Prettifying

What perfect varnishing weather. We went to Portumna Castle Harbour in the camper van on Monday night so we could get an early start on Tuesday. It was overalls work. Poor Winter Solstice had looked so neglected when we took off her winter tarpaulin. Slimy cracked decks, green coach house roof, varnish lifting. Yet when we put her to bed in November she was clean and sparkly. Sigh. It happens every year.

But sunshine makes it all MUCH better. We sanded the sides of the coach house using Joe's whizzy cordless sander (Joe) and a block of wood wrapped in sandpaper (me). Half way through the job we moved the boat to Castle Harbour at the top of Lough Derg. The big road bridge in Portumna opened at 12.30, so I took her through while Joe drove the van around. This is a lovely harbour next to the Forest Park, and great for the dogs.

The biggest surprise of the day, even above the shock of heat and unbroken blue sky, was that nothing went wrong. By the end of the afternoon we were hot with sunshine and Winter Solstice was shiny once more. The decks are still green and need painting, but at least we are no longer ashamed of her disreputable appearance.