More pre Xmas pottering....

After the house and hound sitting excursion "up north" life in Penarth continued on its usual enjoyable course for a few days, until we headed to the wilds of Cornwall for more house and hound stuff. Norman and Julie were also off to a wedding so we spent a happy few days in the lovely Cornish countryside, amusing and being amused by the two labradors and the less grumpy than usual Jack Russell.

You just have to take the labs to the beach as they enjoy it so much:

After beach time for them, it was fun time for the adults, the Watergate Bay.Beach Hut is rather good. Click on the link to see why it is not quite a hut. They also make some impressive patterns on coffee  that seem to last right to the end of the drink:

Not quite like the Lanzarote happy faces though, a little more traditional in keeping with the setting in a classically beautiful bay.

Waking up to this sight is a little different to waking up on the boat:

Two hopeful animals waiting at the bedroom door who know they are not allowed in but being dogs, live in hope. Amazingly well trained Julie!

We also had a trip to see Amanda and Chris in St Austell with a guided tour of their splendid B and B / house and a wander along the cliffs to Charlestown harbour (Poldark setting for the TV addicts). On the drive back we enjoyed a beautiful Cornish sunset too:

Yes, we know, it could have been taken anywhere. Little to prove the Cornish identity and amazingly clear considering it was taken from a Defender on the move through a dirty windscreen.

Back at base, the boat needed a run to warm up all the mechanicals and electronics. Our track around the bay, in mist / fog, looks a bit strange:

We blame that on Steve the waterbus man who was at the helm. Please don't let you put this off going on his boat, he normally finds the landing stages at each end with no trouble. With the main and wing engine nice and warm, on oil change seemed sensible too.

Maintenance news:

The raw water pump on the genset is the original one and has now started to weep a little. A new one from the Northern Lights dealer is stupidly expensive as is an overhaul kit. We've used a kit that we bought from the USA before to reseal and put new bearings into the wing engine pump and the even better news was that the supplier agreed to cut down the contents to remove the wear items (wear plate, cam, faceplate) and hence reduce the cost of one significantly.

Our "spare" rebuilt pump will be fitted to the genset and the leaky one fixed using the kit. For any folks who have the Northern Lights genset or Lugger wing engine have a look at item number 112658598938 on eBay. I will get around to measuring the bearing etc sizes one day to source them locally.

That Lanzagrotty time of year

Yes, as usual it had to be done. A couple of weeks away from the boat enjoying some winter sun and warmth. Since we love the area and the Rubicon Palace Hotel so much, where else would you go?

The hotel has been through a serious makeover and gained a star since our last visit. That together with the Brexit devaluation of the pound meant it was more expensive of course. Somehow the temperatures and pampering made it worthwhile though.

As part of the general upgrade, they seemed to have trained the staff to liven up a cappuccino:

They also have installed 4 turtles in one of the ponds inside the atrium area. Watching for any signs of movement amused simple souls like us for hours:

What to do on the island? Well, as the northern contingent were around (Northern contingent = John and Irene, sadly no Archie the Lakeland Terrier) we took them to Lagomar for a look around. Have a look at the history and pictures on Lagomar website. To whet your appetite:

More Manrique ideas in an amazing "house" with an interesting Omar Sharif ownership period too.

The regulation walk to Marina Rubicon to admire the boats and eat huge amounts of apple cake (one of your 5 a day after all) had to be completed frequently too. Some of the craft moored there were entertaining. Perhaps this owner has several dogs or likes golf:

Cannot imagine having to cut the grass as well as wash off the boat. Most strange. On the walk along the waterfront there are several cat houses run by a local charity known as Freddys which feeds (and neuters!) the local wild cat population. We reckon this is one brave or very stupid bird:

Meanwhile, back on board the boat, it seems that the recently quiet Patrick is up to badness again. Steve the waterbus man sent us this worrying picture of Patrick and Kylie:

"Bring me a present or the bird gets it" post it notes indeed. We have some serious sorting out to do when we get back. Of course, that might include sweeping up a few feathers. We will let you know if our on-board stuffed menagerie is now smaller.