The Winter Skipper

Well! I think it’s a disgrace! Don’t you?

All he managed for November was two postings! He should feel ashamed of himself.

As usual, it’s left to me to extrapolate his credentials from the mire again.

……. Well you know what I mean.

It’s just not good enough though. It’s a good job he has me around I think.

The Old Man’s not been aboard at all very much actually. He’s been going off regularly to Stratford-upon-Avon and places to see his brother and other friends as well. He does seem to make the most of this time of the year to catch up with things like that. It’s a ten minute walk to the railway station and then he travels everywhere from there.

I’ll bet he gets into the ‘Old Railway Tavern’ too with their big TV screen. I’m sure he loves watching the live football the sneaky old so and so. But he don’t tell me much and I have to use my common sense a lot.

I don’t know why he doesn’t have TV on board. I know he’d like it. All normal people watch TV so why doesn’t he?  All I know is that his little face lit up like a Halloween pumpkin the other night when Janis appeared on the computer screen very clearly, all the way from New Zealand, with the help of Skype, which is the same as telly really……. I’ll tell you he's definitely an odd ‘un ….. as well as being ockard. I have an awful job to work him out sometimes.

But I’m happy, sat quietly here on my own waiting with great patience till the end of February when we can cruise again. But for the last month we’ve had lovely weather in a November-y sort of way. No ice anyway and we could have cruised beautifully for all that time. I don’t even mind ploughing my way through the ice. It’s so exciting ….. But I know the Skipper’s worried about ripping all the paint off my bottom and having to get me re-blacked afterwards. And as he loves his country overnight moorings, I also think he worries about getting iced in somewhere during the night, miles from a fresh water tap and a shop.

The poor old chap….

So here we stay tied up snugly at Kate Boats with nothing better for me to do but count the ducks that pass by.

Hey Ho!