Eternity cloth ......
Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Fri 28 Oct 2011 09:36
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La Linea, Spain Friday 28th October 0800 UTC 1000
Local time
On Wednesday night after we had scrubbed the boat
we were preparing to go out for something to eat. While Trish was in the
shower I lay down in the saloon flat on my back as it was quite
painful.
In fact my back has caused me some not
inconsiderable discomfort over the past couple of months, however my family were
already worried enough due to me single handing so I did not want to make much
mention of it. There were occasions during that trip when I screamed in agony as
my back seemed to "lock" with me unable to turn neither one way nor the other.
In any event now hopefully it can get some attention and I can start to properly
restrengthen it for its next task.
Attached are a few photos and the first one in one
Trish took of me dealing with the pole at our anchorage in Gibraltar. It looks a
little amusing but let me tell you when the boat is under way in a seaway it
takes considerable effort and balance to do that on one leg!
I think I can claim to be reasonably resilient but
as I lay down on my back to try and ease it, in the saloon playing a few tunes -
Loch Lomond by Run Rig, which we blasted out as we departed Gran Canaria two
years ago to go round the world, and the appropriately titled Hooligan's
Holiday by Albannach, which we played on our arrival in Antigua, I found I
was overcome with emotion.
A bit bizarre on the one hand but I suspect just
one of a series of emotions and changes we will have to navigate our way
through now as we return to civvy life.
Yesterday we moved into overdrive, Trish was
preaparing the boat below to over winter - doing this amazing trick with vacuum
bags and a hoover. All bedding, pillows quilts etc etc were loaded into
giant zip lok bags then the vacuum cleaner was attached to a valve on the
bag which shrunk the whole pack flat and sooked all the air out of the bag. Wow
- I was impressed and hopefully there will be no mould on the contents next
year! There are a couple of images attached of the miraculous process
too.
I on the other hand was servicing the engine,
generator and watermaker. It was quite thereputic and satisfying so I finished
the work by polishing inside and outside the generator case, the insides of the
engine room and to look in Rhiann Marie's engine room now you would think she
had never left Gibraltar...... have a look what do you think?
I also know I have finally achieved something.
Earned my stripes, because during this process I risked asking Trish for one of
"her" cloths to clean the engine room I was actually given my own cloth to
use. I think this must be the ultimate accolade now - I must have impressed her
sailing her safely round the world - to be trusted with my own cloth. Is it
perhaps some sort of medal? I think other people get eternity rings and such
like but I think by now uncomplainingly bequeathing me a cloth to use for
whatever I like, I think this is some sort of primitive sign of long term
committment or is it something sinister? I am not sure yet, so unusual was
the experience.
Rhiann Marie is now spick and span again and she
will, like a cowboy's horse back from the range, tied to the rail outside
the saloon, patiently await her next commission.
Perhaps the Antarctic?
Of course like a jilted lover I mustn't get into a
romance with another on the rebound till the dust has settled on the previous
"relationship"
..... but you never know!
We have received a huge number of e-mails from
people and are happy to keep receiving them on rhiann {DOT} marie {CHANGE TO AT} gaelforce {DOT} net I
will be doing my best to get round as many as possible with responses over the
next week. We will keep this blog updated with our future plans from time
to time .................. Now though the ceilidh band and marquee are
organised, the mountain stream of whisky is being diverted to run through our
garden and the piper has been paid......
We owe a great deal of thanks to so many
people so we are going to throw a good Hebridean ho-ro dhailitche next week and
hell we are looking forward to it!
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