Hello again

One of our regular walks


Thomas being Thomas

Southport beach (cleaned)

Rufford is the epicentre of Lancashire Ballooning

Well Hi everyone

I know I have been very quiet over the past few weeks, well since we returned to the mooring

One reason is that things are very quiet and the other is I am not sure that anyone is reading this stuff?? My last blog was my 10 most irritating moans, I actually sent to the RBOA magazine who kindly published it and to be honest I have had more response from them than you lot, Now I'm not complaining honest because I sometimes read this myself (but not often otherwise, I wouldn't publish anything) and I would have trouble responding to it. However if I get no response then I must assume I am talking to myself, which again is nothing very unusual.

So here we are back in the homestead of Rufford, as I said things are very quiet luckily the weather has been good so we are out and about a lot lots of walks and a bit of fishing here and there. Lots of our old friends from the marina have gone, the ones that are left are very quiet.

Quite unlike the boaters you find out on the cut, who all seem to be very jolly, or maybe its just the time of year?

Living so close to nature you tend to become part of it, here on the Marina we are very close to Martin Mere bird sanctuary and experience the comings and going of all the migratory pattens of the bird population of the north west coast, not only that its the feel of the changing season on breeze over the water, the way the change of wind and cloud formation determines the following days weather, the excitement of the hedgerow birds on a frosty morning scavenging for the few leftover maggots from fishing, watching the my pet Robin go from a scrawny little brown drab bird to a little fat red breasted nuisance as he piles on his winter fat

As I said living this close to nature maybe it gets into the human sole and makes you start your own preparation for the cold months to come, and part of that is becoming a bit solitary, as my neighbours seem to be doing.

Of course this year will be our first real winter when we are both retired. Though in one respect its great that neither of us will have to get up early and face the ice and snow which will be a relieve, on the other hand we have both always had a Job to do with people relying on us and having a worth, getting use to this quiet routine is getting rather difficult, when we are out cruising you are so busy and have specific tasks that keep you going. But now we are tending to get under each others feet so one of us needs to find a few hours work just for the convenience of not shooting each other.

I have a few paint jobs for the Marina but they will not keep me going for long in fact by Weds I will have completed them.

I have thought of being a Asda greeter " what do you think" in fact let me know what your ideal job for me would be?

Thanks for listening to my rambles.

Speak to you all again soon

I have selected a few pics since we came back