Other side is done

This morning I got up pretty early - well 8am, not THAT early, but it was still misty. I wiped and dried the section between the gunwale and the rubbing strake on the starboard side, and then set about painting it. David was 1IC of going to the Coop for the fruit that we hadn't bought yesterday while I painted.

I was finished and cleaned up by about 10.30, so I made my brekkie to eat on the way. As it's Saturday, and as it's Alrewas which is so popular (deservedly so) with boaters, there was a queue at the lock, and at each lock on the way to Fradley. I am not good at sitting waiting and only thumb twiddling, so I went into a cratch locker and got a sanding block, the primer, the white spirits, a rag or two, the Fertan and a couple of brushes. Thus armed, I was able to prepare previously Fertanned bits at and near the stern for priming. I also found the bits I had missed Fertanning - how does it happen that I miss them the first time round? - and I did them.

David lost the will to live (or at least to cruise) at the prospect of queues at locks and competing for moorings down near Whittington which had been our destination of choice today - the people moored behind us at Alrewas told us that there is a festival at Huddlesford and that the canal was heaving down that way with restricted moorings etc.

So we are now moored up at Fradley below the top lock before the junction. It is a lovely sunny day, we have had BLATs for lunch after I managed to pretty quickly do the spot priming  (oops - a split infinitive, bugger!) So now we have two tidy sides and a spotty stern ...

And we are on a promise to get up at 6.15am, eat brekkie and move off by 7am to see if we can get past Whittington before the festival goers are up and about. I am going to set the alarm, and I will pull him out of bed or tip cold water over him or both, if he slacks around getting up.

David is watching the RWC Ireland/Canada game while I write and post this. But ignoramus that I am, I still don't know when the ABs' first game is and who they are playing against. Call myself a Kiwi?