We are two Australians who lived the dream and spent 20 months as liveaboards on narrowboat Parisien Star. Life before.... during.... and after.
Monday, 10 February 2014
Amsterdam photos - part 1
Finally I've managed to sort through the hundreds of photos from our week away.
Here's the first batch which are from Amsterdam.
Our hotel Die Port Van Cleve and the view from our window
A walk at night
So many interesting places to eat, shop and browse
Here's the first batch which are from Amsterdam.
Our hotel Die Port Van Cleve and the view from our window
A walk at night
So many interesting places to eat, shop and browse
Another Amsterdam day
We were up having our breakfast early this morning. The street outside our hotel room was much quieter on a Sunday morning. We headed off for a good walk around the streets of Amsterdam. One of our first stops was a fantastic little cafe where we had the best latte since we left Australia.
We enjoyed a visit to the cheese museum and had a good chat with the friendly girl in the store there. She was rather fascinated by our being Aussies, in England on a boat and me with a Dutch father and Finnish mother. She enthusiastically suggested some Dutch food and drinks we simply must try. As we walked away she handed me a packet of "stroopwafel" which I know are delicious! We bought a cheese to take to Claudia in Germany and another to bring back to the boat with us.
Mick wanted to find a nice coffee table book about the Amsterdam canal houses so we spent some time browsing a book store. He had no luck finding the right book so I will look on the Internet but I found a couple of books I couldn't resist. One is a story of 2 women of different generations who meet over their ancestry and patchwork quilts... 2 of my favourite interests. The other is called "Stuff Dutch people like" and this one gave me a laugh. It covers all variety of things from being tall... to hagelslag (my favourite childhood treat at my Oma's).... being direct.... and eating liquorice, usually the saltier the better.
We chose another restaurant for our lunch. Mick had a smoked salmon sandwich and I picked a "traditional" which had a bowl of soup, brown bread with some pickle salad and a croquette that had a very familiar aroma when I cut it open and took me right back to my childhood visits to Oma's.
We walked on checking out shops in the 9 Streets area, admiring the leaning houses, and dodging the seemingly thousands of cyclists and pedestrians. Back at the hotel I bought a dish of pofertjes at the little store we can see from our hotel window. They were absolutely the best I've ever tasted but of course they're going to taste better in Amsterdam!
The Winter Olympics have been on tv and we have been watching during our breaks back at the hotel and in the evening.
It has been another thoroughly enjoyable day in Amsterdam. Even the rain and wind that continued on and off all day didn't dampen our spirits. We've had such a lovely weekend. Tomorrow we will be up early to get our train to Frankfurt.
We enjoyed a visit to the cheese museum and had a good chat with the friendly girl in the store there. She was rather fascinated by our being Aussies, in England on a boat and me with a Dutch father and Finnish mother. She enthusiastically suggested some Dutch food and drinks we simply must try. As we walked away she handed me a packet of "stroopwafel" which I know are delicious! We bought a cheese to take to Claudia in Germany and another to bring back to the boat with us.
Mick wanted to find a nice coffee table book about the Amsterdam canal houses so we spent some time browsing a book store. He had no luck finding the right book so I will look on the Internet but I found a couple of books I couldn't resist. One is a story of 2 women of different generations who meet over their ancestry and patchwork quilts... 2 of my favourite interests. The other is called "Stuff Dutch people like" and this one gave me a laugh. It covers all variety of things from being tall... to hagelslag (my favourite childhood treat at my Oma's).... being direct.... and eating liquorice, usually the saltier the better.
We chose another restaurant for our lunch. Mick had a smoked salmon sandwich and I picked a "traditional" which had a bowl of soup, brown bread with some pickle salad and a croquette that had a very familiar aroma when I cut it open and took me right back to my childhood visits to Oma's.
We walked on checking out shops in the 9 Streets area, admiring the leaning houses, and dodging the seemingly thousands of cyclists and pedestrians. Back at the hotel I bought a dish of pofertjes at the little store we can see from our hotel window. They were absolutely the best I've ever tasted but of course they're going to taste better in Amsterdam!
The Winter Olympics have been on tv and we have been watching during our breaks back at the hotel and in the evening.
