a warm saturday on the marina

This is so typical of a warm Saturday morning on our marina. Every person in this shot lives on a different boat. The pontoon becomes a hub of social activity as everyone discusses whether or not they'll take their boat out and enjoy it or take the opportunity to maintain their boat (as the two in the far background are doing), or whether they'll just lap up the sun and drink the day away. These are the three main pastimes of the residents!

One day, in the not too distant future, when the last piece of wood has been, sawn, sanded and painted and the hammer has fallen for the last time, we'll be joining them.

same old same old

Another Saturday spent working on the boat.

I got a little more involved this time as we managed to keep Nate entertained in his carry-cot for a good part of the day (thanks Ellie for the idea!), interspersed with trips to the park and naps inside. I painted everything within an inch of it's life and was able to do a lot of it on the pontoon next to Nate. Woz was back and forth also, cutting, sanding and sawing. We're so close now! All the finishing touches are really making our 'house' feel like a home.

Nate had the attention of all the residents who passed by and also a paddling (had to google that one) of ducklings although as usual he seems more preoccupied with the camera than anything else.

colour your world

Last weekend was a busy one. Our church organised a conference (Colour Your World) on Friday and Saturday which was held at the Royal Albert Hall. On Sunday we had church there too which was incredible. Woz took this photo from the box he sat in with Nate and some friends.

Normally we pack out any venue we hire so it was really strange to look around the auditorium and see so many vacant seats. Due to financial problems during the construction in the late 1800's a number of the seats were sold before the hall was opened and remain privately owned to this day. Now that is an inheritance I wouldn't mind receiving! Those lucky seat owners are able to walk in to any concert anytime and take a seat, so subsequently we weren't allowed to use them without individually writing to each owner for permission.

Nate and Woz hung out in Hyde Park opposite afterwards for a picnic with friends while I helped out behind the scenes. Nice life for some! Although I should mention that he took over from me at about 5pm and helped pack down the venue, getting home around 12am.

portrait of a rockstar

the end is nigh

It's official! Our renovation 'to do' list is now short enough to fit on our blackboard. Finally, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Woz and I have decided to spend every waking moment over the next month finishing off the bits and pieces that need to be done in preparation for Summer so we can take the boat out as often as we like and enjoy it.

The biggest job left on our list, painting the walls, is the most effective in giving the boat a fresh and polished look and the small amount of work we've done so far has already made a huge difference but we're battling against a fast moving tide with a certain little boy's grimy fingers scaling the wall daily, undoing all our work. At least the ceiling will be clean for a while but at the rate he's growing it wont be long.

a very private affair

In London there are parks scattered throughout the city, hidden by new towering office blocks or preserved amongst traditional buildings. They range from tiny pockets of greenery to large open spaces where you could easily forget you were in a bustling city if it weren't for the constant trail of planes crossing the sky. The smaller pockets seem so random in their location which I've heard is due to the fact that they were never designed to be parks but were holes in the ground left by Nazi bombs during World War II.

Anyway, yesterday, in true 'Notting Hill' style, Woz, Nate and I met up with Rejeili and Isabella for a picnic in their private garden. An absolutely gorgeous park which is privy to the residents surrounding it. It meant that we were truly able to relax and talk while the kids played, knowing that the only way anyone could enter the park was using a key.

Nate crawled for a long time on the grass towards some boys who were playing football until when he was about half way there he turned and realised he was all out at sea on his own and summarily started to cry.

Woz kept Bella and Nate entertained by carting them around the park in a trolley which they both loved. Their own personal chauffeur in a suit and tie to boot.

painting and playing

easter monday

Today we had another incredibly productive day working on the boat. The warm sun and gentle breeze over the last four days has allowed us to paint coat after coat on various parts of the boat so we've now painted some panels that were yet to be painted and 'cut-in' the entire boat ready for it to be painted another weekend.

On top of that Woz has finished building a new bookcase (I foresee having to say 'No' to Nate repeatedly as he tries to pull the books from the shelves but then kids need to learn boundaries right? and we need somewhere for our books!), boxed in a very ugly steel supportive wall and installed two new powerpoints! I'm effectively the lunch-lady these days as I'm limited in my capacity to help out while Nate is awake and as he only slept for 45 minutes today my input was minimal to say the least.

saturday

true to form

Woz had a nice introduction to his new job with only four working days before Good Friday. I have to admit we did revert to type, spending Friday and today working on the boat. We're constantly working out storage solutions for our growing needs and so the last two days were mostly consumed by this neverending pursuit (see bookcase being built) with a brief interlude on Friday night to Tate Modern to meet some friends for a few hours. We also spent some time preparing the walls for a desperately needed re-paint which will hopefully happen in the not too distant future.

lunchtime fun

Day two of Woz's new job and he's really enjoying it. He's been twiddling his thumbs a little though as his boss is away all week so Woz has been proactive and set-up a lot in preparation for next Monday when his boss returns.

Woz already feels at home in the office as he knows everyone there so well from working with them through his old job. So all in all, it looks like it's going to be a great opportunity for him.

Nate and I have also been enjoying his new job too as he's been home for lunch both today and yesterday and home by 4.30pm. Today at lunch he and Nate had some fun rolling around together on our bed.

hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work he goes

After a week off Woz started his new job this morning. We had a great week together. I took the opportunity to organise all the stacks of books, articles, magazine cuttings and post-it notes that had been building up in the hope that it would make the process of writing Woz's thesis a little easier for him. I was in my element! With an organised workspace and a week of intensive focus under his belt hopefully it will be a little more manageable from this point on.

It's funny how quickly you get used to things though and after just a week it already seems strange this morning with just Nate and I home.