onboard but it’s nice to be home! As I was still coughing on the 8th, I went to see a doctor. He took an x-ray to confirm no pneumonia, which was good to hear(!) and I left with some pills and potions. Unfortunately, Rob has just started with a cough… we can’t believe it! We don’t think it’s from me, though, as mine started with constant sneezing. We both hope it doesn’t lead to anything “fingers crossed!”
I was feeling so much better by the 14th, thank goodness. Rob took the dinghy out for a few hours and he had a wonderful afternoon sailing. Later, he decided to replace the 2.5mm wiring from the solar panels to the battery, with 6mm. It was a bit of a challenge (no change there then!) but we are now getting a far better charge to our batteries! One happy Robert!
Boat School continues and we are slowly catching up with Jack’s assignments, after our one month away. Rob’s cough has disappeared, which is a relief.
Boat Life continues and our shopping is still being delivered! Yay! Rob has experimented with adding an extra hose to our heater. The cockpit tent gets really warm (like a greenhouse) but the cabin can be cold enough to put the heating on. So rob fixed a hose from the cockpit tent and connected it to our Webasco heating. He switched it on to the “fan only” switch and waited. It seems to work. Yay! Warm air is certainly coming out of the vents in the main cabin, which is brilliant.
Jack’s top braces were fitted on Mon 23rd, which he is getting used to. The bottom set are to be fitted on the 13th Feb – the day AFTER his birthday! It poured with rain all day Tuesday 24th and this was followed by a cold snap for the next few days. BRRR! Rob water-proofed our cockpit tent on the 27th and he is very pleased with the results.
He collected his hire car on the 30th and, after my morning run, we all left for Murcia to buy Jack an early birthday present: a skateboard! 3 or 4 skate shops later, we have a very happy nearly 15 year old! Making full use of the car, we did a supermarket run, before leaving Robs cases in the boot, for his early start tomorrow. He is off to Milan for work.
Rob left for Milan at 5.30am this morning! Damn it’s very cold and very dark that time of the morning! We had a quick cup of tea before he set off. Good luck Rob – and safe travels !
February
February brought us chilly evenings and mornings (4°) but it’s warmer in the middle of the day (15°) So we have our Webasto heating on for a couple of hours evening and morning.
Our good friends on Katerina returned from Sweden at the end of January – and some great catching up was done over sundowners aboard Katerina – welcome back!
All is going to plan in Milan for Rob. Their stand is very busy and Rob is very pleased.
Sarah and I completed the 10k in Murcia on the 5th. Due to late training (because of my chest infection), we ran and walked alternate kilometres. This is known as the Jeffing method. This meant that we completed the race and we were not on our knees at the end of it. A brilliant result all round! We were both very happy!
Rob returned from Milan and reports that everything went very well! We are all happy to be back together again! Tony from Katerina very kindly collected him from the airport, as his paper driving licence is no longer acceptable to hire cars (he has since applied for the card version). We were then invited aboard Katerina a great evening followed x
Tony had also repaired our anchor winch, which is just amazing! Rob is looking forward to fitting it.
Oh my goodness! A section of our gangplank snapped while Rob was on it! His leg fell right through! He has a very nasty graze on his left shin and a nasty twisted right knee. We cleaned and covered the nasty graze and iced his knee. Rob rested it straight away, for rest of the day. We are trying not to think about what could have happened!
Jack had a nice birthday on the 12th, starting with cake for breakfast! No complaints there from anyone! We now have a 15 year old on board! He was very pleased with his cards and gifts. We went out for a birthday curry (his choice) in the evening, which was delish, as always! The following day, Jack had his bottom set of braces fitted! He reports that they are a bit more uncomfortable than the top, but ok. They fitted spacers on the back teeth (to keep the top and bottom braces from clashing) which makes chewing interesting. We popped into a gym on our way back from the dentist, for Jack to have a look around. He thought it was good, so we paid for a month’s membership (€35) for him to try it out.
