Last Laugh

It wasn't until I was about to post this that I realised that I'd featured Last Laugh before, but she's looking spruced up and freshly painted and the name always makes me smile.

Enough said.

About time too

What a difference a week makes. After what has been a not especially cold but long, wet and windy winter, there is at last, a hint of spring with a fine clear day, very light wind, a perfect day for rowing.

I pulled Gato Negro up on the foreshore just before HW, I'm note sure that we've ever been able to get any closer to the cafe.

Earlier I was up and out early for my morning run at low water and despite the early fog, there were great views of what was one of the lowest tides I can remember 0.4M LW. With 4.8M HW at midday that's a 4.4m range or  nearly 14 foot six in old money. Sadly I didn't have my camera or phone with me in the morning.

An Unlikely Voyage

Fellow blogger  The Unlikely Boat Builder John Almberg very kindly sent me a copy of his recently published book, an account of John's solo 2000 mile voyage in his wooden, gaff cutter.

I finally found a few quiet moments to start reading, only to find I was past page 100 before I realised. What's good about John's writing is that he sets a good pace, neither too, much nor too little detail and does so in a way which so often relate to your own experiences, well mine at least. The dinghy which got loose, the outboard which fails at an inappropriate moment, tackling a difficult and new task with a Zen like approach (something I need to do more often).

I promised John I'd post a review once I've read  An Unlikely Voyage, but my advice is don't wait, go buy it now.

More on Internet profile mysteries

The mystery which is internet profiling cropped up again recently ( see here and here for previous comments).

I'd just about forgotten my day trip to Orlando a couple of weeks ago, only to get a surprise when I checked the local weather forecast here in sunny Burseldon which featured an ad for Orlando's premier tattoo studio. It's a bit odd as neither I, nor Mrs BB have any kind of tattoo and I've only been to Orlando for one day in the past 12 years.

Of course Google may know something that I don't.

Stair-rods

I had a chance to practice some more local vernacular (Reet' Parkey). On Friday, having taken a day off work, under a bright blue sky and in spite of forecast for showers, I went for a row.

Just after I'd started on the return trip and about 3 miles from home, the sky grew dark, the wind picked up and the heavens opened - "coming down in stair-rods". For those not familiar, wooden or metal rods were used to secure carpet to stairs year ago, probably dating back to Victorian times, but I can just about remember them from when I was very young.

Needless to say it's a good metaphor for heavy rain. In fact on the day, it was so cold there were hail stones, but I don't remember any slang for those.

By the time I got back to Swanwick Hard the rain had stopped, everything was very still and the sun was starting to come out again.

Lymington seawater baths

The Lymington seawater baths were looking empty, cold and uninviting, the daytime temperature was below 5 degrees C which is probably warm for many, but in this mild part of the country is pretty chilly, with just a couple of palm trees as a reminder of warmer days to come.

In the next month or so there will be a flurry of activity and maintenance to get ready fro the easter opening.

On an overcast day in February though, the bar at the Lymington Town SC looks a lot more invititing

Reet' Parkey

For my overseas reader I'd better explain, when I was very young I had an old Uncle who lived in Huddersfield all his life, working in the mills. His Yorkshire accent and slang was so strong,  I couldn't understand half of what he was saying.

 Reet' Parkey was pretty easy - very cold, which pretty well sums up Saturday morning out on the Lymington river where a few RS Teras were out practicing.