Still in Blighty on the River Thames
Posted by contentedsouls on 02/04/2018
Well here we still are and it’s the 2nd April – nothing much changes. Still it rains and all dog walks are a sea of mud again after a 3 day respite in the weather which let the ground dry out enough for me to walk right around the lake at last on a day when the sun came out; such a treat. There are signs of spring everywhere around me except for the weather itself.
Meanwhile, back in the Netherlands, Francoise’s free winter mooring in Dokkum was about to convert to the visitor rate of 90 euros per week from yesterday. After a bit of juggling with dates when Sue and Vic could visit again and avoiding the inflated cost of Easter weekend ferry crossings, G managed to drop S & V back at Portsmouth on the Wednesday, then leave here late Thursday to catch the 2.00 am ferry for Dunkirk on Friday, leaving me here with the menagerie; did I mind? Was I jealous that he was going to get a two day cruise? YES; VERY MUCH! It just wouldn’t have been fair on Baxter though to drag him out and back and there is no such thing as travelling light or travelling quickly when we move en famille. It was awfully nice having the boat to myself for a week though with only Baxter’s tune to dance to.
Our good Dutch friends, Gerrit and Gezina, arranged for us to moor at the end of (the other) Gerrit and Saskia’s garden again in Aldeboarn and G and Gerrit had a two day ‘man cruise and sleepover’ to get there (you have to go a long way round due to low bridges). G & G spoilt my G rotten; feeding him and taking him out to ‘boys’ night’ cards. I tried not to mind, but I do miss Gezina’s hugs. In our absence, our friend Gary will be putting a new floor down in our bedroom and making good the wall linings which had been water damaged from small leaks when we bought her – at last the renovations commence. I shall be able to start decorating when I get home….hurrah!
Meanwhile, back on NoProblem XL, Muttley was happy enough playing chase with his neighbour Matilda; Baxter peed and slept (nothing new there then) and Daisy sulked because I wouldn’t let her out due to the fast flowing river and the fact that she keeps trying to run up and down NoProblem’s very narrow gunwhales – despite her diminutive size, she is not the most agile or sure footed of cats
The river has risen over a meter in the last 48 hours as I post this; we now jump down off of the rear deck instead of up.
contentedsouls 
andywindy said
I was wondering how long you could leave your Gin Palace all on Her own, now we know! I bet Graham was pleased the engine started though!
If your name was Gill, then maybe Graham would have let you go, Only Gs Allowed.
A new bedroom floor, has G put that much weight on over here that He’s gone through it on His return?
Good to see Mutley having a run around with the neighbour, and it’s a shame that Madam has to be restrained, but with the fast flow She wouldn’t stand a chance if She went in. The undercurrents there are wicked.
That’s a bit of a fast rise in levels, I bet you’re checking your lines regularly!
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contentedsouls said
Taking the 5th re G’s weight! The floorboards were pretty creaky to start with and taking them up to do the firewatch whilst we were over-plated, last September, finished them off; even the cat walking across them makes so much noise that it wakes me up.
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Kevin Too said
Hope you and the 4-paw brigade are managing to keep dry, at least your (temporary) home goes up and down with the water levels… my front and back garden are all under water now, if this keeps up I’ll need wellingtons to get out of the back door!!
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contentedsouls said
Fabulous to see you again last Saturday after 4 years. Thank you for all the goodies you supplied ‘everybody’ with (Muttley is enjoying Daisy’s – fickle cat that she is) and the humans demolished the rest of the cream cakes on Sunday oink, oink! xxx
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vallypee said
Oh my word, you will be happy to be home again. If it’s any consolation, it’s wet and waterlogged over here too. Still, being on your own boat again will mean so much! When do you think you’ll be back? Lovely to see the dogs are still fine and your pics are super!
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contentedsouls said
We have been so lucky to be able to stay on Sue and Vic’s boat – poor loves have had to stay in bricks and mortar since November – their first time in 19 years.
Really sorry to hear about your break-in Val; I tried to leave a comment on your blog but the computer it says no. This is the first time since I published this blog that I’ve been able to leave a comment on my OWN blog; I’ll swear our technology knows when G goes away!
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sue said
I wondered how much the river might have risen. It has never been that high during the last couple of winters we have moored there. Let’s hope it doesn’t go up much further or Tony is going to have to fetch some scaffold poles!!
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