What to do on a Cold winters day

A few of us from the sailing club went to East Dorset golf club this morning to fire a few balls off the driving range, Yes I do mean off, Not my sport I have to say but it's a bit of fun and after a while and with a less than elegant swing I was hitting the ball in a reasonably straight line. Well, maybe one in three. Blooming cold mind you

Customs Cutter enters Swanage Bay

A beautiful clear day today, very cold north wind though. Walking down to the club to take down the Xmas decorations I noticed that the Isle of Wight looked somewhat different. It was of course covered in snow. The IOW is sixteen miles away at he nearest point and if the visibility is good you can see most of the island, but it is no more than a grey shadow on the horizon. Today however it looked like some distant mountain range glistening in the sun.

A bit of excitement in the afternoon as the UK Border Agency Cutter HMC Seeker came charging into the bay. This was coupled with police activity on shore. The cutter hove to in the centre of the bay. I am now intrigued to find out what was going on. I publish the UK border agencies newsletter on the sailing club website. We should all be aware of what is going on around us and contact them should we see anything suspicious. Tel 0800 595000

Snow hits Swanage in the end

Well the snow finally hit Swanage although it didn't lay except on the higher ground.

So no extraordinary feats of survival or being snowed in for hours or days yet.

There was a bit of a worry though as my partner Louise needs to get to Poole three times a week to dialyse, It's pretty important that she gets there, otherwise she become very ill. So we need to be very vigilant as to the state of the roads.

While we're talking partner, meet Louise, not the best picture but I'll get a better photo soon

Back to the Grind

Walking through the town today was very quiet, all the tourists and second homers have gone back to work. Half the shops in town are closed for refurbishment. Even the seagulls are fed up, no scraps, no chips, no fishermen, so they all hang out at the local bar (picture)

Thoughout the country it is snowing but not in good old Swanage. The kids around here are really fed up. They hear of 100's of schools closing and pupils having days off. Is it just me getting old or did we not get days off when it snowed. Yes the roads became undriveable but then we walked. I beleive kids still grow legs. They may have forgotten how to use them mind you. You may have got to school or work later than normal but you still made it. Rant Rant Rant........

A year in Swanage - a new start.

Although I have lived in Swanage for some time, this year will be different. After 33 years of marraige I fell in love again and now I have a new partner in life.

Oops Late already

So here I am on the 4th of the year and only just started. Not a good start, so here's the first few days in pictures.

We went for a new years day sail, a bit chilly but with all the gear on it was a pleasant sail. Nearly started the year off with a rescue as one of the Laser boys misread the strength of the tide and lack of wind. After an hour of struggling against the flow he eventually got back a little abashed at his mistake.

After all the excesses of crimbo, I weighed in 5Kilos more than I was in November. So one of the new years resolutions is to lose a bit of weight starting with those 5 K's. First meal of the year looked good, a salmon and crab pate with avocado and beetroot. Trouble was this was only the starter. Doh!!!

Day 2.

Hardly a breath of wind at all today. Cold first thing but the sun warmed things up and we went for a walk in the afternoon. The old pier make a nice photo as the sun sets. Expect a few more of these as the year wears on.
























Day 3



We hoped to sail again today but the wind has turned Easterly and is quite strong. Went to the sailing club for lunch and drinkies. Eventually left there about 4:00pm !



















Day 4




Not the most pleasant of days, Had to go to the dentist which resulted in an extraction of one of my molars. All well and good but the dentist was as cack handed as you can get. First he slipped while pulling and clattered my top teeth with the pliers. Then he slipped again whilst pushing and managed to stab the back of my throat! I was by this time not a happy bunny but had to let him continue as only half the tooth was out. There is an up side, he didn't charge me for the ordeal.