We have managed to borrow a neighbours passerelle (well, a long plank of wood hahaha) to use, as they are away. Rob had already ordered a new passerelle for us, and it’s being delivered around the 20th, so not long. Robs knee was much better this morning. He finds stairs and walking fast still a little tricky, but it is so much better!
The new passerelle arrived on the 17th! Whoop, whoop! Rob fitted it immediately and he returned the borrowed plank of wood! We’re all very pleased with our new gangplank and it was not a bad price either, at €320!
Rob has been fibre-glassing the mounting for our anchor windlass (the one Tony repaired for us) and it’s coming along nicely.
Jack is enjoying the gym. Its been quite grey, overcast and chilly the last few weeks, so not skateboarding weather, unfortunately, so it’s great that he has the gym to go to.
I managed to scrub our cockpit area, and tidied it up, and it looks a lot less like a spare junk room now!
Rob is now working on the electrical side of the windless, and is replacing and rewiring its switches. Rob also wants to install a remote for it, so we can operate our anchor from the cockpit, but this needs still to be ordered.
Rob has also bought a new router that connects to our AIS transponder. He has just connected it to his “home made” chart plotter, so now we can see all the vessels on the screen (this acts a bit like a RADAR). We now have all the information we need in one place. Well done Rob!
All of the above has been, of course, interspersed with coffee and cake breaks at Kuss!
All in all, quite a busy and an eventful February! Let’s see what March brings!
March
Well, boat work continues. Rob swapped over the vent above the cooker with the one in the bathroom – and he also bought a new replacement mushroom vent. The vent we bought last year for our extractor fan has cracked in the sun.
I completed the local Cartagena 10k with three lovely ladies on the 5th, followed by a lovely meal after! A very good day 🙂
Rob has started the varnishing on our entrance washboard (a panel under our door) and the cockpit grating. It’s drying quickly in this heat and it’s already looking really good. A large solar panel (190watt) was going begging in the marina, and so Rob grabbed it! He rigged it up to our solar system, only to discover that our two smaller panels actually provide us a better output! That was unexpected! Rob has since passed it on. The 18th saw Rob up a neighbours mast. They needed to take down their Windex wind vane. It was damn high!
We are all a little excited as we are going to Pompeii at the end of this month. I have planned a rough itinerary for our holiday and I can’t wait!
The 19th of March is mother’s Day in the UK and Fathers Day here! Rob loved his gifts and my Mum loved hers! Rob and Jack enjoyed a hike up to and along a nearby mountain ridge, and then down to the white church, before heading back. It was a good day!
Finally, the shorts have come out! It’s officially spring 🙂 Lots of Spanish here, though, are still in coats!
We have had some strong winds here the last few days, and one of our neighbours has a loose halyard! It’s banging against the mast, making an awful racket! Rob jumped aboard the offending yacht and tied it up – and received more than one round of thanks from others in the marina! On the 23rd, we collected a hire car at 10am, and then went to IKEA. It was good to go somewhere different and we bought one new mattress for us and a memory foam topper for Jack. We fitted Jacks when we returned, but ours will have to wait until after Pompeii, as it needs to be altered to fit our bedframe. On the 25th, Rob, Mike and Tony went out for a sail with Nigel, whilst myself, Gunilla and Sarah went for a walk up a mountain, followed by Kuss, and followed by lunch in San Francisco Square. All the boys and girls had a wonderful day. Back on board, I packed for Pompeii while Rob prepared Hoopla for bed, as we are leaving her for the week. We also (somehow) fitted in Sundowners with our neighbours, before setting our alarms for 4am! Ouch! Plus the clocks are “falling back” one hour. This meant only 4 hours sleep for us! Double Ouch!
