By ‘eck it were reet cold this weekend. Went up to play on that magnificent old tub, the Charlotte Rose, with the delightful Trouty and Henners. we only managed to get as far as Byfleet Boatclub, wherein Henners taught me how to empty an Elsan Toilet Cassette. Hmmm. I think I’m being primed for cabin-boy duties, somehow. It’s a shit job, I can vouch for that at least*. In return for this, I almost goaded Henners into submitting a gallery contribution within the confines of the club-house but, despite the twinkle in his eye and the camera at the ready, modesty prevailed as there were knowlessmen still at large around and about. Shame. Doubly so, in fact, because there were a number of empty picture frames around the walls of the clubhouse just crying out for some good old-fashioned Omallyification.
Anyhoo, so it got to about 7pm and we enjoyed a magnificent repast of Minced Beef and Mashed Taters, Parsnips and Umm, Something Else. Good solid clacker as cooked by the Capn himself. After dinner and a half-hearted few rounds of Swearing At The Sticky Playing Cards we all very nearly fell asleep. I say nearly, because Henners and I got a second wind and stayed up chatting til about 5am on Sunday. Tempus Fugit.
Funny how the changing of the seasons makes one’s body adjust all of its own accord when one is right in the midst of Nature. No daylight. a warm stove, excellent company, all well-fed: thus we felt an almost over-powering urge to sleep. It was mighty hard to resist, inside that snug warm boat after a chilly afternoon’s boating.
A significantly late start on Sunday (it’s been a long time since I awoke at well-past-midday - It felt goooooood!) and we chugged back to the mooring at Addlestone. I helped pull the covers over the Charlotte Rose and we put her to bed for, well, who knows how long? Not too long, I hope.
So, the usual selection of piccies will follow directly. I’ve stolen Henner’s’s’s’s’s Enthumbnailification Doodat (as created by SimonG Enterprises, natch) so p’raps they’ll be a bit more presentable this time. Here we go then!
Henners poses for yet another top caption comp piccy.
I’ve always been impressed every time I chug back to the Addlestone mooring and see the old Mill House at Coxes Lock, none more so than when it looms out of the mist on a crisp wintery afternoon.
I took this at home a few days ago, just thought I’d tag it on for luck 
So, Henners will be gone for a few weeks now, hopefully to come back swig-and-demon-free. If not, well, he’ll still be one of the bestest people I’ve ever met and for that I do pray he gets better. He was very scared at the weekend, y’know. Put me in mind of them lads he mentioned on his own blog. They were scared too. Not of us, you understand, but of the unknown depths of their own minds. Brave face and all that but cracks do show. If ever a chap needed your collective best wishes it’s now. Same for the Saintly Trouty.
Contact details for both available from SimonG, myself and/or probably any number of folks lurking in the chatroom on SimonG.org. Common sense forbids posting details here but do feel free to email me.
‹Notices how the winter food-stuffs have become much more de rigeur chez Omally of late›
*Oh go on, laugh just a little at least. I made myself laugh anyway.
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