Sunday morning finds Em all wraped up in her drysuit, gloves, new Rooster boots and socks, and on the water in Groningen for the second day of the second autumn Optimist training.
The forecast is for 16 or 17 knots this afternoon. 'Em's weather', the other kids shout. Em grins.
Friday morning and the sun is shining. We folded the wheelhouse down, started the DAF and motored round the city and on to the quay in front of our workshop. Though we've still got three weeks work to do on the ORa et Labora we have lots to do aboard our own barge. That's what we'll be doing this Christmas holidays.
Bungs in the oak floor, so that Mariska can oil the floor. Then that's one more thing we can tick of the list, going into the last couple of weeks on the 'Ora et Labora' project.
Down to Amsterdam on Saturday with Don and Gijs, to see Brother Richard playing with the Neil Cowley Trio in the Bimhuis. Marvellous place to see anyone play and a really great gig by the NCT. Watching them play with a backdrop of trains, trams, cars and the Amsterdam skyline behind the was surreal.
It's a shame Gijs' iPhone camera couldn't capture what was going on outside, but thanks for the pictures anyway [see two more by clicking on this one].
I spent Friday in Rotterdam, with Bart en Willem of Driewerf, looking at a Belgian barge and talking to the owner about a possible project for next year. The rear cabin where the skipper and his wife lived is just as it was when built in 1954 - except for the two unshaven blokes on the sofa.
The same pieces of ash, planed and glued up. Magical the way the light and dark wood becomes a tree again.
Every now and then, when Peter isn't looking, I get to saw and plane big chunks of wood. Here are the first lengths of the ash tree for a cupboard top aboard 'Ora et Labora'.
Dave and Mariska have asked us to make doors for the bedroom, bathroom and toilet as well as the 'front door'. As we'll need quite a bit more wood to do that we've rustled up another Ash - this one is a good 20 feet long and that was below the branches, and has spent the last five years slowly air-drying, ready for a barge interior.
'... and this bit goes here'.
Claudia's sliding skylight for the 'Dankbaarheid' is coming together nicely. The Dankbaarheid is back afloat this weekend after four years on the hard and a 50 mph low-loader trip on the motorway.
Here is are the boys and girl from the DTP Optimist B team in the new racing centre 'Roerkoning' at Sneek listening to sailtrainer Menno Sappé.
Two long days on the water with waves, plenty of wind and A-team trainer Frans. Lots of stuff learnt about tacking and gybing, setting up the sail and boat but also plenty of fun with the boys and girls from Friesland.
Mums and Dads spent the weekend cooking, washing up and peering through binoculars. We couldn't get Dennis and Erwin's Dad Richard out of the kitchen.
More photos on Pim's weblog.
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