All this exploring....

Now that I'm getting to grips with Facebook I can see that sometimes I'll have to return here if I'm to give my views to the world in more than a sentence or two.

Explorations of a different kind, though, this weekend. We went out on Knocknagow and had a good weekend of really fresh air. My cheeks are burning from the wind. Unfortunately sun was in short supply, and cold wind was in great supply, but we enjoyed it all the same.

The boat is now as tidy as it has ever been, with a good clear-out done of both the main room and the forecastle. Large books and folders have found a new shelf underneath the seat in the living room. There are lots of hooks to hang large kitchen utensils from and a plentiful hanging supply of red plastic tray thingies to put away small bits. I moved the mattress of the double bed near the forecastle to the other end of the bed, with pillows up against the radiator, and I think that will make it easier to store luggage at the front end. I'm going to look for plastic boxes that will fit into the small area between the mattress and the wall.

B sorted the junk out of the engine room, which now has enough space to have a party in it. At one stage about 5 men were down there, and it wouldn't surprise me if there were empty bottles left behind! There are spotlights illuminating the room. These make the foam insulation look like Ailwee Cave, with rough surfaces that look as if they could have stalactites and stalacmites.

We went to Rossmore and stayed there on Saturday night. The wind was strong, and getting stronger, yesterday, and was extremely cold. As a result we headed back to Dromineer in the evening "calm", having decided not to join Gerry Burke and gang mooring along the bank of the river nearby. Our berth in Dromineer was very calm and peaceful. I lay in bed this morning trying to count the number of different kinds of bird-song I could hear. The birds were very busy, and I reckon I could distinguish at least 10 different songs. I'm going to have to learn how to identify birds from their song as it was fascinating to listen to them.

We had a very peaceful morning sorting out things on the boat and headed home at about lunch-time. It has been drizzling rain, very lightly, most of the afternoon, but I decided to take the opporunity to plant out broad beans, runner beans and cabbages, as well as replanting some tomatoes in the greenhouse. I now have 46 tomato plants in pots, and could plant out more if I had more pots. Floor space is at a premium and I'm going to have fun sorting them all out as they get larger.

It was sad about Munster's loss!