It has been another thoroughly enjoyable day in Amsterdam. Even the rain and wind that continued on and off all day didn't dampen our spirits. We've had such a lovely weekend. Tomorrow we will be up early to get our train to Frankfurt.
Sunday, 9 February 2014
We love Amsterdam
I had a feeling Amsterdam would be about Mick's speed and I was right. It's not too crowded, the architecture is fabulous, and best of all he isn't uncomfortable going into a shop or asking directions because everyone speaks English! It has turned out to be a really good choice for a city weekend.
It was raining when we left the hotel this morning. The lady behind the desk lent us an umbrella which promptly turned inside out in the wind. We didn't bother with it after that. We went first to check out the queue at the Anne Frank Haus. It was long.... too long for Mick to be willing to wait.
So, instead we went back to the railway station to check our rail ticket for Monday. When I printed it I noticed there was no departure time printed on the ticket. At the service desk there was an older woman at the entrance who it turned out was supposed to find out what your business was and give you a ticket to be served. She was quite rude and abrupt and brushed us off saying the ticket was fine.... I just hadn't made a reservation and that's why the ticket showed nothing for time or seating. I walked away but still didn't feel quite comfortable about it so waited until she was busy with someone and snuck past her. At the counter the lady explained that I should have a ticket from the dragon bit it didn't matter she would help anyway. She said it would cost 8 euro each to reserve a seat but that train would be quiet so there was no need. She explained where to get the train when we came on Monday and which platform. Very helpful.
It was still pelting down outside so we decided to do a canal cruise. Just what you do when you're living on a canal boat..... pay to go on a boat in another city! We both really enjoyed the cruise and hearing about the city. The buildings along the canals are fantastic. The rain stopped while we were on the boat so we decided to come back to the hotel for dry clothes before going out for lunch. We were pretty soaked from walking in the rain.
I made one more stop on the way back... the highlight for me! I spent some time in the lovely quilt shop across from the hotel called Den Haan &Wagenmakers. It is surely the second best I've ever seen (second only to Threadbear!). I had a lovely chat with the woman in the store and when I told her the shop reminded me of my favourite quilt store in Australia she said "Threadbear"? Goodness it's a small world isn't it? I chose a few fabrics to add to my quilt. There was another quilt store next door that stocked lots of bright fabrics. Not really my thing but I did find a quilt panel that I bought a few of to take home.
We had lunch in a bar / cafe and enjoyed people watching. We then made a second attempt to the Anne Frank Haus but the queue was even longer. We found the narrowest house on Amsterdam and went the the enclosed courtyard of houses called the Begijnhof where the oldest house is.
I had seen some little model Dutch canal houses in a souvenir shop so we went back so I could buy a few. Then we just wandered. We passed the flower market which at this time of year was filled with bulbs for sale. We even saw a "grow your own" cannabis starter kit. Only in Amsterdam!
On the way we made a final attempt at the Anne Frank Haus but this time the queue had snaked all the way round the corner. What a shame. I've been there before but Mick has watched the movie with me a couple of times and I know he would find it interesting. We will try again tomorrow.
The sun even peeked out for a while as we made our way back to the hotel late in the afternoon. We bought some salads for dinner from the supermarket and have lined up a meal for tomorrow from a fantastic deli. We will go back there tomorrow to choose some goodies from their counter.
We didn't have the best sleep last night in a strange bed. There was a bit of noise from the street as the windows aren't double glazed. That's a bit surprising in a country that gets so cold.
It was raining when we left the hotel this morning. The lady behind the desk lent us an umbrella which promptly turned inside out in the wind. We didn't bother with it after that. We went first to check out the queue at the Anne Frank Haus. It was long.... too long for Mick to be willing to wait.
So, instead we went back to the railway station to check our rail ticket for Monday. When I printed it I noticed there was no departure time printed on the ticket. At the service desk there was an older woman at the entrance who it turned out was supposed to find out what your business was and give you a ticket to be served. She was quite rude and abrupt and brushed us off saying the ticket was fine.... I just hadn't made a reservation and that's why the ticket showed nothing for time or seating. I walked away but still didn't feel quite comfortable about it so waited until she was busy with someone and snuck past her. At the counter the lady explained that I should have a ticket from the dragon bit it didn't matter she would help anyway. She said it would cost 8 euro each to reserve a seat but that train would be quiet so there was no need. She explained where to get the train when we came on Monday and which platform. Very helpful.
