sailing barge II

Out of Maldon on Centaur again and a very different trip from last time in that we had wind - lots of it - and actually did some sailing. Down the Blackwater, past Brightlingsea and up the Colne to moor overnight at Wivenhoe. Quite fun to be moored at the town quay as a tourist attraction again. Dad and I stayed onboard while the others went to the pub. We sat on deck drinking tea pretending to own the Barge while the tourists snapped. We had the idea pf offering guided tours at £5 a head but thought skipper might not approve and it's a long way to walk home from Wivenhoe.
Coming back on Sunday the wind was even stronger and Old Centaur tacked her way down the Colne heeled over like a racing yacht (though thankfully we weren't asked to hang over the edge to balance her!).




It was quite hard to move about and the couple on duty in the galley were doing some pretty nifty footwork catching plates sliding off the counter. There was a lot more work to do since every tack involved pulling up and letting down the side boards and winding in sails but luckily we had a full crew who were a lot more expert so I felt free to mostly sit on the hatch and just watch! It was great to see her in action (doing at least 5 knots!)
Coming home we were in danger of being overtaken by Zylonite yet again but Skipper switched over to engine power and we beat her back to Maldon. He said we had to get home first in order to get our mooring sorted out! But it was rather nice to wave to Zylonite as we went past.

Paris Oui

Things I liked about Paris
The Eiffel Tour !!!





Climbing Montmatre.



Putting my sore feet in the fountain.



A park full of strange sculptures

Abandoning the Killer Loot bag (we watched a tramp take it away!)

Peregrine Watch

The last week of Peregrine watch at the Tate. I've really enjoyed helping and we've had some super views of the birds. Several thousand people must have watched them through the bank of telescopes set up. I find people's reactions funny. Some are obviously doubtful to start with - even when you say it's free. Some can't believe their eyes and ask 'is it real?' or 'they're not wild are they?' presumably thinking that it's some kind of trick but the most common reaction when they finally see them in the scope is 'Oh my GOD!!!'

Paris non

Off to Paris by Eurostar, courtesy of our Tesco Vouchers, leaving porr Leo to go off on his first day of 6th form all by himself....enjoyed the experience but didn't actually enjoy Paris. Found it crowded, noisy and smelly, which is something coming from London. Every subway and stairway (even in the churches) seemed to smell of wee. There were SO many restaurants and cafes on the street that I fell victim to choice fatigue and found deciding on meals hopelessly stressful and I missed London's big green open spaces and multitude of free museums and galleries. I couldn't understand why Metro stations were so hard to find - several times we walked past a station because we simply hadn't seen it! Also came to the conclusion that I really don't like hotels! Would like to try again -I suppose we really need a Paris expert to take us in hand. Any offers?

Fit not Fat

We've joined the gym! Treated ourselves to a years membership of Esporta so we feel properly obliged to go (bit like joining the NAtional Trust and ticking off the houses). Doing 10 minutes each of rowing, walking on the treadmill and multistepping and a few lengths of the pool. The pool is the best bit. I'm trying to learn to do proper crawl.