At Last!

We drove to the new house on Friday and were so excited (and relieved) to see that they have finally begun to build- yay!  The digger was busy at work and we could actually see a house shaped hole in the ground!  It's all starting to feel very real and living on the boat seems like less of a leap of faith!

Only 6 weeks behind schedule......

Memorial Day Weekend.

Monday just passed was Memorial Day, this is a public holiday in America to remember all the people in the forces who have fallen.  Our long weekend was filled with glorious sunshine and soaring temperatures.  The air-conditioning on the boat was running full steam and offered us cool, shady sanctuary when things got a bit too hot.

We had a busy couple of days; Doug finished the baby crib and Tabitha spent her first night in it which was a wonderful success.  We fixed the baby bouncer to the Boom - that's the bit of the mast that runs parallel along the boat above the cock-pit for those of us who don't know!

bouncy.....bouncy.....!

We retrieved Jack and Twiggy and all to quickly realised that Jubilee is not a place where 2 adults, a baby and 2 dogs can live in perfect harmony 24/7 and hastily (though very sadly) returned them to our friends who are looking after them for us.....  We took a quick trip out to the new house and were disappointed to see that our plot looked exactly as it did three weeks ago, no sign of any work or digging yet.  On Sunday afternoon we had a delicious BBQ washed down with the most amazing peach sangria with our friends Becky, Chris and Quincy the dog who live in Annapolis.  Tabitha had a couple of play-dates with baby Jack whose Mummy (Mommy!) and Daddy have a boat along the dock and we all took courage and braved the 'unidentified floating objects' in kiddie pool at the Marina.  All in all, it was a fun and exhausting weekend- life is good!

A bit more about food...

Since we arrived on Jubilee Tabitha has been eating like a King- breakfast, lunch and dinner not to mention the numerous 'milk' snacks throughout the day.  I'm devoutly following  the Annabel Karmel Baby Meal Planner and cooking up a storm for her.  Doug and I on the other hand are eating more like paupers....I haven't quite got to grips with how and what to cook for us on the boat and we're both down a buckle on our belts.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to proclaim to be an amazing cook but over the past couple of years thanks to Jamie Oliver's 'Anyone Can Learn to Cook' I have really begun to enjoy being in the kitchen.  To me cooking is very emotive; it's a way to nurture and show love for your family and yourself.  My lack of cooking on the boat is not a deliberate act of malice to starve Doug and I, I just don't know what to do or how to do it.  For the past 10 days we've been living off sandwiches, cheese, bsicuits and coffee from the local deli.

There are a number of obstacles that seem to be getting in the way...
1- we have very limited storage space for ingredients, although we do have a good fridge and a small freezer (but that's full of various baby meals for Tabitha).
2- Once Tabby is in bed, we have to monitor our noise levels so crashing and banging in the galley would not go down well and I don't appear to be well organised enough to cook before she goes to sleep.
3- Cooking equipment- in the galley we have 2 gas burners, a kettle, one saucepan, one frying pan, a chopping board, one small cutting knife and a sink...that's about it really!

The galley

I'm embarking upon a trip to the local supermarket this afternoon for inspiration and I am determined to try and bring something more than bread, cheese and olives to the dinner table tonight.....wish me luck.....!!

All this fresh air is giving me an appetite

   Smile for the camera, sweet vegetable medley anyone...?!  Also doubles as a face-mask....

Life seems a lot simpler right now.....

It's Sunday and we've almost survived a week living aboard Jubilee and I must say that so far Doug and I are still speaking and it's been really enjoyable.  Life seems a lot simpler and less stressful.  We only shop when we need food,  there are no major bills to pay, nothing really to clean, no television, make-up, style and fashion are out; wearing the same clothes for three days on the trot is in. It's quiet and peaceful here yet there is a real sense of community and friendship amongst the boaters and particularly the people along our dock.

Our new way of life is allowing me to indulge in spending most of my day playing with Tabitha, going for walks and doing little chores (which actually take a long time to get done on a boat!).  When Tabby naps I use the time to prepare her lunch or dinner, straighten up the boat (it's best to keep things as tidy as possible living in such a small space) read and of course write my blog! We don't have the dogs back with us yet which I know is playing an enormous part in this sense of tranquility and calm.  I miss my Twiggy and Jack so much, it hurts me being without them but I am a little anxious about their return and how we'll cope with them.  The good thing is that we have wonderful friends who have offered to look after them for us whenever we want so if things get really stressful they can go off for little 'holidays' here and there.  Doug is hoping to pick them up sometime next week so we'll see how it goes.

