Life's journey is a twisty turny fing - part 1

I bin finkin some of you might like to know more bout Atlantis and wot mum and dad has dun to her since dey bought her. Mum said to me da ova day

- Hey Lexie! Why not do a potted history of Atlantis!

Don't know nuffink bout no pots not sure wot plantpots has got to do wiv it, but I gonna tell you bit bout our boat. Dis post about how mum and dad came togeva and bought Atlantis.

Mum and dad boaf luv da water since dey was very ickle ankle biters! Dis be dem as ankle biters:

Dad first - he da one on da left - nice tie!:

Now mum - she was a child model and did Paxo Stuffing, Colgate Toofpaste and Mars Bar adverts!:

Long before mum and dad got togeva dey was friends wiv each ova through their partners. Mum's husband at da time worked for dad and dad's girlfriend was a friend of mums! Phew got that? Da two couples becom good friends and went on holidays togeva. When dey was on holidays in France dey fell in love wiv dem bootiful yachts and motorboats. Dey dream of da life on da ocean. All four of dem fink dey would like to have a big boat and sail around da world doing nice fings like divin, sunbavin, jetski-in and all sorts of general beachbummin around!

Any-road-up, da four of dem find dis boat they like in a place called Heybridge Basin, Essex. They decide to find out about it but then, for reasons best know to demselfs mum husband and dad girfriend decide they dussnt wanna do it after all. So, they all forget about it. Events took a strange turn for mum and dad (separately as they did not know about each other then as they had all drifted apart as friends). Mum husband did run away wiv anova woman and dad's girlfriend did run away from him too! They woz left lost and lovelorn.

Mum had to sell her house to pay off her ex and all the debts! She had nowhere's to go! Out of da kindness of his heart ma dad (who is called Justin and he is just like his name - he is da most just, honest, true, kind man eva) took ma mum in as da lodger til she cud get a place of her own. He was lovely to mum becoz he also was appy to let her bring her cat, Jim, as well.

Guess what appen next? They did fell in love! Dey woz not hexpectins this and woz big surprise for them. They woz bery bery appy (oops they ARE very very appy). Dis wot they looks like now:

Dad first (he likes to pull annoyin faces mum says!):

Dis be ma mum (she likes hats and loves to larf!):

One day dey had a conversation dat woz to change their lives and bring dem one step closer to da Lexie:

mum - Hey, remember when we nearly bought that boat in Heybridge Basin?
dad - Yeah I remember
mum - I still think back and regret that we didn't do it
dad *turns off tv (must be important)* - you mean... you would do it?
mum - yep!
dad - great! coz I found the perfect boat. She's in Ireland and we can go and look at her anytime!

So off dey flew to Ireland and there she was - MV Atlantis WD44 - waitin for dem to buy her and give her some TLC wot she did need. Six munfs later, after some negotatin wiv da owner and gettin a crew to bring her back to engerland, mum and dad were finally able to move on board on da 19 July 2003.

Dis woz Atlantis when she was called Janettje bout 38 years ago:

Sadly, mums cat Jim died just before mum and dad moved on da boat. She was 19. Here is a picture of Jim. Jim was a tabby (and a girl but mum did not know dat when she first got her as a kitten!).

Here is Jim (she was meowin coz mum did wake her up from nice sleep - I can relate to Jim in that regard!):

When mum and dad moved aboard Atlantis, they had been togeva just a year. They knew dey had long road ahead of dem. Main fing was they had their realised their dream and now all they needed was da will to do it (along wiv a bottomless pit of a bank account).

On a very very important note, I hadn't even been born yet! Mum was grievin over Jim but was also rememberin her with great joy because she did av bery long life wiv mum.

Fanx for reading dis bloggie. So I will say this to you - toodlepip old beans! Stay tooned for more about their adventures and how they came to be da forever home of da Lexie in da next episode...