It was still pelting down outside so we decided to do a canal cruise. Just what you do when you're living on a canal boat..... pay to go on a boat in another city! We both really enjoyed the cruise and hearing about the city. The buildings along the canals are fantastic. The rain stopped while we were on the boat so we decided to come back to the hotel for dry clothes before going out for lunch. We were pretty soaked from walking in the rain.
I made one more stop on the way back... the highlight for me! I spent some time in the lovely quilt shop across from the hotel called Den Haan &Wagenmakers. It is surely the second best I've ever seen (second only to Threadbear!). I had a lovely chat with the woman in the store and when I told her the shop reminded me of my favourite quilt store in Australia she said "Threadbear"? Goodness it's a small world isn't it? I chose a few fabrics to add to my quilt. There was another quilt store next door that stocked lots of bright fabrics. Not really my thing but I did find a quilt panel that I bought a few of to take home.
We had lunch in a bar / cafe and enjoyed people watching. We then made a second attempt to the Anne Frank Haus but the queue was even longer. We found the narrowest house on Amsterdam and went the the enclosed courtyard of houses called the Begijnhof where the oldest house is.
I had seen some little model Dutch canal houses in a souvenir shop so we went back so I could buy a few. Then we just wandered. We passed the flower market which at this time of year was filled with bulbs for sale. We even saw a "grow your own" cannabis starter kit. Only in Amsterdam!
On the way we made a final attempt at the Anne Frank Haus but this time the queue had snaked all the way round the corner. What a shame. I've been there before but Mick has watched the movie with me a couple of times and I know he would find it interesting. We will try again tomorrow.
The sun even peeked out for a while as we made our way back to the hotel late in the afternoon. We bought some salads for dinner from the supermarket and have lined up a meal for tomorrow from a fantastic deli. We will go back there tomorrow to choose some goodies from their counter.
We didn't have the best sleep last night in a strange bed. There was a bit of noise from the street as the windows aren't double glazed. That's a bit surprising in a country that gets so cold.
Saturday, 8 February 2014
To Amsterdam
We were up very early this morning..... maybe not early in our life back in Oz but certainly early for us these days! Andy and Sue from nb Festina Lente kindly offered to drive us to the station in Stafford. Although it wasn't actually raining when we left it had been in the night so it was a great bonus to not have to traipse through the mud in the marina field. It also meant we didn't have to leave quite so early. Thanks very much to you both.
Our trip today went very smoothly. There was just a short wait for our train at the station, there was nothing to do at the airport except go through security (all of 10 minutes) so we had coffee at Costa, there was a 15 minute delay before the flight left but in all it was a breeze. There was a fair bit of turbulence and the wind was so strong when we arrived at Amsterdam that they sent the plane off on a loop to fill in time and see if it eased. I was expecting a difficult landing but it went well.
We hadn't eaten since 6.30am and by this time it was heading on for 3pm Amsterdam time. We toyed with the idea of eating at the airport but decided to wait until we got to our hotel and dumped our bags.
We bought our train ticket to the city and walked straight out to the station. There was a moments alarm when we saw nothing at all saying which lines went to the central station but we asked a pair of young women who were going there too. They directed us to the platform and warned us to beware of "pocket pickers". There was a bit of light rain when we emerged from central station but we didn't have all that far to walk... much less than a mile.
The hotel is very nice. Smallish room but it has everything we need and we really couldn't ask for a better location. As we walked we saw plenty of places to eat so after checking in and putting away our bags we headed straight out again. We chose a Japanese restaurant that offered "all you can eat" on the proviso that you actually eat what you order. There was an extra charge for uneaten dishes and you couldn't take them away with you. We had a leisurely meal which we enjoyed. Delicious sushi and freshly cooked hot dishes. Pricey but a good treat. It was so late that we won't be needing dinner.
We had been directed, by the very helpful reception staff, to a supermarket just a couple of doors down. I had a request for the favourite Dutch chocolate sprinkles for Tamara, my German friends daughter. It was a big supermarket and we picked up a few bits and pieces for breakfast provisions. Mick checked out the Dutch beer (thanks Gil and Malcolm!).