We've had a real mix of weather since we came to the marina.  Last Monday we arrived in a torrential rain and thunder storm and as a complete contrast yesterday was a gorgeous sunny day with a high of 80 degrees farenheit, that's around 26 degrees centigrade in our language.  Yesterday Tabby and I spent some time on one of the private beaches at the marina with  our  'neighbours' Meg, Jim and baby Joey.  Tabby was besotted with Joey........ and Joey was besotted with Tabby's teething toy.........poor Tabby!!  Joey, is a gorgeous baby with the most AMAZING hair- no comment Tabitha...we're still waiting! She had her first paddle in the sea which she loved.

                                                        First dip in the sea.....

Doug has been busy all weekend working on his 'grand creation' for Tabby's crib.  I'm amazed how he has managed to create something so impressive from a shakily, sketched drawing on a piece of tiny notepaper- very talented.  He enlisted the help of Mike Schooler (who also has a boat on the dock).  Together they toiled all Saturday afternoon in Mike's workshop and proudly returned to the boat with this:

                                                              The proud carpenters!

The rail will fit across the end of the V-berth and will prevent her from being able to roll out of bed and climb out when she is a bit older.  It has a swing door that opens in the middle to allow me to get her in and out easily.  Doug still has a few things to finish on the gate and then needs to fix it into the boat, it looks amazing and I am sure that Tabby will like it and more importantly it will give us peace of mind and keep her safe and secure when she sleeps at night.

First Day and Second Night...

After the initial shock and general upheaval of Monday, things have settled down a lot.  My first day (yesterday) on the boat with Tabby was really lovely.  We spent the day steadily acclimatizing to our new surroundings and Tabby seems to be happy and settled.  She has three different play areas, two in the boat and one outside in the cock-pit which we have lined with foam tiles so it is nice and soft for her.  Although Tabby's sleeping area is still a work in progress (Doug is going to work his magic and build something this weekend) her sleeping was much better yesterday.  She had three good naps during the day and was asleep by her usual 6.30pm.  Much to my surprise she slept so soundly that she managed a 6 hour stretch which she has never done before- I feel rejuvenated and maybe, just maybe the bags under my eyes look a little less dark!!  Once the rain cleared it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day and evening.  It was so warm that Tabby took her evening bath in the cock-pit....she loved it and the marina was filled with delighted squeals and gurgles!

                                                                'gimme that turtle....!!!!'

The Big Move and First Night on the Boat.

It was a huge day yesterday, not only was Tabitha 6 months old but it was also the day that we packed up all our belongings, sent them into storage and began our adventure living upon Jubilee.  In truth yesterday was not a good day, if the heavy rain that set in at about 6am and stayed with us all day was any indication of the day and night that lay ahead I would have buried myself under the duvet and refused to come out.

                                               Waiting for the movers to finish.....

In general the move went well.  We had a very efficient removal company doing the work for us but it was just a long day.  In truth I think the whole experience was very stressful for Doug who saw his home for the past 11 years being packed up and taken away.  I'm used to moving (you tend to move around a lot in London) and I don't have the same emotional ties to the house as Doug has.
With everything safely packed away we eventually made it down to the Marina by about 7pm last night.  The elements looked kindly upon us as rain subsided for long enough to allow us to get a few essentials out of the car without getting soaked.  By this point Tabitha was screaming, so tired that she didn't know what to do with herself yet so over tired that she couldn't relax and settle.  Once we arrived on Jubilee I was keen (well anxious!) to get Tabby to bed and sleep as soon as possible, I gave her a feed and tried to settle her in her 'peapod' bed but she was having none of it.  Bless her, it must have felt like trying to sleep in a crisp packet, every time she moved the tent rustled and every time I tired to zip it up she woke and screamed- it was horrible for all!!!  Eventually Doug and I cracked and brought her into bed with us.  She immediately settled and nuzzled into me....I must admit I do like her sleeping with us- it feels like the most natural thing in the world to be doing.

We all woke up this morning at around 5.45am to the sound of the most incredible thunder and lightning.  All three of us lay in bed listening to the sound of the rain beating on the boat like a thousand mini drums, it was amazing and actually quite comforting.  The storm cleared by about 10 and our day began............