Moving along but still in Bath
JJMoon Diary
Barry and Margaret Wilmshurst
Sat 21 Aug 2010 13:04
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For the last few months we
have been enjoying a medical sabbatical. Barry has
undergone seven weeks of radiotherapy for prostate cancer which we
hope has "done the trick". The treatment was not too debilitating and
the prognosis is encouraging. Once that was out of the way he set
about getting a hip replacement. The operation was
performed six weeks ago and he is progressing by leaps and
bounds; we can begin to think about rejoining the boat.
 Barry with his
best leg forward!
JJ Moon is safely moored in
Rebak Marina, Malaysia and we have had some reports from friends whose boat
is tied up alongside. Our floating home hasn't
sunk!
Having spent four
months in Troubadour's very gracious flat in the Royal Crescent,
Bath it was time to move into our own place. Both our properties are
well let and we didn't want to disturb the tenants so we have taken a
small flat on the edge of the city for six months. Bath is
certainly a great place to have landed up in. It seems to have it all:
many lovely buildings; small and compact; a university town; a tourist
delight and our small flat is only two minutes from local shops
and five minutes from rolling hills looking down over the
city.
 The Old Brewhouse, our current residence.
Bath is also the home
of Merril and Roger, our oldest friends. They have appeared in
the blog before when they visited us in New Zealand. Roger
has challenged Mags into practicing a bit more golf. She has also
found a nice place to play tennis. Very English! Two hours for eight
ladies with a coach and tea and biscuits half way through. The only
problem is that she hasn't been able to make the most of the opportunity as she
has developed a frozen shoulder which manifests itself most when playing
tennis. She
has also found congenial company and a lively atmosphere at St Michael's
church in the city centre.
One of the best aspects of
the little flat from Mags's point of view is the tiny patio. A
hanging basket or two to water each day seems to add something necessary to her
life - not totally understood by Barry but the patio's merits are enjoyed by
both. We have both enjoyed the great television coverage of sport:
Wimbledon, World Cup, European games, Golf Open and cricket. We also found
the election week more exciting than a thriller! But of course not having
had a TV for four years we probably overdo this aspect of being
on land.
 One of Mags's
hanging baskets
Our plan is to return
to JJ Moon mid-October. And then.....
There are three
options. One is to stay on longer in the Malaysia/Thailand area as we
really have not been there on the boat for any length of time. The second
choice is to prolong the voyage and return home via South
Africa. The third is to brave the Red Sea (along with other sailors) and
get JJ Moon home to Turkey. This last option seems to be the one we are
most likely to take.
In the meantime Barry is
working at getting fully fit and Mags has planned another trip to France and
then a speedy visit to a friend in Holland. There is also the
Southampton boat show in September that we hope to visit to keep up to date, see
friends, buy things(!) and generally enjoy.
 Just five
minutes from our flat up in the fields overlooking Bath.
 Looking
down to the village of Weston, Bath.
The Cotswold
Way passes through the village of Weston and up over the hills one can see in
the distance in this photo.
 Among the
tourist attractions in Bath this Summer are artistically painted lions.
These were initially launched at the Royal Crescent hotel while we were still
living in the Royal Crescent. They are a great attraction and it is fun to
find them all over the city and even outside Bath. This is one
of the gaudier models.
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