August 2017 U.K.

My Goodness, so much time has flown bye the summer is nearly over and there has been no blog since we left Crews Inn. After a pleasant sail down through the Boca we arrived quite early in the morning before Customs and Immigration had opened. Time for breakfast in leisure! For the following week in between showers we stripped Piano above decks and thoroughly cleaned below, making sure to eat all food and empty the fridge /freezer.
We invited Spencer and Nana ( S/Y Adverse Conditions) round to help eat the food but after Margaritas Malcolm didn't even remember eating anything! So much for that !  We did manage to meet up with many new people at the Crews Inn managers Cocktail Party. Sumptuous food as usual thanks guys! Carl is still number one Dock person and his team looked after us with the BBQ and other more boring duties.In all it was a hectic time.
  So back to the UK and we made first stop at Marias in London and became real tourists.

The Shard

In for Hull repairs...

St Pauls' Cathedral

Read the small print!

Borough Market

 Next we spent time with my mother, who has made great progress with her hip replacement. She is now walking every day again, shopping, meeting friends around the town, in fact behaving like she used to. Hannah and Ned (my niece and nephew) have grown so much, they will be teenagers before I know it.
Then it was Mark and Laurens' Wedding in Essex. That was a perfect day! The sun shone and the setting was amazing. We caught up with Karen,Richard and Jack, and met many of Adrienne and Phils' friends too. It was a real family extravaganza!

  Then it was time to make the long journey to our cottage in the far west of England, we did stop with friends in Barkham overnight to gossip and catch up.  Then we continued to Bath and had a day with another old friend, this involved more sightseeing around Bath and being good weather (still) was very relaxing.

Watering hole.

Cathedral

Finally arriving at the cottage we were pleasantly surprised at all was well.  The Spider plant still alive but rather sad looking and cobwebs which would have done the Adams Family haunt proud!  So life at home has been a mixture of visits to have health checks ,audiologist, (new ears for me) the dentist and unpacking stuff I had forgotten we even had! All this as well as shopping for food - what bliss making home made cakes once more! and collecting spares for Piano. We did make time to do some small hikes along the coastal path. Enys Gardens
                                                                                     

Water Wheel.

St Marys' Gardens, Falmouth.

A side trip to Eden,

Lots going on...

Delicious lunch!

And would you believe it for the second year running we have failed to make the canopy walk by the skin of our teeth!

Red Arrows Performance.

We also enjoyed Falmouth week and caught up with our friends in this neck of the wood.  As I write we are waiting for S/Y Blackthorne Lady to make it across Biscay, they hope to be here before we return to Piano.