Anyone want to buy a doggie floatation jacket?

There comes a time when one has to finally get rid of everything that belonged to a beloved pet. That pet was Judy our most faithful and wonderful dog. Her basket, collar and lead went not long after we had her put down and the only thing remaining was her life jacket. Its no use to us any more so if I can place an advert either in the laundry block or in the shop then I might be able to get rid of it here. Judy only wore it once and that was when we ventured out onto the tidal Ribble so I feel that £12 seems a reasonable price to ask. I'm open to offers though! Here is Jade doing an awful job of modelling the jacket. I think she thought I was making fun of her. (Which I was!)



Aw mum, this is not my best side.

   Mercia Marina is huge. The whole place is immaculate especially the facility blocks. Considering it has been open for a number of years, it's been very well looked after. We came into the marina yesterday morning and was directed to the mooring on R Block ( Redshank). The boaters on this block flocked out to greet us, even offering help when we failed miserably to reverse to our allocated pontoon. The wind was just to strong and blowing directly onto the side of the boat, which acted like a sail, pushing us away from where we wanted to be. In the end we went in bow first, which made it a little awkward for plugging into the electrics. Thankfully Ian carries an extension lead so the matter was resolved. After we settled in I went exploring and not 10ft from us was this pair of swans, the Penn on her nest and the Cob keeping guard.

I then took all my curtains to the laundry for a long awaited wash, and was surprised to notice various goods just left on the table. Apparently it is practise here, to leave any unwanted items for other people to have. Which means it's a good chance for me to have a good clear out of my unused kitchenalia. How does the saying go? What is one man's junk is another man's treasure.

Today I drove Ian to East Midlands Airport. It's been several years since both of us have visited there and we were shocked to see that we had to pay a £1 to drive into the 'rapid drop off' area. ( 10 minutes stay only ) The airlines make enough from us without charging us for a couple of minutes while I dropped Ian off. I'll have to pay again when I pick him up Friday night! Anyway, for 5 days I am on my own and, without hubby to get in the way, I can knuckle down and start the spring cleaning. I'll leave you with some more photos round the site.



On Redshank moorings





Chaffinch




Coal tit??