Water, water everywhere!

The day before we were due to leave here for the UK, I decided to get my suitcase out. The galley floor is raised about 2 feet and we use the space underneath for storage. It's a bit cold and dark but great for things we don't use very often. As I peered into the space, I noticed that the concrete floor looked wet. Not a good sign on a boat! We hauled out the suitcase and other storage boxes and, lo and behold, there was a sizeable puddle.
Our initial thoughts were of the worst possible case, of course, - the boat is leaking and is going to sink. We knew we wouldn't be able to get her out to a dry dock as the main canal was drained for repairs. It looked like at least one of us would have to stay behind to keep pumping the water out.
Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as we thought and we eventually traced the source to a leaky waste pipe. So, instead of last-minute Christmas shopping, we found ourselves laying on a cold, wet concrete floor soaking up icy water with a sponge!
We did have one or two anxious moments thinking about what might have happened over Christmas, but happily all was well and dry on our return.

2011

Can't believe it's the 10th January already. Time seems to be slipping by quickly at the moment. I guess it's because we're not out and about as much as we were in the summer.

We both enjoyed our trip to the UK over Christmas. It was great to catch up with family and friends. I do still think of the UK as home, but then Johanne is now home as well. How fortunate we are to have 2 places to call home.

David has been working hard to improve Johanne and is currently building a new cupboard in the galley. Everything has to be made to measure as there are lots of curves and few right angles inside the boat. Nothing is level.

I have been working on developing my creative talents with little bits of decoration, making a fly screen ready for the summer and finishing my patchwork quilt. The quilt is almost done. Those of you who have known me for a long time may recognise various bits of clothing from over the years - including the bridesmaid's dress I wore to Jen and Pete's wedding some 35? years ago. As the patchwork is such an eclectic mix of patterns, it took a while to find the right backing fabric. But, find it we did and David bought it for me as an early birthday present. I am so pleased it's finally going to be finished and we'll be able to use it this winter.