The rain clouds have been queuing up over the UK in general and, it seems, over my Ship in particular. No sooner does one cloud empty its contents on us and move away, then another one is waiting in line to soak us with yet more rain. We had some warm sunny days a short while ago but since then, northing but rain, followed by more rain, and finally, even more rain! The decking is slimy and slippery from being wet for too long, and I’ve removed the saucers from plant pots on the deck, so they don’t drown. The Ship’s Dog is missing walks or else having a brief walk in between clouds emptying onto us. At almost 12, he’s getting on, and being damp isn’t good for him. It’s not good for me either to be honest and I still haven’t quite shaken off my cold, though all I have now is some sneezing and a viciously sore throat. Line up the paracetamol and ginger tea…

We popped out on Sunday, whilst it wasn’t too wet, and the Deckhand had some new trousers. Unlike many of the students at his Uni, he doesn’t like to wear ripped or frayed clothes. Isn’t he posh? LMAO. Seriously, I think it’s a terrible ‘fashion’ and at his age, I wouldn’t be seen dead in damaged clothes either, unless I was gardening. Despite the shop being open at 10am, they wouldn’t open the tills until 10.30. What a stupid ruling, and nowhere on their website did it state this. I scowled at the lad on the till and threatened him with my cutlass, but to no avail. The family in front of me had a small boy and he delighted in pulling packs of sweets off the display stand and trying to hand handfuls of them to his Dad. He was told he could have one, but he wanted all of them. An assistant had to put them back, and he then promptly pulled loads off the rack again. Serves them right for placing them near the tills! In exasperation, the assistant told the lad on the till to start serving us, before 10.30. I chuckled quietly to myself.

We then popped to the supermarket to top up the freezer and cupboards whilst there was a staff discount of 20% (card from brother-in-law.) We’ve been having vegetarian meals at least twice a week, and fish once a week, and I’ve been missing meat meals which are often pricier, so 20% off was not to be sneezed at. The house is now well-stocked in readiness for winter and any Brexit madness that may ensue – assuming it ever happens at all! Once we were safely home, the skies opened once more, and we had a deluge of rain just for a change.

The landlord’s Dad and a workman were here for about 4 hours one day. Man, that was fun. When we moved in, I pointed out some damp on the front of the house, and when the landlord’s dad accompanied the house check, I pointed it out to him too, and finally, they decided to treat it and paint it. For reasons unknown, they also painted over the black window ledge with white paint which has now cracked and is peeling off. A bang-up job then. The landlord, it appears, doesn’t even live in the UK anymore, and like my ex, she has moved to Oz which explains why her Dad is taking an interest in the house. Despite all the rain here, I wouldn’t live in Oz – it seems to me that so many creatures in Oz want to kill you, and whilst I loathe the slugs and snails here, and the winters, I’ll take them over the critters in Oz any day. Now, offer me Canada or New Zealand and I’m off!

Not much going on here. Enjoy the week, and any dry weather if you’re lucky enough to have it.