A belated Happy New Year to you all. Now that the Christmas decorations and the yuletide coffee mugs are stowed away for another year, it’s time I posted something on the blog, although we haven’t been boating just lately.
It’s always a bit of a concern leaving the boat unattended. Will the stern gland drip and sink the boat? Will the solar panel or the plank and pole get blown away in the gales? Will the loo fan and the Eberspacher timer clock drain the batteries if the dark days are insufficient to generate any solar energy from the panel? Although I drained most of the plumbing water when we last left the boat and lagged the shower mixer, have the very low temperatures caused any plumbing damage? It’s a wonder I can sleep at night, especially as I’m having a dry January so I don’t have any late night alcohol to knock me out.
There was only one thing for it. I jumped in the car and drove the 65 miles to the marina to look Herbie over. Once there it took me five minutes to see that she was fine. I wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or annoyed that I had driven all that way for nothing. So I drove the 65 miles back home where Kath said “Didn’t you get my text? I asked you to bring back some stuff I had left on Herbie.” Doh! That’ll have to wait, but not too long I hope, we do like to have a short cruise early in the year.
One or two of you will be glad to know I have resumed work on my second, as yet untitled, novel. Aware of the advice that sometimes you have to “kill your favourite children”, I have done some ruthless editing. If it ain’t interesting, funny or essential to the plot, chuck it out. The plot bit is a bit of a problem though, because like the previous book, it is developing organically and I haven’t got a clue how it’ll end. Eric, our hero, is of course in dire trouble and I have no idea how to get him out of it. I am though having fun by realising you can get three different sets of characters going concurrently so you get three angles on the story and the reader knows what some of the characters don’t. It makes it more fun to write because when you get blocked on one thread, you can hop across to another. Anyhow I’m up to 55,019 words – every one a gem. I should have the book finished within the decade. The queues are already forming outside Waterstones, you could take along my first book to read in the queue.
2 comments:
Great first of the new year post Neil. I know exactly how you feel about leaving the boat. Every now and then it is lovely to have a few days break however by day three I find myself antsy to get back to NBV and make sure she and all her systems are okay. I have friends whose boat is out on the hard standing at a marina waiting to be blacked and they have driven a fair few miles like yourself to see the baot and give he a reassuring pat!
Best of luck with your writing. It sounds as though you have things well in hand and are having fun with it.
Biggs big hugs to you both,
Jaq xxx
Oh dear I don't know how I missed this, but I am one of those champing at the bit and waiting for your great tome to be available. Good luck with it, and sorry you had such a wasted journey!
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