A late blog is better than a late blog

I love blogging as most of you know, and I love reading blogs. I try to post a blog every week at the weekend, but sometimes life gets in the way and I don't get round to it. That has happened this week for a number of reasons, some of which I will elaborate on, because after all, that's what a blog is for, isn't it? Well, sort of. We write about life, its meaning and everything, among other tales of nonsense and irrelevance. I do, anyway.

So why is my post late this week? Some reasons are good and one rather sucks a bit.

But taking the good first. Now the weather is at last cheering up (hooray, I hear you say; Val will stop moaning) and we've had some real sunshiny and warm days, there is the opportunity to go outside and work on the barge, or in the garden. I spent several hours doing both at the weekend and there is plenty left to be done, so this could mean more late blogs. But as my heading says, better a late blog than a late (or deceased) blog.

Former spot

Firstly, though, last Thursday, we had to move the Vereeniging from one spot to another (all of about six metres) because a neighbour was returning after several months absence and wanted his place back. I'd been occupying it since last October after my hellingbeurt as it is lighter and brighter than being next to a large clipper that dwarfs me. Still, I was instructed to move and so we did. Now you'd think this would be a ten minute job, wouldn't you? So would I except for the fact I know there's no such thing as a ten minute job when it comes to boats. A mere shift like this means untying numerous ropes, adjusting electric cables and moving gangplanks. Then everything has to be retied again to the new neighbour and to other bollards on the quay, a process usually accompanied by much head scratching as a certain Koos decides what is the 'proper' way to secure the barge (if it were down to me it would be a much more random affair, but I know he's right).

New Spot

Next up, I attacked the green layer that has grown on almost everything over the winter. This includes the the Vereeniging, the Hennie H and areas of the crumbly cottage, especially the white stripe of rendering all round the bottom of the house; a stripe that gets larger as we go down the side path of the neighbour's house. Following my meanness to the greenness, I repainted said white stripe, so that took me the best part of a nice long afternoon. Very satisfying, especially now we've got clean fascia boards (and gutters too). The crumbly cottage is looking slightly less crumbly.

A de-greened Hennie H

The last reason for my postponed post was less pleasant. We arrived back in Rotterdam on Monday to find we'd had a break-in sometime over the weekend. No one had heard or seen anything (city life, I guess), but as always, the inconvenience and indignation at the invasion of personal space outweighs everything else. There was nothing taken as we have nothing to take, but dealing with the police and the aftermath took time and emotional energy.

And there I was thinking we were immune to such things here. I now realise I've been the victim of more thefts since I've lived in Europe than I ever was in South Africa.

We live and learn. Have a good week, allemaal