The meaning of de-greening

It's that time of year again, oh readers. Time to get on board and do something about the ravages of winter on my poor Vereeniging. To give you some context, the harbour where my barge is currently moored is on the big shipping canal from Gent to Terneuzen, where the massive North Sea Port locks lead the huge cargo ships out onto the Westerschelde and from there either east to Antwerp or west to the Channel. The canal is wide and open; it is also a wind tunnel. We have a surfeit of wind in Zeeland as it is, but when it is funnelled along the canal, what might be a mere breeze on land gathers the strength and force of a gale on this bottle-neck of a waterway.

The result is that it abrades my paint work with as much power as a sandblaster and all the good work we have done the previous summer is stripped away. Add to that the mould and moss that accumulate due to the clinging damp of a Dutch winter, and there is some spring cleaning to be done as soon as the weather permits.

I've written about the not-so-joys of de-greening my barge before, both in my blogs and books, but this year it has, so far, been more enjoyable. Over the last week, we've been blessed with some bright and sunny days. While I wouldn't go so far as to say it's been warm, Sunday was an exception and the temperature climbed to around 15ºC in the shade. In the sun, it felt quite a bit warmer, so daughter 2, aka, Jodie, my 2IC when it comes to all matters Vereeniging, opted to climb into our tiny boat and de-green the wooden rubbing rail. Armed with a bucket of cleaning vinegar and an old washing up brush, she happily scrubbed away at all the parts I could not reach from the deck. I employed a second old brush and container full of vinegar to work from the foredeck. Zoe supervised from the top step where she loves sitting when I'm working outside.

I think I can genuinely say a pretty good time was had by all, and Jodie particularly enjoyed the impromptu spuddle she took when changing sides. 

And so, repeat. A further rondvaart (round trip) ensued when she followed up the de-greening by oiling the wood, which helps to protect it.  Of course, all these photos cannot hide how much work needs doing on deck and on the woodwork of the rear entrance.

But we have also managed to sand and revarnish the mast. I gave it another coat after I took the photo below as the birds (which I've also written about in my stories) have yet again been using my barge as their favourite latrine. I swear they perch on the mast in a row and go 'ready, steady, poop!' in unison.

Still, once we'd finished those tasks, the temperature was dropping and we opted to stop for the day. Luckily, it is only the end of March and as long as April gives us some more of the same, we should be ahead of the painting game this year. 

And so it was time for me to have a spuddle too. Koos had come to see how we were doing, so he caught us in the act. Our little boat is a tad small for two people, but we managed and enjoyed our jolly up to the end of the next boat and back. A perfect way to end the day!

Wishing you a good week allemaal. The world might be in a very uncertain and precarious place at the moment, but when the sun shines and there is even the smallest boat available, life can still bring a smile to our faces. As Mole so rightly said in Wind in the Willows, "there is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats".