Well, this is fun!

Our car seems to know the route from our house to Steve and Karolina's now, and Grace and I have spent several days there over the past month. There's been wallpaper stripping and Polyfilling and sanding and washing of bedroom walls and ceilings. S and K have been working hard, too, but they have less time to spare than us, so it's good that we can put in the hours, and it shouldn't be long before the coving and lining paper go up. We'll let them and volunteer friends do the painting!

An added complication has been Karolina moving out of her St Albans flat, and the living room of the new house is now full of furniture and other belongings from there. Steve was able to make use of his work Transit van to shift the stuff, and he and I did the lot in just a few evenings. Now they just have to sort it out!

Karolina's parents came over from Poland a couple of weeks ago for a few days. They did a lot to help in the new house. Marik in particular worked many hours plastering walls. It was lovely to meet them, and we got on really well together, despite the acute language barrier. The only Polish we know is Ogórki Konserwowe, though Marik and Yolande (may not be spelled correctly) knew rather more English than that.

On the Sunday, we took them to the lovely 400 year-old Rose and Crown not far from our house, and we all enjoyed a traditional English Sunday Roast and English desserts, none of which they'd had before.

Then we drove on to Luton's Stockwood Discovery Centre for a leisurely stroll around the gardens and the transport museum. It was also the occasion of Steve and Karolina's official engagement, complete with a kneeling Steve and a beautiful ring.

It  was a great day all round!

We returned to Kantara today. It's one of those record-breaking hot days, and the energy's been sapped out of us. The temperature was 30° in the boat when we arrived, and it's still the same six hours later. The maximum since we were here last was 33°. Minimum was 15°. It's feeling very stormy now. There were thunderstorms in St Albans last night - here tonight?

We're here to do some more little jobs. The wooden draining board needs routine oiling, the silicon seal between it and the sink needs to be replaced. We'll spin the boat around to expose the other side of the paintwork to the sun in an attempt to avoid one side fading more than the other, and I'll wash her all over when the heat allows me to! The well-deck bilges are a lot drier now, but we need to find out how we can get rust converter applied all over the area. The only solution I can think of  is to get a hole cut in the hull. Hmmmm!

So it's busyness as usual. Fun!

Out and about

While returning to Kantara is still only a vague plan (that is, we'll do it some time, dependent upon circumstances) I fill my time with as much leisure as possible whilst avoiding any kind of work like I'd avoid a rabid Dobermann.

The only work I've done - and thoroughly enjoyed - since my last post was helping to complete the Incredible Edible project we almost finished last week. After which there was an hour's tidying-up to do at their first, much smaller site. The loft cries out for more attention, but I ignore it. It can wait until next winter.

There was also work being done by someone else that required my presence and attention, viz. the installation of thermostatic radiator valves. What a difference they make! Why did we not get them decades ago?

Despite the snow and ice, which hasn't been particularly bad here, we drove out to Dunstable Downs a couple of days ago. Even though it's only a short journey away, it's a place we haven't visited for many years. The wind gnawed at our faces, so we didn't stay out for long. Much more tempting was the café, the cappuccino and the jacket potatoes with cheesy beans, and the glass wall gave us fabulous views while we enjoyed those.

A few days before that, we'd visited a couple of places even closer to us than Dunstable. We'd never been to either before, and we knew that the full enjoyment of both of them depended upon it being summer. And it's not. But in both cases it was a matter of giving them a reccy to determine if we wanted to go back when everything's in full leaf and flower. We do, and we shall.

First of all the Whipsnade Tree Cathedral.

This lovely mini-park was created as a memorial.

Born in 1898, Edmund Blyth served in the infantry in World War I and suffered the loss of dear friends Arthur Bailey and John Bennett, who died in the March retreat of 1918. He wanted to create a lasting legacy for his comrades-in-arms who were no longer with him. From 1930-1939, with the help of just one man, Albert Bransom (1872-1940), Mr Blyth began planting.

Next came the Stockwood Discovery Centre.

Not only did we discover lovely gardens that'll look even better in the other three seasons, but also a fabulous collection of ancient horse-drawn carriages.

And a few early motor-vehicles, too.

Notice the Roses and Castles on the side of this travellers' lorry.

I can't finish this post without mentioning the official launch today of the new line-up of Said the Maiden with Minnie Birch. The response in social media is phenomenal! Enjoy!

As the official Facebook release says,

If you don't already know our new maiden, Minnie Birch go check out her Facebook page or her SoundCloud https://minniebirch.bandcamp.com  She's an incredible and much-admired singer/songwriter from Hertfordshire, a dear friend of ours, and also a member of The Company of Players.

We're really looking forward to seeing them onstage in the autumn!

>>>===<<<

Notice to my book readers! There's an update to "Chapter 6 – Miscellany" on the Addendum Blog for "Hints and Tips for life with your feet under water". https://amzn.to/2zsct8L