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...

Avast ye landlubbers .. shiver me timbers .. where's me rum!

Hello chumleys! I am doing anuva post on my bloggie. I hope you did enjoy da last one. I am quite enjoyin maself wiv all dis bloggin malarky!

This weekend me, mum, dad and our crew (our great pals what is called Jared, Len and Julie) did move our boat from Hoo St Werburgh on da River Medway to Fullbridge Quay at Maldon in Essex. Is about 60 nautical miles.

Before we set sail mum and dad did av loads of fings dey had to get ready first. The most important fing wot they dun (in my umble hopinion) was to remembers to bring ma lifejacket from da house! Here's a photo of me in ma life jacket lookin out da wheelhouse window at da scenery:

I am wonderin if the lifejacket has shrunk! Ma bum does look awfully big in dat fing. Must be the angle ;). A friend suggested I has a lovely meaty bum! Must be all da swimmin wot I does. But wait, I digress...

So off we went on our journey. Everyfin ran smooth as clockwork. Da engine was purrin along. For your informations we has a Stork Diesel 660 hp engine. We made an average speed of bout 10 knots (dat be 12 miles an hour). First of all, we went along da River Medway and passed some very interestin fings. Dis is a big ferry wot we saw dat was anchored up in da middle of da river while the crew and passingersies onboard did all av some rest:

When we was out in da deep sea bits, ma dad and our good friend Len was takin turns to drive da boat. We has da GPS which shows da maps of where you is at and where you is goin. Very clever init? Is like da A-Z of da sea. Here is a picture of ma dad (right) with Len (middle) and my very great hoooman bean friend Jared (left). He is ma best hooman friend in da whole world. Dey is lookin at da GPS wot you can see on da computa:

When we was goin along we saw some birdies was following us. They was just cruisin along enjoyin da fermals i fink. They are good at dat and i fink they fort we had some fishes on board but we dussnt av fishy smell no more! We also saw a seal wot was swimmin by and he did stop to av a look but mum was too late wiv da camera to take a pic of him. She did get dis photo of da birdies though:

As da sun started to set and da tide was ebbin, dad decided was time to anchor up for da night. He already planned our journey so dat we set off on a spring tide. Dus you know wot dat be? Dere be two types of tides - number one is da spring tide, which be big tide (nuffink to do with spring season) and number two is da neap tide (nuffin to do with turnip), which is ickle tide. For further informations, tides is all do wiv da moon and da sun and da waxin and da wanin!

So .... we did find some bery deep water and anchor up for da night. We did watch a most beautiful sunset before we did settle down for da night:

We had some food and da hooomans took turns in sleeping coz of avin to be on watch. Luckily, coz I am a doggie I did not av to do a watch, so I assisted by sleepin in my basket, ready to pounce at da speed of a cobra, if required.

Next day we set off bout 9.30 in da mornin as da tide started to rise again. Once we woz sailin we did all have a cuppa and some breakfast. We was all settlin down for da journey when da police decided to pay us a visit. Two police officers did board Atlantis and den they did ask us questions and take notes about fings. Dey did use their radio to run checks on all da hooomans (notice they did not run check on me!!) to make sure dey was not norty. Dey discovered dat none of da hooomans was criminal and did stay wiv us for annva cuppa. Dad and mum showed dem round da boat and they told dad off for taking so long to finish her, then they went on their way. Here is a picture of da policemens wot was waitin in their boat for da ovva two (who was avin cup of tea):

By dis time we had reached the mouf of da River Blackwater and were happily sailin past da sea wall where mum dus take me for walks! She was tryin to tell me bout it but I didn't av a clue wot she was on about. Silly woman. When we woz in da Blackwater we did reduce our speed to bout 6 knots so we could get round da buoys. Dese were tricky for such a big boat as ours but was easy for ma dad coz he dus be a very good sailor.

Before we cud even say anti-distinctly-minty we woz in Maldon! Da river did start to get narrower and narrower and we was now in fresh water. Dad was bein bery careful not to hits nuffink and we slowed down to bout 4 knots.

When we did get to our moorin was all paws to da ropes and we tied her up and dad did shut down da generators and da engine. Then, we all had a cuppa. Wot is it wiv da hoomans and dere cupsa tea! Our new landlord wot is named Jim did come round and gave us a paintin pontoon to stand on in da water. We dus av to paint her very quick or we get into trouble wiv da local council. As you can see, she is feelin bit unloved and lookin bit shabby, so soon all da hard work start again.

After we did some general tidyin up mum and me did took our friends Len, Julie and Jared back home to Kent. We left da dad behind to made sure da boat was safe when da next tide came in and den we went to our house at bout 2am!

We got home and then of course, the only course of action open was to ............. sleep!!  mmmm sleep i sure lubs to sleep! Da hoomans let me have a quick snooze in da bed before they got in.  I mean, after all, a girl has to get her beauty sleep init? They is good to me.

So that is da story so far. Hello? Are you still there? I hope I nevva dun bored you. Well goodbyeeee, goodbyeee, cheerio, chin-chin. This is Lexie signing off.