Well exercised

We've managed to avoid washing the boat (we decided that the roof needed more time to harden off before risking splashing it with detergent...) but otherwise it's been a day for exercise. First though, I need to record what a very pleasant evening we had last night on Cala. It was nothing dramatic, just some good friends having wine and chat about a wide range of stuff, but extremely enjoyable even so.

Peter and Gill must be two of our oldest friends on the cut – only John and Nev are older, in several ways ;) – and we never feel the need to choose our words carefully or to watch what we say with them. Thanks, you two, it's part of what makes it all worthwhile.

This morning, then, we got up in leisurely fashion and pottered about doing this and that before Peter and Gill emerged. We had a further natter with them before saying goodbye, in case they'd gone before we came back, then walked down into Poynton to do some much needed shopping at Waitrose. We had originally planned to go yesterday but were put off by the weather. There's no bus service on a Sunday, so there was nothing for it but to slog back up the hill with our goodies.

When we reached the yard, Cala had indeed left. She was on the shop mooring having had a pump out, some diesel and a new gas cylinder; that meant that we could say goodbye all over again. By now it was lunchtime but we were feeling very dry after our walk. We thought about getting a coffee from the Trading Post but Nigel was frantically trying to keep up with the demand as it was. Instead, I went to make coffee for us on the boat with the idea that we would take it round to the bungalow lawn to drink.

Sheila stood on the bridge, meanwhile, and supervised Cala's exemplary winding and departure. We then changed our minds again, made our lunch and took the whole lot round to the lawn with the coffees. Since lunch we've been resting on our laurels a bit, reading in the well deck at first, then inside when it turned cool. We did go to the Trading Post for ice creams at tea time, the rush having abated somewhat.

Chicken and prawn gumbo tonight, methinks, and back to work on the boat tomorrow.