Well It Is Here.

Hi Friends.

2017 has arrived. Did it come in with a bang for you?

Our New Years Eve was spent on the boat, with drinks and nibbles and a tot of Whiskey at midnight. Yes we made it to midnight and this year I was wide eyed and bushy tailed for a change. I think it helped that we were watching 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2' until 11.30 pm. We then watched Robbie Williams performing in London until the bongs of Big Ben and the countdown to 2017. As always Robbie Williams was incredible. I think he gets better with age and it was so lovely he performed with his Dad Pete. The firework display in London was amazing and was clearly all about Britain and how we are open for business. I am not one for crowds, so there is no way I would have wanted to be in those crowds. We probably got a better view, by watching them on the TV. Keith and I toasted in the New Year, wished Paddy and Happy Birthday and then went to bed at 12.30 am, with the knowledge that we were in a brand spanking New Year.

I wonder what it has in store for us all? 

I know some of our friends will be putting up the biggest fight of their lives as they battle Cancer and I wish them all the healing thoughts I have at this time. I also know that some of our friends are leaving the cut and moving back on to dry land and I wish them well with their new adventures. We all have the break from Europe to cope with and we can but hope that goes smoothly. 

I am not sure what 2017 is going to bring me, I do however hope that health wise things settle down, so we can go out cruising and we manage to get our generator fixed. Keith is hoping he can begin his railway.

Today is our boy's 13th Birthday. It is incredible to believe we have had Paddy for 12 years now. Paddy has been an angel through out his life with us and to think we almost lost him a couple of years ago, when he became very poorly. He still has days when he thinks he is 2 years old again, but these most of his time is spent sleeping. He is a happy relaxed soul, who has given us much joy.

Having had a disturbed nights sleep, with listening to bumps on the boat ( I think Marmite fell of something) and the fireworks going off, we were finally awake at 8 am and I did the usual morning thing and that is to make a cup of tea. The news was on and already there was tragedy. The changing of the year, does not change the disturbing news around the world. 8.30 am up and dressed, Paddy was still lounging in his bed, so I had to ask him if he wanted to go out for his wee. He leisurely climbed out of his pit and jumped up the step and onto the back counter. It was miserable out with rain splashing on the surface of the canal. We walked up to unlock the gates and then got back on the boat. Breakfast for mog and dog first and then Keith and I had our toast.
I got on then with riddling the fire and making it up for the day.
I had defrosted some mince over night and so got on with splitting it in two to make half the mince into a Cottage Pie and the other half into a Lasagna. In my Lasagna I like to add lots of veg, so we had some onions, carrots and sprouts in the fridge plus some manky mushrooms, so they all went into the Lasagna, along with a pasta sauce, pepper and a teaspoon of Marmite. Yep Marmite is lovely in pasta sauce. If I had had a bottle of Red Wine on board, I would of made my own sauce, but sadly there was non to be had, so a jar of sauce had to suffice. Into the Cottage Pie, I added onion, mushroom, chopped carrots, garlic, beef oxo cube, pepper and a splash of Worcestershire Sauce. The pot was then put on top of the stove to cook slowly, whilst the Lasagna went in the oven.
We had some of the Lasagna for lunch with veggies and although I say it myself it was yummy, which is more than I could say for the weather. It did not stop raining all day, so with nothing much to do, I watched films and did more to my family tree. It is certainly growing now and the more I do it the more I find out. I just wish some of the sites did not charge so much, because then I could find out more. Most of my afternoon and evening were spent researching my family tree, but there are still huge gaps and my grandfathers are a mystery still.