The weather was overcast on Friday & most of Saturday, until BBQ time when the sun popped out! Cold though, very cold, especially at night, due to biting northerly winds. The same winds battered the gazebo as we fought to erect it on Saturday morning, with the velcro straps being useless. We ended up using a full packet of cable ties before some sort of order was restored. Mind you, we did miss Dawn’s supervision and her instruction-reading skills!

(The consensus after the struggle was to scrap the flimsy gazebo and buy another strong pop-up one. Good call!)

6 boats arrived on the Friday, with Jim (Helene) coming back up from the basin early Saturday morning, and Ian & Debs (Swallowtail) coming along a little later. 8 boats in all for the weekend.

Friday was spent doing our own thing, some going into Loddon over the fields, now that the footpath bridge had been rebuilt, others keeping warm on their boats. Jen and I kept up tradition by walking to Lims and hurrying back with hot fish ‘n chips. Lovely!

Early on Saturday morning, we decided to empty my boat of the gazebo and its attendant paraphernalia, and then all helped to erect it over the back, nearer the trees – with the struggle in the wind as described above.

However, it did provide sufficient shelter from the wind and we quickly set up our tables and chairs within, and a BBQ area was staked out with windbreaks, in the lee behind the gazebo. Roger popped over to see us during the day, but his boat was still in a local boatyard after a full repaint and he didn’t stay long. It turned out to be a beautiful late afternoon, sun & blue skies but still that cool wind. Bob and Norma came by car, arriving just as the BBQ’s were firing up at 5pm. They stayed a while, before

going off to the “White Horse” for a meal, returning in time for the music at 8.30pm.

John entertained us on the guitar all evening, starting at 8.30pm.and continuing through until 10.15 with great music and a few ditties, stopping only to warm his hands on the heater from time to time! There were under 20 of us in the gazebo, but it was cosy. Plenty of drinks; good company and reasonably warm, with the gas heater going full blast all evening. Many thanks to our Jim, who loaned us a bottle of gas.

We cleared the main things from the gazebo by 11pm and went off to our boats. A lovely evening, and many thanks to John for his solo performance.

Sunday

After a  cold night on the boats, it was a lovely sunny day, but still that cold wind. The gazebo was dismantled and packed away by 10am, and we piled the poles; bags and generator / gas heater etc over by Jim’s boat – he was staying on the mooring to wait for Dave , who was driving over to collect all the gear and take back to Brundall. A few of us were going up to the basin overnight, and we left before 11am, settling in at Loddon in time for Dave and Dawn popping over to see us. Dave then drove back to Pyes Mill to collect all the gazebo gear, and we enjoyed a late breakfast in “Rosie Lee’s” garden, behind the moorings. We spent the rest of Sunday sitting in the sun outside the boats, having a few drinks and making new friends with the other moorers there!

An enjoyable end to a lovely weekend.

The next 2019 event is the Tea Party and BBQ at Bramerton on Saturday 15th.June.

See you all there!

Ken  25/05/2019