I have a Dutch quilt shop on my list of things to see while we were here. We have now walked past it three times and it looks like a really good one but I've been dragged on by the hand. It will have to wait til tomorrow.
I had to laugh when we got back to the hotel later and Mick went into the bathroom for a shower. He called out that they had a shaver in the bathroom. When I went to see what he meant he picked up the the nozzle of the hair dryer and got the shock of his life when it blew air at him. Not quite what he expected. I had tears running down my face laughing. I must admit it was one of those with a square box and it doesn't look much like a hair dryer and on the box is a lift up flap that hides the shaver point so it had a sticker on it saying "shaver". I felt like I was sharing a room with Crocodile Dundee in New York.
Tonight we went out for a walk. We couldn't come to Amsterdam and not walk through the red light district. What an eye opener that was! And there is no missing the wafting scent of marijuana as you walk around this city. It was actually a lovely evening when we went out and the city was very pretty with lights sparkling down every street.
No photos for a few days but at least we have free wifi in the hotel. I've been taking plenty of photos though.
Our trip today went very smoothly. There was just a short wait for our train at the station, there was nothing to do at the airport except go through security (all of 10 minutes) so we had coffee at Costa, there was a 15 minute delay before the flight left but in all it was a breeze. There was a fair bit of turbulence and the wind was so strong when we arrived at Amsterdam that they sent the plane off on a loop to fill in time and see if it eased. I was expecting a difficult landing but it went well.
We hadn't eaten since 6.30am and by this time it was heading on for 3pm Amsterdam time. We toyed with the idea of eating at the airport but decided to wait until we got to our hotel and dumped our bags.
We bought our train ticket to the city and walked straight out to the station. There was a moments alarm when we saw nothing at all saying which lines went to the central station but we asked a pair of young women who were going there too. They directed us to the platform and warned us to beware of "pocket pickers". There was a bit of light rain when we emerged from central station but we didn't have all that far to walk... much less than a mile.
The hotel is very nice. Smallish room but it has everything we need and we really couldn't ask for a better location. As we walked we saw plenty of places to eat so after checking in and putting away our bags we headed straight out again. We chose a Japanese restaurant that offered "all you can eat" on the proviso that you actually eat what you order. There was an extra charge for uneaten dishes and you couldn't take them away with you. We had a leisurely meal which we enjoyed. Delicious sushi and freshly cooked hot dishes. Pricey but a good treat. It was so late that we won't be needing dinner.
We had been directed, by the very helpful reception staff, to a supermarket just a couple of doors down. I had a request for the favourite Dutch chocolate sprinkles for Tamara, my German friends daughter. It was a big supermarket and we picked up a few bits and pieces for breakfast provisions. Mick checked out the Dutch beer (thanks Gil and Malcolm!).
I have a Dutch quilt shop on my list of things to see while we were here. We have now walked past it three times and it looks like a really good one but I've been dragged on by the hand. It will have to wait til tomorrow.
I had to laugh when we got back to the hotel later and Mick went into the bathroom for a shower. He called out that they had a shaver in the bathroom. When I went to see what he meant he picked up the the nozzle of the hair dryer and got the shock of his life when it blew air at him. Not quite what he expected. I had tears running down my face laughing. I must admit it was one of those with a square box and it doesn't look much like a hair dryer and on the box is a lift up flap that hides the shaver point so it had a sticker on it saying "shaver". I felt like I was sharing a room with Crocodile Dundee in New York.
Tonight we went out for a walk. We couldn't come to Amsterdam and not walk through the red light district. What an eye opener that was! And there is no missing the wafting scent of marijuana as you walk around this city. It was actually a lovely evening when we went out and the city was very pretty with lights sparkling down every street.
No photos for a few days but at least we have free wifi in the hotel. I've been taking plenty of photos though.
Friday, 7 February 2014
Micks jobs
Mick has been happily doing some little jobs for a couple of boaters, I've been getting some work done before we go away and we've been catching up with people.
Tuesday night we played cards with Barry and Carol. We will be lucky if we have one more card night before it's time to leave the marina! We waved them off Wednesday morning as they went off to visit family again.
