Waiting for news - part 33

The last two years has been very slow progress for Atlantis but we are lookin forward to 2013 an the work ahead. Mum say the nearer we get to the end, the harder it seems to get.

Because dad is such an accommodatin man when the landlord asked if we'd move our boat again so they could do work on another boat that would only fit in our mooring, he said ok.

So Atlantis was moved across the river to our old mooring. This meant we had to use a little boat to get to her each time. An we could only go when the tides was right! Oh what a palaver! Very nice on a warm, sunny day but not so nice in the rain and wind!

Dad prefers the gondola approach to rowing - must be his mediterranean blood! heehee

She can look a long way away when you are waiting for the tide to come in. We would tend to leave as soon as we could so we could have maximum time aboard!

I could always av a cool-off on da way over and swim to Atlantis. All part of ma olympic training you see?

Hmmm how dus we gonna get on board? I fink the ladder is in the wrong place!

Phew dussnt worry pals, we got a couple of barges to help us climb over. Course, this requires timin and waiting for the tide. Dad says the one fing he really lookin forward to when we gets settled in the Med is no tides .. or mud!!

I dus ma security checks once we is on board. I fink somfink been hanging around the crane! Smells a bit birdy. I got the feelin they bin nestin around ere!

The neighbours were quiet anyway! heehee I fink dat is wot they calls a fixer-upper opportunity!!

Chillaxin on board on the sofa. It's hard work all this boat conversion stuff you know! A girl has to rest, especially in the heat.

Mum an dad painted the wheelhouse this day. It was a bootiful day, lovely and warm, perfect for painting. The sunset was glorious that night. We took this photo from the riverbank as the sun set.

Course, I had to have a dip! Well, I wouldn't be me if I didn't av a quick swim would I? Any opportunity I says!

Quick ride home in the car. I remember it bein very ot, so dad let me have a windy ride home. That is out of the window, not from ma bum! I has ma harness on for safety ere as you will notice.

Mum an dad was findin it difficult to lift me up onto the barges so ma old life jacket made an appearance. I fink it might of shrunk! Portadog!

Pfftttt. See you next time pals .. when Atlantis gets a new coat of paint ready for her move to Fullbridge.

Shine on you crazy diamond

I've lost my friend Marley. He's gone over the bridge. He was everyfink to us and made everyone laugh, wifout exception. A true gent and a wonderful kind hearted pal. He is irreplaceable.

Here is a photo of Marley wot mum took back in April 2011 when he did us the great honour of coming to Borderfest.

Ahem .. now ... I may have been a little Lexibal to him. I can't possibly comment but I know he didn' t mind, he was above all that sort of high emotion wimmins fings! heehee.

I can't even begin to tell you what was so wonderful about Marley. Everyfink! He was very considerate pal and always asking after you and making sure everyone was all right even when suffering imself!

I know times is tough and money is tight these days but I fort it would be nice if we all made a donashun to one of his favourite charities wot is dear to all our hearts - namely - Terrier Rescue. I've made  a donashun in his name and I'd be blessed if you would fink about doing the same. Even only £1 or $1. Here's the linky to the site:

http://www.terrierrescue.co.uk/?page_id=2028%22

All you has to dus is click the Paypal linky and donate your sum. Doesn't forget to say is for Marley so they can keep tabs on how much we raise in Marley's name.

Marley, shine on my sweet pal, shine on. Oh an sorry I was lexibal at Borderfest!

Love you
Lexie xxxx

On the move again - part 32

Ello! Is me .. Lexie! We are almost caught up on da bloggy now. I fort I just add a few snaps of Atlantis before she ended up being stuck in the middle of the river for 18 munfs! pffttt which we not appy about but fings are about to change. I will tell you more about that next time.

Well we finally got our moorin (only to be moved out of it again but that is annuva story) Ere me checkin everyfink okey dokey on da port side. All seems all right. I see that puddle is still there *tsk* just can't get the staff eh?

