Brin

Bess has been our only dog since August and we've been thinking about getting her a companion.  After scanning the adverts Kev came across a whippet cross lurcher pup which looked a likely candidate so we drove down to have a look.  Needless to say we came back with an adorable 13 week old pup.  She's a fawn colour with brindle markings and we've called her Brin.   

Sharing the bed but it won't be big enough for long

Bess was very excited to have a playmate but the games had to stop when Bess went to be speyed.   Unfortunately Bess had a tough time after the operation.  The anaesthetic left her lethargic for several days and she picked up an infection.  Happily she is now on the mend and back to her old sparky self.  In the meantime Brin has been learning some key words such as "NO" which is often required.

We were well prepared for our first snow which blew horizontally across the marina on a bitter wind.  Brin borrowed Bess' coat for her frequent trips out and we quickly hurried back on board.  We've been warm and snug on the boat but the wheelhouse wasn't built for arctic blizzards.  The strong winds blew through the gaps depositing snow on the inside.  Brent III's interior is separated from the wheelhouse by a pair of sturdy wooden doors so the snow remained frozen and was easily swept up.  

The marina's wildfowl appear whenever there was a chance of scraps.  Late one night I opened the curtains to check the weather before taking the dogs out.  When I stepped out onto the front deck I was surprised to see 5 swans, the marina's ducks and some moorhens all waiting expectantly.   On another occasion a cheeky moorhen walked along the jetty looking in the windows before jumping onto the front deck. It's efforts were rewarded and so now it's a regular visitor. 

Resolutions

I hope you all had a good Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year. 

Kev's flu apart, we had a lovely family Christmas with Sarah, Sam, Jo and Paul at Mum and Dad's.  Bess met Jo and Paul's dog, Nellie for the first time and they were soon playing together non-stop. 

Nellie and Bess pose for the camera, bribed by a Christmas treat.

Chester is my home town and I've enjoyed the chance to revisit at leisure.   It's an interesting city with it's Roman Walls, striking black and white timbered buildings and the Rows.  These are a tier of shops at first floor level which are accessed from the street by steps up onto galleries.   Chester is steeped in history but is also renowned as a shopping centre and is always busy.   We found some bargains in the sales but limited storage space prevented excessive buying which is probably a good thing.   

For the last couple of years Mum, Sarah and I have set ourselves alternative New Year Resolutions.   Our resolutions are activities we want to do during the year.  The resolution encourages us to make the time for the activity which may otherwise be just a good intention.

My Resolutions for 2013 are:

1. Read "War and Peace" which is handily on my ereader
2. Draw Bess,  I rarely draw animals so this won't be easy 
3. Knit a garment, I enjoy knitting but so far have kept to simple items
4. Paint with acrylics,  I've tried these before but want to put some more time into practising the techniques
5. Write a short story, developing a plot and the characters will be interesting   
6. Try pen and wash,  a technique I admire but haven't tried myself
7. Experiment with cooking, apart from the cornish pasties we haven't tried any new recipes, 2013 will see the cookery books come off the bookshelf
8. Develop an idea from the creative sketchpad I started in 2012 
9.  Complete a series of pictures, my only unfinished resolution from last year
10. Keep a creative log - the progression of my ideas.


Quite a list but I'm looking forward to making a start and having the time to enjoy the resolutions.

The weather has been very wet and we've been keeping a careful watch for condensation.   We've had one or two spots which appeared behind some of the storage tubs which were restricting the air flow.  Moving the tubs away from the walls quickly sorted the problem.  The warm dry weather on Saturday brought activity to the marina.  The jetties were busy with people coming to check their boats and several sailed out onto the canal.  We opened all the doors and had a spring clean, a much quicker task on a boat than in a house.