Wednesday morning Mick went to do a little silicone job on the shower in nb Shoehorn. After lunch I had my work for the day complete so went along with him to his next job. This time it was a couple of vents under the dinette seats on nb Moriarty. We had a good natter with Martin and Cathy.
Today I've spent time packing for our trip away and putting away things for our Kiwi friends arriving next month.... that was in between getting some work done. This afternoon I had coffee and a Bakewell tart on nb Foxglove with Clare.
It's strange to think a lot of these folk we will only see a couple more times. We have less than 2 weeks in the marina when we return from Germany and then we will be off cruising.
We learned a bit of a lesson yesterday.... well, I did! Our outgoing flight to Frankfurt had a plane change in Amsterdam. It seemed too good an opportunity to miss so I talked Mick into the weekend in Amsterdam on the way to Frankfurt. We could just forfeit the ongoing flight and we have booked a train for Monday to get to Frankfurt. I contacted the airline to ask how we ensure we will be able to get our luggage off at Amsterdam and got a bit of a shock. You can't do it! If you don't get on the connecting flight you forfeit the rest of the booking and the fee for having the luggage retrieved was over £100 each!!! We had a quick discussion and with a bit of re-jigging we can now do it but with hand luggage only. It's not ideal for 9 days in Winter but we will make do. A very important lesson learned. You have to use all flights on your booking in sequence for most discount flight bookings. To be honest I don't see what difference it makes to the airline but rules are rules.
Tuesday night we played cards with Barry and Carol. We will be lucky if we have one more card night before it's time to leave the marina! We waved them off Wednesday morning as they went off to visit family again.
Wednesday morning Mick went to do a little silicone job on the shower in nb Shoehorn. After lunch I had my work for the day complete so went along with him to his next job. This time it was a couple of vents under the dinette seats on nb Moriarty. We had a good natter with Martin and Cathy.
Today I've spent time packing for our trip away and putting away things for our Kiwi friends arriving next month.... that was in between getting some work done. This afternoon I had coffee and a Bakewell tart on nb Foxglove with Clare.
It's strange to think a lot of these folk we will only see a couple more times. We have less than 2 weeks in the marina when we return from Germany and then we will be off cruising.
We learned a bit of a lesson yesterday.... well, I did! Our outgoing flight to Frankfurt had a plane change in Amsterdam. It seemed too good an opportunity to miss so I talked Mick into the weekend in Amsterdam on the way to Frankfurt. We could just forfeit the ongoing flight and we have booked a train for Monday to get to Frankfurt. I contacted the airline to ask how we ensure we will be able to get our luggage off at Amsterdam and got a bit of a shock. You can't do it! If you don't get on the connecting flight you forfeit the rest of the booking and the fee for having the luggage retrieved was over £100 each!!! We had a quick discussion and with a bit of re-jigging we can now do it but with hand luggage only. It's not ideal for 9 days in Winter but we will make do. A very important lesson learned. You have to use all flights on your booking in sequence for most discount flight bookings. To be honest I don't see what difference it makes to the airline but rules are rules.
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Workday Tuesday
I had a dreadful sleep last night. I just couldn't get to sleep! I have a terrible habit of letting an unpleasant encounter go round and round in my head and after a totally unexpected run-in yesterday (in the marina laundry!) that's exactly what happened. Oh well. I shouldn't take things to heart so much.
This morning I struggled to get motivated but did sit down to my work. It cheered me up a bit to find my friend from home, Vicki, online and we had a bit of a typed chat. It's just not the same as sitting down to a cuppa though. She has her third guide dog puppy, Shenya, so I'm looking forward to meeting this one when we get home. I totally missed the last one, April, who is off on her training now.
After lunch Mick and I went for a good walk and I felt better after the brisk temperature outside. I got my work finished after we returned and this evening we played cards with Barry and Carol. They're off for a couple of days again tomorrow, having just got back to the boat yesterday afternoon. When they return on Friday we will have already left for the airport for our flight to Amsterdam. It's a bit of a pain having a morning flight as we'll be traipsing through the mud in the marina field with our luggage at 7.15am on Friday to be sure to get our train at 8.25am. First a walk across the field, then a bus to Stafford, then a train to the airport, then the flight to Amsterdam.
