Plucking up the courage

Sometime ago I decided that as soon as ‘Futurest’ came out of dry dock there would be nothing to hold us from cruising into the blue for the journey up to Newark (refer back to Tuesday 31st January 2012 for cruising details) 

Easter Monday seemed the best day for taking the plunge but since there is no blue today, only heavy grey accompanied by lots of rain, I’ve decided to postpone the departure for twenty four hours. The weather forecast for tomorrow is much brighter and much more conducive to a fair weather sailor like me.

Since the shops were closed yesterday, I need the extra time also to re-provision the ship for the next few days. There seems to be a bit more life about Banbury today so I'll be off to do that after completing this entry. 

However I had to do some emergency shopping yesterday. During the earlier warm spell of weather I had let my fire go out, had cleaned the chimney and generally put it away for the summer optimistically assuming that the cold had now gone away. I was down to my last bag of coal and as my coal box on the roof was at Tooley’s being repaired I didn’t do anything about buying more fuel for the time being. ….. After all I wouldn’t want it till the winter would I?

But since coming out of dry dock I’ve needed to relight the fire and by yesterday was desperate for coal. I thought B&Q would be a safe bet for opening on Sunday but they were closed. All the shops were closed. So the only way to purchase coal was to find a garage and I had noted before that many of these now have stopped selling coal in favour of the BBQ charcoal briquettes. However after a walk with my little fold up trolley I found a garage in Warwick Road that sold 5kg bags of smokeless coal at enormous expense. I bought a couple of those to get me through last night and I shall find some other source today.

 

‘Futurest’ newly painted and eager for the off

 

On my walk to find coal I took a short cut through the local cemetery and passed the grave stone of my paternal grandparents. I hadn’t seen it for a number of years and I don’t expect anybody else in the family has either since chronologically I am the head of the family now. But considering this, it was in quite good state and stood out way above all its neighbours with its decoration of daffodils and narcissi. …. They must have been there for at least twenty years and presumably and very faithfully blossomed at this time of the year every year.

 

The last resting place of my paternal Grandparents

 

And so at last after all our adventures, we are ready again for another year. What a wonderful thought.