The 26th is finally here! Our alarm went off and we all got up to complete the finishing touches of putting Hoopla to bed. We were in the car and leaving the marina at 4.45. Not bad! We dropped the car off at the airport without any problems, and made our way to check-in. All went like clockwork – as did going through Security. We are now in the air, heading for Rome! Yay! We have just had a fantastic view of Formentera from the air Beautiful. Everyone gave a round of applause when we touched down 2.5 hours later so I joined in – well, “when in Rome” eh!?! We collected another hire car, without any problems. This one is bright yellow! Our very own Yellow Peril! Soon followed was a looong 3.5hrs (plus breaks/lunch) drive to the Airbnb. We got there eventually! It’s a very nice apartment and we even have bedside tables! Whoop whoop! BUT I forgot our electric bag though! This bag contained all of our phone charges and plugs. Uh oh! Luckily, Rob & Jack had their own computer charges and we have a few phone charging leads, thank goodness. We don’t have our toothbrush or watch chargers. 21st century problems LOL! We’ll have to go old school when they go flat! Parking here is an Absolute Nightmare! Rob managed to find a space up the road and we hope that the car will be ok.
It’s our first full day here, so we had a lazy day after all the travelling yesterday. After a lie-in, we explored the town (incl checking that the car was OK too, which it was) and we had a lovely lunch out. The following day, we went to Herculaneum. It was literally a five minutes walk! It cost €36 for all 3 of us and it was a very good day out. An amazing place. It was unbelievable that everywhere we walked was originally buried under 6 metres of stone and ash! The next day, the 29th, we had a lazy morning before heading to Sorrento. We left the appt at 12.30 and Rob has always wanted to visit this area in Italy. We’ve lost our parking space, though, and we know that it’s going to be difficult to find another when we return later. There are Mad. Italian. Drivers. Everywhere! So scary! But, one hour later, we have all arrived safe and sound. We walked slowly along the beach after a nice lunch. I bought some Limoncello on our way back to the car. It’s actually made here in Sorrento too. We had a good drive back – but no car parking spaces to be found at all! But we did manage to locate a public underground car park! Yay! It is locked from 8pm to 8am, which is great! At least we know she will be safe!
We didn’t have any plans for the next day and Jack and I was up at 11am – but Rob at 12pm! At 3pm, Rob & I walked to check the coach times for Sat, and to find a 24hr car park, as we will need to be leaving at 5.30/6am on Sunday. It’s a bit chilly today and we’re a bit tired for some reason! We were out for 4 hours(!) but this did include a rather nice (but expensive) lunch. The following day, Fri 31st, our alarm was set for 9am. We collected the car from the car park, and paid €35 (not bad for 2 nights and one day we thought). We were on the toll road to Pompeii by 10.30. The €2 toll fee was fine by us! Half an hour later and we are parking the Yellow Peril in another car park. Apparently we can park here for free if we eat in their restaurant later, or it’s €10 for the day. We then crossed the road and entered Pompeii! How exciting! It was great! Very similar to Herculaneum, but on a MUCH larger scale! We probably only explored a small section but we liked what we saw. We walked through an amphitheater, an arena and lots of big houses. The cafe/restaurant was absolutely rammed, so we decided to eat at the restaurant near our car park instead. This was a great call! There were only a few diners there, it was nice and the staff were so friendly. We returned the Yellow Peril to the 8am – 8pm underground car park and we are now relaxing with a cuppa, back in our apartment 🙂
It is our last day here tomorrow and we have tickets to go and see the volcano! We are all looking forward to it!
All in all, we have had a very nice March 🙂
April
Well, we’re still here in Pompeii – but only for one more day – during which we have tickets to go up Mount Vesuvius! It is still regarded as a live volcano, although it only produces sulfur-rich steam from vents at the bottom and walls of the crater.
So, our alarm was set for 9am and we all walked in the sunshine to catch the coach for 12pm. It was late arriving(!) but all was OK in the end! The bus driver had balls of steel!! Cars, cyclists, motorbikes plus pedestrians coming at him in all directions! Blimey! And then there were the twisty-turny roads on the volcano itself! We were so glad we chose to go by coach and not drive by ourselves! We finally arrived at the coach car-park, almost at the top of the volcano, at around 1pm and we walked the rest of the way to the crater. It was only roughly half an hour but it was quite steep though. Absolutely fantastic views! It is amazing to see inside an actual volcano! The clouds cleared and it was a perfect day! There were hot chocolates all round at the very top cafe, before heading back down to the coach. Another hair-raising return journey, followed by a really lovely lunch in town. At around 6pm, Rob & I went to collect the Yellow Peril from the car park (€28) and we dropped it off at the 24hr one, further up the road. We said that we will be collecting her at 5am tomorrow morning(!) and we were given a phone number to call. Rob tested the phone number whilst there and, on the 2nd attempt, it rang. Thank goodness we tried the number first! We paid €20 and we hope it all works out tomorrow!
