Dambuster-ing

Tonight's write-up has several co-incidental links to the Dam Busters, but starts off with a repeat of me saying how totally mad these humans are. One of the highlights of the 2CV camp to which we have just been is the Saturday night joint barbecue and kazoo orchestra session.

The barbie is fabricated from an up-turned 2CV bonnet and a supermarket trolley and is big enough for plenty of humans to cook plenty of meat all at once. The humans also consume a degree of booze, but not too much and then adjourn to the marquee / party-tent for a mad session where everyone is given a kazoo to play (although this year there was an outbreak of learning to play ukuleles so there were a few of them). There are also various percussion instruments made out of bits of car (cymbals made of hub caps on a proper stand, bongoes from car headlight "pots", a drum kit made of rocker covers etc). Main man Andy produces a Guitaron, which is a big double-bass sized guitar with no frets, from Mexico.

The mad humans then work their way madly, raucously and loudly through cartoon themes (Top Cat etc), Muppet songs, pop songs and war themes as the light falls. Do they not realise our hearing is 40,000 times as sensitive as theirs? Mercy me!

I've already said that over at the Preston Steam Rally, half a dozen fields away at most, there was a fine display of old military kit and vehicles including 2 WW2 searchlights with tow/generator lorries. The Rally goes on till late on Saturday night after all the public have gone with a dinner and dance for the exhibitors, and once it's dark the searchlight crews light their lights and send their fine columns of light upward raking the sky for enemy aircraft. This they did just as we were doing the Dambusters Theme, so you can imagine all the humans ran outside and kazoo'd as loudly as they could, hoping to be heard at Preston.

The camp's 2CV convoy earlier had also been to the Reculver Towers, scene of much of Barnes-Wallis's testing of the bombs in wartime, so we were well Dam-Bustered up and it was a magic moment.

Darrr Dah Dah Dah Dudduddaahh Dah Dahhhhhh

Deefski

Holiday Romance

Ahhhhhh.... 'tis smitten I am, blown to bits by a holiday romance. Our absence over the last few days has been because Dad has been away with Haggis and I to the annual 2CV camp down in Preston (Kent), just east of Canterbury, north of Wingham. It's been bakingly, stultifyingly hot (which is unusual for a 2CV camp, where Force 8 and driving rain is the norm, coinciding, as it does, usually with Glastonbury weekend).

This camp takes place in a field which is normally a horse paddock, so there was poo to roll in and smear all over my neck (We'd only been there 10 minutes, so Dad was cross) and the heat meant I had to lie up under (oily, old, leaky) cars for shade, so I very quickly got my usual camp oil-slick down my back, only partly removed by an emergency bath in a fire bucket with Fairy liquid as shampoo!

At this camp, Dad met old friends from many camps including J+J, who turn up this year with a new dog, a brown long-haired German pointer of great beauty and youth. He has the old-French name of Artous, as befits a 2CV-dog if not a German pointer. See my picture. Well, the campers could get on with it as far as I was concerned - my mission was straight away to tease him and get him to play, which he was quite happy to do, and which meant I could zip about out-manouvring him and nipping under cars to lose him, but then letting him find me again. There were comments from humans about "outrageous flirting" and being a "tease" and a "tart" but I was lost to all reason.

More on all this tomorrow.

Ahhhh... Artous... will you remember me? Will you write?

Deefski

Em-J goes sailing

We're excited to learn via a comment from Mr Silverwood, that Em-J has now taken up sailing too, possibly inspired by all these tales of water-bourne adventures from Mum, Dad, 2CV Llew and Derek. Tantalisingly few details at this stage - come on Mr S; Dad's been out in "Lark" class dinghies but there's all sorts - "Mirrors", "Optimists", GP14's etc etc, so we need to know what manner of tub the beginners are let loose in!

Also, tell us more. Lough Derg? That's on the Shannon, right? Was it a school trip? How many went? How did she get on? Was she allowed out single handed? Is she now sold on sailoring?

Here's a pic, just for a taster of a bit-bigger-than-a-dinghy, boat - the "Bonzer", our 30-footer from last Friday. Maybe Em-J will come out as 4th-hand?