This morning I struggled to get motivated but did sit down to my work. It cheered me up a bit to find my friend from home, Vicki, online and we had a bit of a typed chat. It's just not the same as sitting down to a cuppa though. She has her third guide dog puppy, Shenya, so I'm looking forward to meeting this one when we get home. I totally missed the last one, April, who is off on her training now.
After lunch Mick and I went for a good walk and I felt better after the brisk temperature outside. I got my work finished after we returned and this evening we played cards with Barry and Carol. They're off for a couple of days again tomorrow, having just got back to the boat yesterday afternoon. When they return on Friday we will have already left for the airport for our flight to Amsterdam. It's a bit of a pain having a morning flight as we'll be traipsing through the mud in the marina field with our luggage at 7.15am on Friday to be sure to get our train at 8.25am. First a walk across the field, then a bus to Stafford, then a train to the airport, then the flight to Amsterdam.
Tuesday, 4 February 2014
Boater's Monday
We made the most of another Monday with the marina closed. First was a delivery from Ocado. The driver was quite bemused to be delivering groceries to people who came rushing out of their boats, collecting a little cart, and meeting him at his van. Jim and Joan from nb Two Jays were picking up theirs too.
I had the washing machine running all morning so the clothes could go in the marina dryer. I'll try to never use the laundry on a Friday or Saturday again. The week before I put our washing in the dryer late afternoon and when I went back a couple of hours later I saw one of the kitchen staff from the bistro emerging from the laundry with their huge pile of washed and dried tea towels. I thought nothing of it until I went in and saw our sodden washing dumped on top of the dryer. They'd taken our washing out and used our dry cycle to dry their tea towels! And not even the courtesy of putting the washing back and adding a couple of tokens of their own. I was re-imbursed the two tokens but won't make that mistake again.
This afternoon was a boaters tea party. It was nice to see Elaine out and about. Martin and Cathy from nb Moriarty came along too.... and finally there's Ray with Sammy and his trendy coat.
I got right up to date with work, in fact I ran out before my allocated time was up. There's been a few emails from home complaining of the weather. The heat seems to be relentless. I'm glad we're missing this extreme Summer! My mum's been making garlic bread by wrapping it in foil and putting it out on her pavers!!
Bendigo, AU :
Stone, UK :
Walking along the pontoon I spied Missy and Milo, the two little kittens belonging to Andy and Jean. They were sitting so nicely just inside the rear doors of nb Josephine. Cute little tikes they are. When I bent down to take a photo they came out to say hello. Missy (I only know who is who when they're together because they look so alike) came slinking around my legs for attention and decided she would follow me back to our boat. Having heard her story of falling into the water between a couple of boats, I sent her home. She followed me again so I picked her up and popped her back on the boat.
I had the washing machine running all morning so the clothes could go in the marina dryer. I'll try to never use the laundry on a Friday or Saturday again. The week before I put our washing in the dryer late afternoon and when I went back a couple of hours later I saw one of the kitchen staff from the bistro emerging from the laundry with their huge pile of washed and dried tea towels. I thought nothing of it until I went in and saw our sodden washing dumped on top of the dryer. They'd taken our washing out and used our dry cycle to dry their tea towels! And not even the courtesy of putting the washing back and adding a couple of tokens of their own. I was re-imbursed the two tokens but won't make that mistake again.
This afternoon was a boaters tea party. It was nice to see Elaine out and about. Martin and Cathy from nb Moriarty came along too.... and finally there's Ray with Sammy and his trendy coat.
I got right up to date with work, in fact I ran out before my allocated time was up. There's been a few emails from home complaining of the weather. The heat seems to be relentless. I'm glad we're missing this extreme Summer! My mum's been making garlic bread by wrapping it in foil and putting it out on her pavers!!
Bendigo, AU :
Stone, UK :
Walking along the pontoon I spied Missy and Milo, the two little kittens belonging to Andy and Jean. They were sitting so nicely just inside the rear doors of nb Josephine. Cute little tikes they are. When I bent down to take a photo they came out to say hello. Missy (I only know who is who when they're together because they look so alike) came slinking around my legs for attention and decided she would follow me back to our boat. Having heard her story of falling into the water between a couple of boats, I sent her home. She followed me again so I picked her up and popped her back on the boat.