Dad relaxin on his luxury seatin on da back deck, enjoying a coffee and contemplatin his next move ;).

Not sure if I like this view. All we can see is a shed. What appened to the river?

Relaxin in the bedroom what was once a fish-hold! I like layin on the bed but it's quite high up. 

This is the steel for our new bulwarks (that is the low wall wot goes round the deck of the boat in case you was wondering). It's surprisingly comfy on there you know.

Dad building our new storage cupboard. it will be accessed only from the back deck and he will put annuva door in the wheelhouse at the back and one at the side.

Comedy spanner (yay!!). Believe it or not that is not the biggest spanner on the boat! We had one twice that size but it fell in the bilge ;).

Atlantis's original plante from Holland showing where and when she was built!

How she looked after a lick of paint following her trip up from Kent.

A view of the river and the dry dock.

Me and ma ball!

Check out ma access plank!

Not sure I like it!

Mmmm .... sunpuddle

Is dad sunbathing too? heehee -- no he's erm ... actually I am not sure what he is doing!

Running in the park nearby

My what a big bow you have! heehee

A photo of the other side of the river .. if only we'd know that was where we'd end up for quite some time.

Noms .... now!

Tune in next time when I will update you wiv the lastest pictures of Atlantis and news on the future -- wot shall remain a sekrit til then!

Ta-ta!

Fun an larks on the River Blackwater - part 31

Well ma pals, as yo know we did move da boat up wivout any hitches. Except for a small issue wiv food but I won't go into that. No point raking over old ground, like the fact that all they had to eat was kellogs crispy squares an spaghetti hoops for the trip but .. that's another story, eh mum? heehee.

I fort I give you a quite summary again in case you forgot as it was so long ago! We made sure as much as possible was secure inside the boat so noffink wod fall over and hit us on the head or cause uvva injuries. Here's the saloon tidied up (yes that is tidy believe me).

Ere dus be da engine room  wiv da engine in full swing. We ad to take a plate off the floor that dad had previousy welded in. We haven't got full ventilation in there yet so we had to have somewhere for da smoke an heat to go. It was boilin down there!

Ere be a few members of da trusty crew - Len, Dad and Julie and of course yours truly! Len does not have cattypillar on his face is mustache for you informashun.

Yes, yes I could do wiv haircut but those was the days when I was livin on da boat an it cud be cold so I had to have lots of fur! 

A view of the portside wheelhouse. Noffink but sea sea sea. Nice! Shame it's only the Mudway ... I mean Medway! heehee.

Here's our tender still clinging on for dear life!

What's that down there? I thought I saw a mermaid! Wonder if she has any sossidges for me?

A view from the stern .. pretty much sea sea sea (again). Well we are 'at sea' what do you expect!

This is sat-nav for boats! Dad set it up on big screen so we can see where we going and we dussnt get stuck in any mud or shallow waters. There is a shelf in the Estuary wot we cud get stuck on over Clacton way if we don't time it right.

Shipping buoy fing ... don't worry it's not foggy that is just smoke from da engine room! Not fire smoke ..... diesel smoke!

Mmmm sunset -- time for dad to put his hat on!

How about that for an Essex sunset. Not bad eh? See we dus av bootiful sunsets in Essex too. Admittedly it was so cold your tongue cod of stuck to the steel but hey, one day, we shall be sailing around warmer climes drinkin Pimm and eat sossidges (that will be me of course - the sossidges).

Next day, a visit from the old bill making sure we weren't smugglin fings or people or erm takin drugs or summat. We gave em the full tour and a cuppa tea too!

Starboard side of the boat keeps to the green buoys but we are also constrained by our draught wot means we has to make sure we as enuff water under us to move!

Hello Maldon!! We're ere!! Are you ready for us?

Hmmm the river seems to be getting smaller! Hope we can make it!

Well, we did! We made it to our new mooring. More on that next time!

And so ... to bed! Phew dat was the most knackerin two days of ma life!

Next time ... mooring disasters! Fanx for poppin in.