Saturday 23 February 2013

Cold, windy and dull - yuk!

Thursday, 21 February 2013

While it’s been quite cold for a week, there have been no long periods of sub-zero temperatures; the days have been fairly warm and the nights bearable. But the last few days of this week are expected to be cold with a strong easterly wind coming from northern Europe. So, it’s a good time to make sure Skylark is tucked up warm.

I arrived at about 10.30 on Thursday, unpacked and made sure everything was OK. I then popped into Cambridge, taking another look around the Scott Polar Institute Museum. I am drawn to this tiny museum and quite moved by the artefacts and records. Scott’s diary details the last few days and hours of his men’s lives as they trudged back to their base camp and his final entry is particularly moving. They had failed to be first to reach the Pole and were plagued by poor planning and mishaps but, their final fate was determined by the atrocious weather, pinning them down just 11 miles from their base camp. Their bravery against all odds is still an example to all. When we complain about cold weather, we can only imagine what they put up with.

I returned the Skylark for a late lunch. In the afternoon, I put up the kitchen utensil rack (or whatever it is!). It had needed a bit of adjusting at a local forge to straighten the end brackets and while that was being done, the brass ends of the hooks were also adjusted to settle them down properly. Like the copper pipe I fitted a few weeks ago, I don’t think these will have a specific purpose but they look quite attractive.

 
 
This photo also shows one of the patio seat cushions we use to put in the portholes at night. This means they have fours uses - seat cushions, porthole curtains, heat insulator and soft object for throwing at anyone who misbehaves or is disobedient. 

I then had a quiet afternoon and evening relaxing in the snugness of my cabin.

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