Meanwhile, we're all off on our own adventure today, so we'll tell you all about that when we get back. Look after yourselves.

Deefs

Now they're both at it!

Now they're both at it, Mum and Dad both leaving us abandoned indoors while they go off and enjoy a day's sailing on board the barge SB Greta, based in Whitstable. Haggis has been out, in the days of Megan and before my time, both of them getting on famously with black and tan barge-dog Alfie, but the theory is I'm a bit too skittish and would launch myself over the side. I was also a bit nervous when allowed to walk the decks of SB Cambria a couple of weeks back, and she was aground and in her dry dock (also aground!).

In fact, thinks Dad now after the event, it might not be so bad, as Alfie has chilled a lot with age and would suit Haggis as a companion - the two could metaphorically smoke their pipes and chat about sailorman days of yore like 2 old salts, and I could be shown the ropes by fresh new, spirited, shout-at-all-other-boats Jack Russell, "Ludo". She's pretty good at chasing towards the rail at the edge of the deck and stopping just in time. I'd soon pick it up. Back when H+M went though, they were invited out of the blue by skipper-owner, Steve, and Dad doesn't like to press him, so unless we get another unprompted invite, we are doomed to wait on shore while the humans sail away.

The other pic here, by the way, is Cambria's dry dock from the "wet" side - the starb'd quarter as seen from Greta in the creek.

Shucks

Deefer

Sailing Orphans

When Mum was telling Diamond all about Dad going sailing on Friday, she referred to herself as a "Sailing Widow". On that basis we must be Sailing Orphans by now, as Dad is off sea-faring again. This time he blags his way on board SB Greta for her run from here round to Whitstable where she will (the Skipper hopes) be based right round to October enjoying a successful Summer of chartering.

Dad has to meet the barge at 09:00. They must shuffle ropes and un-bury themselves from behind SB Repertor before motoring gently down the creek to the Swale. It's a lovely warm sunny day with little breeze. That's OK with Dad because in these gentle conditions, Steve the owner-skipper trusts Dad with the helm as he and 1st Mate Rob hoist the topsail and drop a leeboard. Dad reckons he's about 8th Mate behind those two, various family members and the two dogs, Alfie and Ludo (who we've met).

Dad then gets to keep the helm all way down the Swale and Eastwards and then south (including a deliberate "dough-nut" allowing the topsail, which has to be on the starb'd side of the boat to be lowered, to get there with a southerly wind) till they are actually inside Whistable harbour mouth. With big solid walls looming and some jiggery pokery needed with an anchor dropped so that the barge can be swung round the anchor into the correct position for berthing port-side in (head to wind), Steve takes over, and Dad is only too happy to surrender the wheel!

All home safe and sound now - although Dad snuck off again to get some route directions for an upcoming 2CV convoy round Grove Ferry, Reculver and Sarre windmill.

It's all go round here (unless you're a dog!)

Deefski

Night Shift

Poor old Dad has to work a night shift. EDF Energy, who supply Dad's work with electrons, need to service the substation, so all the power's going to be off from 0200 to 0600 and Dad has to go in to nurse the computer systems safely to sleep, and then gently wake them all up again when the work is done. So we have to see him off at "last out" and then look after Mum in case she gets burgled in her sleep, till Dad gets home at 07:30.

Dad then sleeps through till midday (as do we, all in a heap) and then gets involved in allotment judging round the town, and a bit of harvesting on his own plot, broad beans and artichokes. It's all go, here, I tell you!

Deefski

Sailing

Some nice pics tonight. First up, we get abandoned again as Dad goes off sailing in the Swale with 2CV Llew and his buddy Derek who owns a slightly tired looking 30-foot sailing boat called Bonzer. This was Dad's first time sailing (except for barge trips) since he used to sail dinghies (Larks) on gravel pits while at University, so he was a bit rusty (and the Larks never had all this posh coffee-grinder winch technology!) but they let him steer for ages and play with a few sheets (ropes) and it all came back to him.

The Swale was a good bit breezy and spotting in the wind, so it was a bit chilly, but he's home now, back in the warm and Mum is cooking his supper. The 2nd pic is of his posh new car, which he's only had a week at this stage.

Have a great weekend

Deefski