Back and forth

When we arrived back at Kantara the Wednesday before last, the weather was lovely. We were having the Indian Summer I'd predicted back in March, April and May when the weather was so dreadful at times.

But then came storm Callum, and winds rocked the boat violently, and rain thrashed down. We were more than a little surprised to see a young man fitting a stern canopy on Lyndsey Anne, struggling to keep it in place while he pulled the canvas down over the frame. Brave!

In the dry warmth of Kantara, we spent time trying to swat or otherwise get rid of several flies that had taken up residence there. Nasty creatures. If it had been a scene in a film, they would have suggested the presence of a dead body, but in reality this wasn't the case. Of course.

Flies gone, we then had the spiders to deal with. Spiders that had patently failed to catch the flies. Two or three of these were quite nasty-looking blighters which we were pleased to feed to the fish.

Finally, the wind did drop enough for us to get out and work on the boat. Grace washed and varnished over one panel of  Roses and Castles, and between us we washed and waxed the rest of that side. Unfortunately, the break in the weather wasn't long enough for us to repeat those processes on the other side.

I did get the opportunity, though, to run the engine briefly. WOW!! Having the injectors reconditioned has made such a huge difference! It runs so much quieter - and it never has ranked amongst the noisiest we've ever heard - and with so little exhaust fumes! We're really looking forward to taking her out for a proper run!

When we set out on Monday to visit Christine and Mike in Torquay, the weather would have been perfect for that proper run! And it was perfect for the stay in Torquay, too, allowing us to get out each day to enjoy the sights and the walks.

Teignmouth sea-front on Tuesday, the dullest of the days...

Beautiful Buckfast Abbey on Wednesday...

Canonteign Falls on Thursday...

followed by Compton Castle...

Babbacombe Model Village on Friday...

and a ferry trip to the fishing village (now large town!) of Brixham on Saturday.

This included a wander around the not-quite-accurate "replica" of the Golden Hind  - a floating museum in honour of Sir Francis Drake.

On Saturday evening, we went to the long-awaited Kadia/Said the Maiden collaboration in Kingskerswell Parish Church of St Mary. The maidens were one short, but the remaining two were unfazed. Kadia were brilliant in their own set and a clever aid to the maidens in theirs. The collaboration set was superb, and the whole show was all it was promised to be!

Their final song brought together all that's best in these two bands. Harmonies. A beautiful rendition of a song that they all found themselves singing impromptu around a bonfire at a very chilly out-door gig a few winters ago when they decided that they just had to perform together again. This evening's event was the second of three performances that came out of that. (Video courtesy of Keith Bache.)

The journey back yesterday was a good one, under a clear, sunny sky. It's the same today. But we hear rumours of an impending sharp temperature-drop, so it's back to Kantara tomorrow, to finish the work on the paintwork, and to winterise.