Internal Painting, Statistics, Apathy & foregiveness

 I know I know... I've gone quiet again.

It's hardly surprising to be honest - It's that time of year when (if you've not got the money to get on with bigger projects), you have to modify your plans and do crappy little jobs around the boat which offer little in the way of reward or enthusiasm. Add to that, Dry January, DIET January and a global pandemic and you've got the perfect 'apathetic storm'.  In short - I'm struggling with motivation.

That said, I AM still dragging my reluctant ginger wobbly bum out of bed every morning by 7am and walking 10 -12 miles come rain or snow (notice the absence of shine)!  It's very dull - my routes not even varying that much as I need to include a return trip to the boat 'mid-walk' to have a wee - 5-6 miles being my optimum walking distance between tinkles.  hmff.  Still, I AM doing it and as such getting some daylight in the morning which is apparently the best time to get it.  I'm not convinced.  No matter.... I'm doing it regardless.  I was talking with my dad the other day and even HE is struggling this year - given all the crap he's endured in the last few years (deaths door, being mum's carer and then bereavement)  his 'reserves' must be about depleted too.  It's rotten and there isn't anything I can do about it -  Still, apart from a couple of "snow days" as he called them, he's a stubborn committed and self motivating sort and is somehow managing to get on with things.   I 'm quite like my dad.

Whilst chatting with him, we actually touched on a few areas of 'life' we'd normally skirt around - relationships.  When mum was alive, we used to chat a lot on the phone and pretty much could talk about anything... occasional filters applied on both ends of the line but generally most things could be openly discussed.  Then,  if she deemed it necessary, she'd update dad in her way - to illicit the least reactionary response.  I'm not writing this well - what I'm trying to get across is that if there was an area of conversational topic that HE might be uncomfortable in talking about/knowing, she'd somehow manage to broach it, discuss it and get a resolution with the least amount (well to my knowledge) of resistance.

Now the 'mum translation tool' isn't available, dad just has to get the un-filtered version and deal with it... and you know what? - turns out he can. Perhaps I'd underestimated how progressive thinking he can be and his ability to adapt and move with the times.  HE clearly has hidden depths I've never given him credit for... it turns out parents are rarely what you think they are and from talking with friends, the older WE get, the more open we are to actually getting to know them. 

I'm wandering off again - sorry.   BACK to the chat with dad ... I asked him what (elephant in the room) a side, what is getting him down.  The number 1 thing, has turned out to be my niece and her boyfriend - who (whom?) after more years together than I can remember exactly, have agreed to go their separate ways...  Dad is really sad about that as this chap was a really good influence on her, a very kind and tolerant chap and it was his father (the retired vicar) who presided at mums funeral... in short - a good fit.  He then went on to say that he was also sad last year when Andy and I split - even going as far as saying how much he liked Andy and that he'd been a good fit too.  He paused himself then and said that whilst not knowing the cause of our split (I've never really filled him in on the background to our split - there's no point) but said I hope you can forgive him.  That lead nicely on to me updating him with the news that the house  purchase Andy had been 'mid-buy' for months had finally just gone through and that I'd sent him a card/bottle as a ' good luck in your new life ' sentiment... poor chap being in limbo since he left really.  Whilst where we both are now is not what I'd ever wanted,  I have to accept it, forgive any trespasses against us (very 'Lord's Prayer' I know) and move forward.  Dad was approving of this and then we went on with the discussion about people who  bear grudges spending their entire lives miserable  - the only ones losing out being themselves... we even touched on Christianity and agreed we both lead good Christian lives but without the 'God bothering'.    

All in all it was a 'good' chat.

REWIND a bit to "wobbly ginger bums"  - since I Was last here, I've had the 3rd week diet weigh in...  Results were:

13 stone 2 & 1/8th - ergo, that's 1 stone and 4/8ths in 3 weeks.. I'm very pleased with that but boy it's been a struggle.  I'm hungry from about 6pm until bedtime... I managed all day ok - but back in the confines of the boat, fire blazing and bugger all on telly worth watching, my brain kicks in to 'feed me' mode - (think Audrey 2 off  'Little shop of horrors').  

I realize photos of scales are very boring but let's face it, you're in lockdown too so have bugger all better to do either! 😃

SINCE then (it was Friday - today is Wednesday) I've totally stalled again... hmmmf...  I'm gonna have to walk a whole lot more today and tomorrow if I've a chance to move an ounce!

 . . . . . . . . . . . . 

You'll recall the next cheap job on my list was to tidy up the rear steps.  Last winter I painted them grey but they've been impossible to keep looking clean due to the non-slip granules in the paint.  THIS years plan was to change the grey to black.  Whilst I was doing it, it also occurred that the cupboard doors either side - despite being sanded back and varnished umpteen times LAST winter, were looking rough again.  It's to be expected I suppose... a side from the fact everyone brushes past them when entering/exiting the boat, when it rains and the hatch is open (guests often stand in that space when it's raining), they get a lot of rain slashing on them - the waterborne Morrells simply NOT really the right topical application for such an environment.  Solution? - MORE grey Gloss paint (left overs from painting the shutters last winter)

I have (since taking these photos) also painted the bottom panels and it's given the area a much needed lift - at some point, the wood panel on the hatch will also get a coat - probably white though as it's quite a dark area.   really need to fit a runner of sorts to it too as despite regularly waxing the aluminum strips outside, it IS quite difficult to open.

ALSO whilst avoiding rain showers outside,  I had a brainwave to cover the foam "spacers" I've been using at the foot of the mattress in the guest cabin - there is a small gap between the bottom section of the mattress and the cabin wall - most folks don't notice it but I do ... it' means the 2 mattress sections can slip apart and a gap appears.  In a bid to stop this, last year I cut a couple of bits of blue foam  and have been wedging them down the gap to stop movement.  It works well but looks are bit rough - well more rough than the rest of the cabin does...  SO, with left over material from the dinette cushions that my friend made for me last winter, I had another go at sewing.  LUCKILY you can't see the results but (whilst a little amateur) it's better than nothing and much nicer looking than a bit of foam wedged in a hole.

At some point, I'll make (or ask someone who has such skills) a couple more removable covers.

Talking (well writing) about covers, the ones in the dinette that were made last year rather beautifully by Denise, were beginning to bobble a bit - she did tell me I'd bought the wrong kind of fabric (again) and to be fair, they've been through the wash a fair few times so it's only to be expected.  I got to thinking of ways to rejuvenate them - and ping... a 'blast from the past' came into my head ... I HAD been picking off the bobbles by hand when I remembered "The Remington Fuzz-away"...  a quick google had me with today's JML type equivalent being ordered off  Ebay.

Anyway - half an hour's shaving and 2 sets of AA batteries later, they are like new again.... I'll get another year from them now I'm sure.

Right - I suppose I had better get out on my walk before the rain starts again.

Until next time...