Busy on the last decent day for a bit

Looking at the forecast, today was clearly going to be the last of the quiet weather; there’s a storm due tomorrow and then freezing conditions on Friday. As the toilet tank gauge warning triangle had started flashing, it seemed a good idea to get it emptied and the fuel tank filled. We didn’t rush particularly; a bit of dawn wind was fading as we ate breakfast so we gave it some time to go away.

For once I managed a decent departure, arrival at the service wharf (just slightly complicated by a bit of breeze as we were lining up to reverse in) and a clean return to the pontoon. We took on 62 litres of diesel, so by no means a waste of filling time.

Hopefully, that will see us through the Christmas period, especially if we get some time in the lodge over New Year.

We needed bread for lunch, but since Sheila had to go into the village for a flu jab at half one, it made sense to bake some part baked rolls; Sheila got some bread and other stuff after she’d been to the surgery, so that we shall be OK for tomorrow and Friday.

After our walk round the marina, I finished off making chicken stock from last weekend’s carcase. I’d boiled it up already; now I took the remains out, chopped some veg and added them to the pan and reboiled for half an hour.

To make tonight’s meal, I’ll whizz the stock with the Bamix to create the soup base, add more chopped veg, dried pulses, spuds and the bits of chicken meat recovered from the carcase and boil it up again.

And there you are, main course soup to be served with a couple of rolls saved from lunch.

We noted on our way round the marina that the piling rig had arrived, and they've now set it up and just started piling. It’ll take about 2 weeks to drive 185 piles up to 10 metres deep. Because the peninsula is made ground, it’s not possible to rely on conventional foundations. It doesn’t sound too bad just now; a bit like someone knocking seven bells out of a dustbin on the other side of the road.

Here’s some photos of the rig being rigged:

It's a big machine

It took a while to get it off the beaver tail

It serves as its own crane

Tomorrow, I’ll see if we can get some shots of it actually banging away.