Before and After

Current Location: Still in Marina Lanzarote, Canaries

Aboard: John, Gill, Jenny and Marcus

Visitors: Ali and Mike, Jane and Simon

Jen and Marcus are now into their third and last week of Spanish lessons. They are up by 07.30, sandwiches made and leave by 08.00. Four hours of 1:1, 1:2 or small group work, then back to the boat for lunch and off to the library for homework. My, they are working hard. One of Jenny's exercises last week was about this chap below called Fernando; Before and After.

BEFORE: Fernando worked in an office, was very stressed out, played squash once a week, had a poor diet and was very unhappy, He wore elegant clothes and worked from 07.30-18.00. He had no friends and no time to himself.

NOW: Fernando is happy. He lives on a quiet island. He gets up late and fishes all day. Fernando wears short trousers and has a beard. He fishes, eats fruit and vegetables and has a healthy diet. He has lots of friends and is very interesting.

I was very impressed with how Jenny's Spanish was coming along especially when she then told me that the next part of the conversation in Spanish with her teacher was "That's not Fernando, that's my Dad"!

Jen has had a really nasty cough for 7 or 8 weeks and is struggling to get rid of it. Fizzy, our resident nurse practitioner prescribed tea tree oil steaming and whacking on the back like you do for CF. This is slowly working and the cough is now loose and much better. Good job because Fizzy had her lined up for doctor's appointments, chest X-rays and antibiotics if it hadn't cleared up. Little does she know, Douches don't do antibiotics.

In other news stores are gradually being purchased for the crossing. Here's a picture of the contents of just one of the many lockers. It's amazing how much space we have - and even more amazing the amount of stuff that it stored in that space.

Starboard Locker 2

People news next. We've had Ali, Gill's sister and Mike to see us this week. They are staying in Costa Teguise just along the coast for a week. Even more bizarrely, Gill's cousin Jane and husband Simon spent a morning with us whilst their cruise ship was in Arrecife for a morning. They now all have a better idea of how our lives are led. On a more boaty theme our great friends Jack and Fizzy left the marina a few days ago bound for Tenerife which they reached just over a day and a night later. We provided weather and passage information for them via their satellite phone. This worked pretty well so we will do the same for them during their crossing which starts on Wednesday. They will be at sea with their son and his friend for Christmas and New Year, bound for Martinique (Go, Carpe Diem of Ipswich, Go). Dilek's husband has been here for 10 days too, saying goodbye to her before she sets off for the Cape Verdes and Grenada, also on Wednesday or Thursday. Hobnob has reached Antigua and Exocet Strike are also across. Seems we will be one of the last to be setting off and now that we are just about ready we are itching to get started. First however, we have Emma coming out for Christmas week and then my brother Philip is coming out with Jane before the usual New Year team arrives from our home village of Gleaston. For more than 20 years we've had New Year together, rotating from home to home. They couldn't leave us on our own this year so all six of them are flying out for a Canarian extravaganza. The big question is "will Marmite make it into Room 101 this year?" [No chance!!]

Just had to break off to receive the mounting plate for the new windlass - which sort of fits (and cost an arm and a leg), but I'll leave those pictures for another posting.

The jobs list is decreasing and now looks quite do-able. Here it is as it currently stands - just 16 items remaining. That doesn't mean there won't be new ones to add of course but the list is definitely slowly reducing.

Padlocks
Grab bag rehearsal
* Windlass completion
Put reefing line in
Clean hull
Bleach rust marks on white
Pink rope try
Put Genoa telltales on 
- Diesel
- Engine oil
- Distilled water
- Outboard engine oil
Clean stainless steel
Clean chuffs 
Buy pork leg
Engine checks

Anyway time to finish as it's my turn to cook tonight. It will be my "signature" [read "only"] dish of mushroom and bacon omelette. Yum, yum with salad and small local potatoes.