Surprise, Surprise

Leaving Yelvertoft on Friday we passed n/b “Intrepid” another Les Allen boat.  She was built in 1992 - 4 years earlier than “Ellen”.  Her new owners have just had her re-painted and she looks really, really good.

                   

 

Quite a rare occurrence:- one     Les Allen boat passing another. 

 

 

Again we had to break ice all the way to Crick where we snuck into the marina earlier than originally intended.  We are now moored up on the same pontoon as Rodney!  Each year we have got closer!!  I think we did this just in time as, on Saturday morning, we awoke to snow.

We had always intended going to the pub for a meal on John’s birthday.  The plan was that we would go aboard Rodney’s boat for nibbles and to watch “Strictly” first but, when we arrived, Surprise, Surprise our friends Anne, John and Gill had driven up from Staines and were sitting there waiting for us!  The evening took it’s course and we had a really good time.  Apparently, this had been plotted long ago!  Where would any of us be without friendships like these?   

 

It was a very cold night – the temperature on the thermometer on the back deck registered minus 12oC!     

Maisie made sure she was OK though!

 

 

So, tomorrow we are going back to Staines to begin organising ourselves for what lies ahead in the next few months.  “Ellen” will be hibernating in Crick marina and, as we will not be cruising, I will only add blog entries if I think they will be of particular interest. We have a long list of boat-jobs we want/need to do but accomplishment of these will depend upon how much time we actually get to spend on board. Typical that, just as we need to leave the boat unattended, the weather has turned really cold because, in conditions like these, John is always anxious about the possibility of pipes freezing up etc.  We will (all being well) leave the marina at he beginning of March ready for next year’s adventure.  Two old/ancient (when does ‘old’ become ‘ancient’?)  ladies must take priority at the moment but ………….. I have got a skeleton plan for next year’s cruise in mind.

We wish everyone out there a Happy Christmas and New Year and thank you for following our exploits and leaving your comments.    

A xxoo