We're on the grey cusp of January/February, and we're upping the vitamin D and washing it down with vitamin R. In the interests of warming up a snowy view, I've decided it's Nostalgia Week here on the blog. A trip down memory lane. (If you've arrived here on the blog from the boat-for-sale page, note that there's lots and lots more photos of the boat in tropical climes if you check the archives links on the right side of the page.)Remember, way back in 2005 what a mess we were in?
Sailing at the dock felt like progress. All new sails!
I wonder how many lists we made over the years?
Rotten lad doing a bad impression of his mother on our first week out.
Same lad recording just how much we were laid over for most of that week. And we were cold.
First days without the coats.
First Christmas without...Christmas. We did have champagne though.
A lot of things ARE better in the Bahamas.
One of my favourite spots over the years.
Relief captain.
Finally getting the SSB installed. The anti-corrosion spray melted the tape, and I had to take off my tshirt and wipe it off. I wrecked a lot of clothes.
No comment necessary.
One of the very few times he got in the water. Naked.
Before the head broke. Happy.
This is the last time we ever had to bring the head on deck. Whatever he did to it this time fixed it good.
Beautiful turtles in Bequia
ND in St. Lucia
One of the best parties aboard, ever. A dozen people dancing, and Stewie apologizes for bouncing the floorboards loose.

More photos coming this week as I sift through the archives. Hope this cheers up the start of February.

Quoting a long-dead relative, Auntie Mary says "when they comes, my arms is full, when they goes, my arms is empty." My arms is currently pretty empty. Laundry baskets don't count. The house is pretty quiet without three old babies and one large dog. The holiday didn't seem to be quite over until we heard that everyone was home safe, and they are, so today the tree came down. Why is that always a mummy job? Never mind, it just is. Probably because at this stage, it gives us a chance to reorganize a storage closet and weed out the most egregious of the plastic ornaments and then spend an inordinate amount of time hauling the tree out to the deck and securing homemade birdfeed suet pucks in the branches. Good thing I was trying to distract myself with trivia, and it's a good thing I don't have to go out to work. Those birds would be shit out of luck.

We had a very full Christmas: food, wine, games, so much family that we were dragging chairs out of the basement and lining the unfortunate younger folks on the hard bench for Christmas dinner. Here, have a pillow. Premium xmas crackers yielded the much-reviled binder clips, terrible jokes, coveted mini-tape-measures and gold paper hats. Randy got his on upside down and started a trend. And I've got to say that sharing around the cooking duties was brilliant. I had room to do all the veg and my sister brined and cooked a grand turkey that gave up his life for us at a farm about 10 miles down the road two days before the day. Damn, it was good. Turkey stock lived on in risotto a few days later. Wine arrived with guests, along with various yummy things that are all gone. We ate so well, here and at Laurie's in Port Maitland. My dad and Auntie Mary and all the cousins, Will, Hadley, Anna, Tom and Ian were together for the first time in yonks, and our cousins Jane and David were here too, so our arms and hearts were very full. And all dog people.

Ian's dog Zeus decided that this was heaven. I concur.

See below for lots and lots of photos. Happy new year to you all.

Traditional champagne breakfast

Let the games begin...with dog dancing

Zeus got Pupperoni

Randy painted a watercolour of Laurie, Will and Hadley's house in Port Maitland

Photo ops



Look at the mess they made. Totally great.

Jane and her brain

Jane and David and Christmas together

This was some serious talking

Doggy love

We did go out for air

Fun, games - we also hauled out the old hockey game and there was hooting and hollering.

Anna used to be the tallest...

More serious talking.

Go to the table.

Hurray, it's time to eat again.

Waiting for Randy to carve.

Randy carves.

Carnage in the kitchen.

Hat fail.

They can make this look cool.

Hadley is overcome by triptophan.

Zeus. You can't see, but he's drooling.

Then, there was taco night. Antidote to turkey.

New year's eve, in fine cruising tradition, we celebrated at GMT. Dad rang the old year out, and Ian rang it in. (Ian used to be the shortest one in this group....) Here's to a great 2012.