Sad News and Glad News

 

My Mum, Ellen. Rest in Peace

The sad news is my Mum died on 18^th September. Jeremy and I arrived in the Isle of Man the evening before and arranged to visit Mum’s care home the following afternoon. Unfortunately, Mum died just 10 minutes before we arrived. Two hospice nurses were with her, so she was not alone. 

BBQ with Andy and Moyra

My sisters and I were able to fulfil Mum’s wishes for a service in St Mary’s Church followed by cremation. The service was well attended by family, friends and carers. Afterwards, there were refreshments at the Falcon Hotel, Port Erin. In true IOM style the wake continued until closing time.

Fingal's Cave, Staffa near Mull

 

The glad news is that the USA has opened its borders to UK citizens. We hope to spend Christmas and New Year with Simon, Erin, Nina and Ramona in California. Emily, Ben, Ellie and Sophie hope to do the same. If it happens, this will be the first time we have all been together.

Reaxing above the beach, Mull

 

So, what have we been doing since the last blog in June. We were away for most of July. It was great to catch up with friends and family. On our way north to the Isle of Mull, we stayed the night with Jeremy’s brother, Ritchie and sister-in-law, Catherine. The next day we had a lovely BBQ lunch with our friends in Durham, Andy and Moyra, before spending the night with Jeremy’s brother, Gavin and sister-in-law, Eileen. I think it had been almost two years since we last saw them.

Ben, Kathy, Em, Jeremy, Sophie, Ellie in Mull

We spent three weeks in Mull in three different places. The first week we were in the family cottage in Tobermory. When Em, Ben and the girls arrived, we moved into Ritchie and Catherine’s cottage until nephew James and his family arrived. Our last move was to the Wee House in the garden of the family cottage. As the Wee House has no facilities, we shared the kitchen and bathroom in the cottage with Em, Ben and the girls.

Puffins on Lunga near Mull

The weather was very good. We had many beach days and I swam in the sea five times in one week, which is a 50 year record!

Two of a kind!

 

Em celebrated her 40^th birthday with 10 family members. We had a meal at Macgochans followed by tea and cake in the cottage and later, champagne in the garden.

Dolphins in Loch Tuath, Mull

On the way home, Jeremy and I stayed at a Premier Inn near Chorley. My friend, Pat and her son Lloyd, cooked a three course dinner for us. We could hardly move afterwards. It was good to catch up with human and animal news.

Sea eagle, Mull

On our return to England, almost all Covid 19 restrictions had been lifted in England and everything opened up. Most shops asked people to wear masks indoors and these were still required in health settings. For us, August was a quieter month. We did some long walks and had a day out on the river on Sea Rose.  Em, Ben and the girls went away sailing for two weeks.

Kathy and Jeremy several hours before our dunking

At the end of August, Jeremy and I drove Em and Ben’s car to Tollesbury Marina in Essex. After a lovely lunch at the marina, they drove home and we moved on to Sea Rose. Our mission (which we chose to accept) was to sail Sea Rose back to her mooring on the River Deben in Suffolk. When we checked the weather forecast, strong northerly winds were going to blow for a week!

Kathy, Barb and Jeremy in Woodbridge, Suffolk

We cast off in the dark at 5.30 the next morning and sounded our way out of the tidal marina to the deeper River Blackwater. We motorsailed north and anchored for the night in the River Stour. On Bank Holiday Monday (the next day) we tied up to the free daytime pontoon at Ha’penny Quay, Harwich. We decided to have a day in the River Orwell and found the anchorage at Butterman’s Bay. A dinghy ride took us to Pin Mill, where we had a walk and lunch at the Butt and Oyster. The north wind continued to blow.

Milner Tower, Port Erin, Isle of Man

Once the tide was right for the River Deben we set off on a wet and windy motorsail north past Felixstowe. We were about half way when the engine cut out. We had the sails up but could make no progress north against the wind and the tide. In quite rough conditions, we emptied the deep, cockpit locker and found the spare diesel can. The gauge told us there was some diesel in the tank, but presumably not enough for the heeling we were doing from one side to the other. Once the diesel was in the tank, after a few coughs, the engine started and we made it to the mooring in the Deben

Nephew Ryan's gate. Isle of Man

Not long after this, early in September, our sailing friends, Rob and Barb, whom we’d last seen in Australia, came to stay with us for two nights. It was great to see them and catch up with their news. Naturally, we took them for a sail up the river on Sea Rose. It was a beautiful day. What could go wrong? We were all at the mooring ready to go. The engine would not start. Most of the stern bunk was taken apart to give access to the engine, where Jeremy found a wire was not connected to the starter motor. How lucky had we been, just a few days before, that the wire had not dropped off then? 

Jeremy in front of Peel Castle, Isle of Man

We had a gentle sail, lunch at The Anchor in Woodbridge, and a gentle sail back to the mooring. Jeremy and I were going ashore first in the dinghy so that I could bring the car down to the quay. I was in the dinghy first. Jeremy stepped in and capsized the dinghy, which was still tied to Sea Rose. We were both drifting downstream fully clothed and wearing life jackets. I inflated mine. I rescued my rucksack and Jeremy retrieved a container. By some miracle the dinghy had not turned turtle and returned to an upright position, so the outboard motor did not submerge. 

 Rob rescued two wet and embarrassed world sailors and took us back to Sea Rose. Eventually, we all returned safely to our house, where Jeremy and I could at last change out of our soggy clothes. Our damaged pride was nothing compared to the loss of two mobile phones and a Kindle. The SIM cards were saved but the phones were drowned. Why didn’t we have them in waterproof bags? Their replacement cost much more than the bags.

In the same week, we had an overnight visit from our niece, Juliette. We rounded off the week with a sponsored cycle ride in aid of the Suffolk Historic Churches Trust.

The next week Mum was seriously ill and we went to the Isle of Man. After her funeral, we returned home. I felt I needed to get away for a while, so we went to Mull for two weeks and stayed in the cottage. It was very wet, but we still managed to go walking most days. The autumn colours were fabulous and the views when the clouds lifted were spectacular. Peace and quiet returned and I began to feel much better, apart from the bouts of dizziness that I’m still experiencing.

Scallastle Forest Walk, Mull

We hope that all our readers have a Happy Christmas and a healthy New Year. Perhaps 2022 will see the re-opening of Australia to all international travellers. We’ll let you know.