There has been much walking of the plank this week, and souls set adrift, and now we’re down to 2 in our ship. There has been some after-hours partying, and some tears too. I haven’t attended any parties as I genuinely can’t afford it; some have been in restaurants wanting £15 minimum a head! I can buy a lot of food for that money. The other staff member regularly sets off in the life boat for calmer waters so I’ll occasionally have the place to myself. Ha ha I’ll have to see who’s around to make walk the plank!

Speaking of the plank and shark infested waters (in my dreams!) the ex has kept his word and given me the money he owed me. It’s a little light though he was more ‘generous’ than he originally said, and he’s given me a not too shabby sum of money for the cabin boy (our son) so that’s good. I wasn’t looking forward to any kind of confrontation, however I don’t like to feel ripped off either. The sum is agreeable, and gives me ‘ammunition’ if he wants the cabin boy to visit him in the far off land; he’ll have to pay for the air fare as I certainly won’t be able to afford to.

I have many potted plants (made the mistake of calling them pot plants once to the obvious amusement of an American friend) on the deck and so far I’ve cultivated potatoes, dwarf beans, carrots, raspberries, gooseberries, a stack of blueberries, and the blackberries are looking good too. The parsnips didn’t have a good germination rate, and the fennel will be a while, but I live in hope. I also have lots of shrubs, bulbs, and numerous herbs which the cabin boy says make me a witch. Can you be a witch and a pirate at the same time? Anyway, not at all bad considering the conditions. I’ve not seen a huge amount of bees yet, but the plants they like the most, Sedum, have yet to flower. Everything seems so slow this year!

Well, that’s lunch break over, time to get back to cutlass wielding, and screaming Arrr at unsuspecting sea faring types who dare to cross my bow. May you have fair winds and calm seas on your voyages.