Yacht Pipit

      

We told you the showers were a long walk away - MdR, 3rd February 2013

Andy has worn a hole in his 'shower slippers' from traipsing back and forth to the ablutions block.


Firstly, the recent wet & windy weather has given us the opportunity to hunker down below and improve (we hope) the website slightly. We have moved most of the menu items to the top of each page, as we seemed to be adding new items which were pushing the log update links on the left further and further down the page. So on the left are now just links to the log updates and voyage map, which we think is more logical, together with something new: an Alphabetical Place List page. We thought this might be useful for anyone looking for our log about a particular place, and it will be easier to find on this new page rather than trying to guess the date we were there! Also, we have expanded the Nosh Nibbles & Nightcaps page into 5 separate ones, including some downloadable recipes - take a look! If you spot any mistakes with the changes please let us know.


Having discovered recently that we could order (tinned) haggis online, but that the delivery cost was prohibitive, we thought of putting a call out on the daily radio net for any other cruisers who may also want to order one for Burns Night to spread the delivery cost and make it more reasonable. We kept forgetting to do this, but ended up having a really great Burns Night, complete with haggis, courtesy of Anne & Gordon aboard Sarah Grace along with Sue & Chris from Nimrod. A wee dram or two was also taken...

Even when it isn't windy here, or isn't forecast to be so, it still is most of the time! This, combined with the distance to the laundry, turns the job of doing the washing into a bit of a workout. Walking the 1/2 km to the laundry with a heavy bag is my warm up. Then once I've put the load into the machine, assuming of course there is one free (there are only two washing machines and one dryer), I walk the 1/2 km back to the boat, and have just enough time for a coffee and perhaps breakfast before walking the 1/2 km back to the laundry to either put it into the dryer (if its raining, forecast to rain or really windy or there isn't enough time for it to dry hung out on the boat), or haul it the 1/2 km back to the boat (bearing in mind it is now wet and substantially heavier). The next part of my laundry day workout is the battle against the wind to hang it all out. On this subject and just to stop moaning for a minute, one of our recent Amazon orders included some fancy new clothes pegs which should ensure our laundry doesn't take off and set sail for North Africa. If I've put the washing into the dryer, then it's another trip back and forth to retrieve it and bring it back to the boat. And people ask us what we do all day...

Twisty pegs secure really firmly and have no metal parts to rust. Available here. Only a liveaboard could find clothes pegs interesting...


Action shot.


I go walking almost every morning (we usually have Sundays off) with three other ladies - just an hour along the seafront and back - about 5 km. Andy thinks I'm a bit mad as the laundry day workout and walking up to 4 km to the supermarket and back gives me a fair bit of exercise already! Somehow, our morning walks are different from the laundry or supermarket runs though - a chance to stop and admire the sea and just chat. I also do Zumba most Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Well, I've got to try to lose and keep off the winter pounds somehow! We don't indulge too often, but Sicilian cannoli are rather delicious. For those who aren't familiar with cannoli, they are tubes of crispy sweet pastry filled with sweetened ricotta cheese, sometimes then sprinkled with finely chopped pistachios, flaked toasted almonds or chocolate. We'll try to include a photo on the next update - I can't just have cannoli today to take a photo for you now can I? Or can I...

In case you are still wondering what liveaboard life is really like this list of signs that you live on a boat, recently sent to me by my friend Wendy, may give you an insight. Very accurate and funny! The link came to her from another friend who has been a liveaboard, so thank you Mike and Wendy for giving us a chance to have a good laugh at many of the quirks of this lifestyle - I'll try to remember the humour the next time I want to scream when I have to play 'fridge Jenga'.

Last night we had a thoroughly enjoyable, and if I do say so myself, completely delicious Indian feast. Lamb rogan josh (simmered all day in the slow cooker), sag aloo, a fresh cucumber, mint and red onion raita, and through the wonders of Amazon deliveries, we were even able to have some lime pickle and mango chutney. No photos I'm afraid - we were too busy eating!

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