We were all up at 4.15am (gulp!) next morning. Rob left soon after and walked the 20 mins to the 24hr garage. I striped the beds while Jack finished off his packing. Rob rang me to say he had to ring the chap twice (as he went back to sleep, Rob thinks!) but the car was eventually retrieved. Rob was back at our apartment at 5.30am and, after a quick cuppa, we were on our way! Well done Team Ager!! It was a good two hour run to the airport and we dropped the Yellow Peril off. She did us proud! We dropped off our case at check-in and then looked for breakfast. The boys had croissants and I had the only GF item on the menu: a lasagna! For breakfast! Ha! We all slept a little on the plane and there was another round of applause when we landed (why?) We were soon picking up the keys to our 3rd and final hire car! We are now back in Cartagena and pleased to be back home aboard Hoopla. What a wonderful break we have had! And what lovely memories we made too 🙂
So, now the preparations begin for our Summer Sailing! Our pontoon neighbours are replacing their (fairly) new main engine batteries, as they are heading for the Caribbean and these are, apparently, difficult to source there. So Rob bought two @ €75 each. A fantastic deal! These will replace our engine battery, which also runs our bow thrusters, windless and the keel lift. Rob fitted them on the 5th and they fitted in the space just right! They have vastly improved the bow thrusters and keel. Rob is very happy 🙂
Rob has started the work on varnishing our cabin doors. This is a major task as they have slats for ventilation, so removing the old varnish is challenging. This may take just over a week, during which we will be door-less! We still have our cockpit tent up which gives is us protection from the wind, so we will be fine.
Holy Week brought lots of parades to Cartagena – but we had work to do! Rob & I carried our new mattress (that we bought from IKEA last month) to the TV room. We then unrolled it, removed its cover, and it had an hour or so to expand while we carried over the sewing machine and other bits and pieces! Rob placed his prepared template on top, and this made us realise how small our mattress actually is 😀 Rob then started to draw around it, which caused much interest in passes by! Out came the electric carving knife, we took a deep breath – and the cutting began! It was quite difficult going through the very fine netting material but the mission was soon accomplished. Rob then proceeded to sew the fine netting back together. This he had to do by hand, as the material was so fine. He did an excellent job! We then laid out the outer cover we had removed earlier, and, using the template again, he cut this to suit. Rob then sewed it back together. Thankfully, he could use the sewing machine this time. We put the cover back on the mattress and it looks fabulous! So professional! We then took the old mattress off Hoopla (no mean feat!) and brought the new one onboard! It fits perfectly! I fitted our bedding and it looks so cosy! We both slept very well that night! Rob reports that it is a touch too firm but he hopes to get used to it. We are, overall, very happy with the results!
On the 11th, Bob, another yachty, came over and tighbottened up our rigging for us. Thank you Bob! He also brought over the Victron inverter charger that Rob has bought off him (this will exchange our solar power energy to main electricity (for our microwave, TV, water heater, etc) Rob plans on installing this next winter and then we will then be completely self sufficient for all our electricity needs 🙂
Also on the 11th, we had an emergency appt with the dentist, as Jack’s braces had moved! They re-set them without any problems, thank goodness.
Two lovely ladies and I completed a 10k run in the next town, on the 16th, and we all did very well ! Rob and Jack also went on a 10k hike at the same time, for Fathers Day, and they had a great walk. Both Rob & I are now knackered – but Jack isn’t hahahaha!
Rob continues varnishing our cabin doors and they are coming along a treat! We have had fairly strong winds every afternoon, now, for about 2 weeks. I went and bought some more pegs for our washing hahhaha!
