Sunday, May 08, 2016

Could this be summer? (real time)

On Tuesday, 1st May, the weather was still dull and cold, so we drove off to the cinema in Rugby to see "Eye in the Sky", a brilliant film about an ethical dilemma of politics and military operation.
"Col. Katherine Powell, a military officer in command of an operation to capture terrorists in Kenya, sees her mission escalate when a girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute over the implications of modern warfare."

Wednesday's weather was far better. Could this be summer? But we only had the one remaining chance to see "Eddie the Eagle" at the cinema, so off we went again. It was another truly excellent film, this one telling a true story.
"The story of Michael "Eddie" Edwards, the notoriously tenacious British underdog ski jumper who charmed the world at the 1988 Winter Olympics."

It was Thursday, 3rd May, that we found real reason to hope that we might have seen the last of the cold, mixed-bag weather, and that summer had suddenly broken through. And it seemed that everyone in the marina felt the same. There was a happy busyness across the whole site, with boats coming and going, work being done on hulls and engines, and animated chat and laughter joining with the birdsong. I postponed my own busyness, however, and simply sat at the end of the pontoon, drank coffee, soaked up the sunshine, and enjoyed it all.



Having had to delay their cruising for a number of reasons, a very happy Trevor and Sarah set out in NB AtLast (an appropriate name!), headed for Banbury.


We returned to our house that afternoon, to vote in the local elections and help return our local Green councillor to office. Friday was a day of solid shopping, trying to find clothing for both of us that was un-boaty enough to wear to a funeral.

And yesterday was Elaine's funeral, at Worthing Crematorium. A sad occasion, of course, but attended by a large number of Elaine's friends and family, and with a strong sense not only of mourning, but of celebration of who Elaine was, and what she did. We spent the day with Frankie and Andy. Frankie had worked with Grace and Elaine in the late 1970s and early 80s, writing knitting patterns. It was good to catch up with them, and it was agreed that they and Colin, Elaine's husband, would come and spend time with us on the boat later this year.

It was warm and sunny yesterday, but fortunately not too hot for the drive, nor for the funeral service. Today has been the really hot day. Naomi was up early, enjoying breakfast in the garden which she's so carefully and expertly cultivating.
We returned to Kantara this afternoon, and the marina shone under a blue sky and a powerful sun. We spun the boat around so that the bow faces out into the pound, affording us the best views and maximum light. And what light we've had today!

Could this be summer??

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