Monday, 3 February 2014
Windy weather again
Friday was dreadful weather as we drove back to the marina and the wind buffeted the boat about for the rest of the day. It's always chaotic trying to unpack when we've been away and this time we had all the bags and suitcases that we had used to transport the stuff to be shipped. It was a relief when we finally got it all put away. What a great feeling to see the cupboards contents dwindled. So now all we can take home with us when we go is what will fit in a suitcase.
Saturday morning was the Stone farmers market and we had been hoping the weather would be kind. Our walk into Stone was lovely and it stayed that way all morning. We enjoyed the market, picking up some goodies. Not long after we were back onboard having lunch and the weather began to turn. The afternoon wasn't too good. I had a pile of paperwork to sort out for our shipping so that kept me busy.
The afternoon was windy again and one poor share boater had a tough time trying to get out of the marina. He reversed from his berth ok with the wind at his stern but as soon as he turned the boat the wind slammed him sideways into the bows and sterns of the boats moored along his jetty. It was a struggle to get moving again.
Being the 1st of February, Saturday marked one month until we will be leaving the marina. We just hope we have good weather by then.
We had a message from Martin and Cathy on nb Moriarty saying they were back from their big holiday. This morning, Sunday, they came over for coffee and a catchup. It sounds like they had a wonderful time on their cruise through the Panama Canal. Good to see you both again!
We have been watching a rerun of Australian Masterchef. It's making us hanker for home.... and for a visit to Tasmania where the show is being filmed this week. It's such a lovely place.
Saturday morning was the Stone farmers market and we had been hoping the weather would be kind. Our walk into Stone was lovely and it stayed that way all morning. We enjoyed the market, picking up some goodies. Not long after we were back onboard having lunch and the weather began to turn. The afternoon wasn't too good. I had a pile of paperwork to sort out for our shipping so that kept me busy.
The afternoon was windy again and one poor share boater had a tough time trying to get out of the marina. He reversed from his berth ok with the wind at his stern but as soon as he turned the boat the wind slammed him sideways into the bows and sterns of the boats moored along his jetty. It was a struggle to get moving again.
Being the 1st of February, Saturday marked one month until we will be leaving the marina. We just hope we have good weather by then.
We had a message from Martin and Cathy on nb Moriarty saying they were back from their big holiday. This morning, Sunday, they came over for coffee and a catchup. It sounds like they had a wonderful time on their cruise through the Panama Canal. Good to see you both again!
We have been watching a rerun of Australian Masterchef. It's making us hanker for home.... and for a visit to Tasmania where the show is being filmed this week. It's such a lovely place.
Saturday, 1 February 2014
A different way to buy groceries
Thursday morning Mick finished Lynne's deck while I worked and finished packing the boxes. After lunch Marie came to check out the handiwork and then we went shopping. It was really cold when we got out of the car at T K Maxx.
Lynne's been trying out a new way of buying her meals using a service called Hello Fresh. Here's her order for this week - three vegetarian meals with easy to follow recipe cards. They provide everything except for butter or olive oil that might be necessary for cooking. I made the courgette tart for our lunch and it was delicious. I'll keep this in my recipe file to make again. It's not a cheap way to buy ingredients but would be a great option for a stay in a self catering cottage.
This morning Lynne drove us home again, stopping for a few groceries on the way and then lunch at a pub in Eccleshall. When we left the house it was bitterly cold and as we drove the persistent rain turned to sleet for a while. It's been a true English Winters day. It's nice to be home!
Lynne's been trying out a new way of buying her meals using a service called Hello Fresh. Here's her order for this week - three vegetarian meals with easy to follow recipe cards. They provide everything except for butter or olive oil that might be necessary for cooking. I made the courgette tart for our lunch and it was delicious. I'll keep this in my recipe file to make again. It's not a cheap way to buy ingredients but would be a great option for a stay in a self catering cottage.
This morning Lynne drove us home again, stopping for a few groceries on the way and then lunch at a pub in Eccleshall. When we left the house it was bitterly cold and as we drove the persistent rain turned to sleet for a while. It's been a true English Winters day. It's nice to be home!
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