Rob & Jack went scuba diving to scrub Hoopla’s bottom. They also removed a couple of barnacles from the propeller & hull. While that was going on, I was busy tidying and cleaning our decks. I can’t believe how dirty they have got!
The 23rd was the anniversary of Holy Week, and this year it was celebrated in Cartagena! This came complete with a huge parade, of course. Cartagena was rammed! The temperature has also jumped from 20° to 29/30° this week! Nice!
Rob received his medical results from last week (all good!) re the driving licence exchange programme. The doctor also made an appt for him for the actual exchange, for next Wednesday. Wasn’t that kind of her!
The varnishing of our cabin doors has now finished and Rob is refitting them as I type. He has worked so hard and they look great! The following Friday, we took down our cockpit tent (14th) as it is now far too warm with it up. We seem to have much more open space now! Wow! Later that day, Rob donned his scuba gear again and finished cleaning Hoopla. I tidied up and cleaned the cockpit area – as it had turned into a junk room! 😀 Later that evening, we had sundowners aboard Hoopla with our pontoon neighbours! A very pleasant evening was had by all. There were one or two sore heads the next morning!
Jack has just text me from the beach (he went with some friends) – and he saw a wild chameleon! Can you believe that? Wow! What a fantastic ending to the month of April!
What an Amazing April we have had! Now, we have the busy month of May ahead of us; which includes a visitor to Hoopla staying for just over a week, before our visit to Hayling Island for a Very Special Birthday, at the end of the month! Happy Days 🙂
May
Apologies for yet ANOTHER long post, hahaha, but it was a busy, busy month! Grab yourself a cuppa for this one and enjoy!
The 1st of May is bank holiday in Spain AND in England, so we decided to honour them both – but we still have boat jobs to do! Rob repaired and repainted our bedroom blind and he also replaced its mosquito net. It looks so much nicer! He did the same for Jack’s last month. I gave the decks a good clean before moving inside. I have received an email from Hounslow Homeschooling Team, regarding Jack’s pre-teen booster & vaccine. A few phone calls later and he is booked in for 31st May. Yay! We have just dug out the Hoopla spray dodgers from the stern locker (no mean feat, as they were right at the bottom!) They were stained from the sand rains from last year, which is such a shame. We decided to try them in the washing machine. They came out much better and Rob waterproofed them. We now just need to source the rope to attach them.
Early (and I mean early) on the 6th, Sarah & I were leaving the marina at 5.30am(!) to take part in a walk for charity, to see the sunrise. We arrived at the Mar Menor, and began the 10k at 6am, for the 7am sunrise. We were back in time to watch the Coronation of King Charles III, ending with sundowners aboard Gemini J, to toastin our new King!
The following day, Sunday 7th, was Mother’s Day in Spain and I was spoilt all day, starting with a cuppa in bed and lovely gifts and ending with with lovely meal 🙂
The next day, the 8th, was the pre-booked scuba dive for Rob, Jack and 3 pontoon neighbours! How exciting! By 9am, we were all at the dive centre next to our marina, for the paperwork and kitting up. At 9.45, they were motoring out in the rib. Two fantastic dives at 45 mins each, later, to a depth of 23m, they returned all smiling!! While they were out, I stripped Jack’s cabin and deep cleaned it, before cleaning & returning all its belongings back to their home. What a busy few days we have all had! Another weekend would be good for some rest but, no, it’s a school day for Jack & I – and work calls for Rob
The 14th at 10.30pm saw Pete arrive onboard. He had had a good journey from Edinburgh and is here for 10 days! Whoop whoop! It’s great to have him back on board! This was nothing to do with the UK goodies he brought with him! Honest! He joined Rob with the task of key & lock replacement, the next day, for a really, old fashioned yacht which Rob is helping to look after.
Another busy day on the 20th. I had the washing out on the line before a morning coffee aboard Jemini J. We had a quick catch up, before our walking tour of Cartagena at 11am, which ended at 1.30 at the Galeón, for a delicious lunch. Boat jobs were distributed when back onboard: Rob on engine duty, Pete on wind speedometer duty while I swapped around the clothes on the line! Jack did the washing up and topped one of our water tanks before he headed out with friends.
The following morning saw ANOTHER coffee morning aboard Jemini J 😀 We had more time this morning and we discussed lots, but also our up and coming summer escapes. It would appear that we might be travelling together after all! Fantastic news! But plans change easily so we have to wait and see. After a lovely morning, Rob and Pete laid out our anchor chain along the pontoon (as did Sarah and Nigel with Jeminj J’s) and then these were marked in 10m lengths. Meanwhile, I sorted the clean washing to put it all away. Sarah and I then went for a walk along the Rambla later in the afternoon. We were both surprised to see how much water was in it. We made our way to Kuss, and we met Pete & Rob there!
Early hours of the next morning, the 23rd, loud claps of lightning and large rumbles of thunder woke us up! It stayed right overhead for ages! We woke up next morning to a leak that we weren’t aware of – and no electricity! The whole pontoon had tripped out! But we are resourceful folk and we still managed to put the kettle on! The marineros will be along soon to flick the switch. Pete and I left Hoopla at around 10am, as we wanted to look around the Military Museum. Unfortunately, it was closed because last nights storm was thick with Sahara sand, and this had flowed into the museum! Nothing for it now but to head for churros! Pete had wanted to try these on his last couple of visits to Hoopla, but to no avail. He happily reports that they were delicious and well worth the wait! We then wandered over to the Naval Museum, which was open. Yay! We both enjoyed a couple of hours wandering around it. The attention to detail here was superb! This was finished of with a visit to Cafelab, where all the cakes are gluten free and the coffee was amazing (obviously!). Pete found the decor quite amusing, as they used old coffee pot pieces for door handles and lights etc.
Before we knew it, it was the 24th and Pete’s visit has come to an end 🙁 Robs temporary driving licence arrived yesterday (many thanks to Sarah for helping us out with this!) which meant that Rob could now hire a car again. Rob drove Pete to Alicante Airport, while Jack and I covered psychology in school work. Heavy rains returned for a few hours but when they finally stopped, Rob and I loaded up the Fiat 500 with our 3 Main Cabin cushions, and we dropped them off to Casa Angel in town. We should have new cushions ready on the 12th June! Yay!
At 6.30am the following morning (no rain!) we three sleepily loaded up the Fiat and Rob drove us to Alicante Airport! Just a short half hour delay and we boarded our plane. We are now going over the Channel Islands and we are about to make our decent into a lovely, sunny Gatwick! Hurrah!
ENGLAND:
Rob collected our car from Feltham while I checked us in at the Travelodge in Sunbury. Our eldest, Matt, came over after work, and we all had dinner in the restaurant. We were beyond happy to see him!
The next day, the 26th, we had an appointment to view Chichester college, at 11am, and it all went to plan. We were back in Sunbury for 3pm and at 4.30, Jack had met up with his best friends, I had met up with mine and Rob met up with his ! Great times were had !
It was on the 27th that we finally met the newest arrival to the family, and I had a cuddle (awww) After, we drove on to see Janet and Dave, Robs sister and brother in law. We had a wonderful couple of days with coastal walks in this gorgeous sunshine! They both looked really well!
The afternoon of the 29th, after a last walk along the shore, we drove to my parents on Hayling Island. This included a lovely drive through the New Forest, one of my favourite places.
The next morning, I drove my parents to Newbury for a visit to see my Dad’s brother, while Rob & Jack walked the Billy Trail. We all had a Grand Day Out!
The 31st is finally here, the reason for our trip – my Dad’s 80th birthday! Mum had arranged a wonderful celebration and dad was surrounded by family and friends! What more could we have asked for! Rob and Jack had a four hour round trip to our doctors, so that Jack could be jabbed with his “pre-teen” vaccine. It was a loonng journey, but so worth it. Jack feels fine apart from an achy left arms (he was stabbed in both arms, poor chap).
Another busy, but a very enjoyable, month was had. We now turn our attention to June, where we hope to slip our lines towards the end of the second week. How exciting!!!
