Life after boating......

I landscape and plant trees, and the Navigator is a herbalist and keen gardener and our dining room is the conservatory. We co-own a nice campervan - I think I own engine and steering and Navigator owns bed and cooker area.

None of these are a substitute for messing about on the water. On good days this just involves sailing, on bad days its me in the bilges fixing electronics or engine while Navigator sails and sometimes asking concernedly if things working yet as she thinks we are approaching port. When I cant sail I will park van or ultimately mobility scooter on the wharf and watch the sea
 
oldmanofthehills said:
None of these are a substitute for messing about on the water. On good days this just involves sailing, on bad days its me in the bilges fixing electronics or engine while Navigator sails and sometimes asking concernedly if things working yet as she thinks we are approaching port. When I cant sail I will park van or ultimately mobility scooter on the wharf and watch the sea
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Back in the '70s we cruised in small boats, 22 or 26ft with two small children. I had to drive for about two and a half hours to get to the boat and when we got there the weather was often pretty awful. As well as that, the children would have fallen out yet again and we had probably had a sleepless night at anchor. Nevertheless, I would hardly have got into the car for the drive home before I would be planning for the next weekend.
 
Countless days damp whilst father launched the boat and we de camped from the Morris with the days supplies,rarely was it really warm and so much stuff with kapok life jackets bulky waterproofs.........and nobody asked us,four children if we really wanted to go.....!!
 
Gardening is a perfectly respectable way of passing the time, unless you take it seriously. I say that as a one-time member of the Royal Horticultural Society. Actually, I started off as a fellow but we all got demoted when fellows of other learned institutions got annoyed with us for claiming the honour for having done no more than pay our fees.

My garden is a model sailor's garden in that there is no space wasted on plants that flower in the summer, when I am away. Wildlife is discouraged by feral cats but the absence of tidiness means that there are neglected areas for invertebrates and occasionally hedgehogs. Guest plants, which you might term weeds, are not exactly welcomed but merely asked politely to behave and the death penalty applied only when visually intrusive. Garden design simply takes the form of planting something in front of anything I don't want to see. As a result, it is a crowded mess. In spite of my wife's objections, this is exactly what I aimed for. As I told our daughter, there are no rules for gardening; it's your garden and you can do what you like (with due regard for neighbours).
 
Wansworth said:
Countless days damp whilst father launched the boat and we de camped from the Morris with the days supplies,rarely was it really warm and so much stuff with kapok life jackets bulky waterproofs.........and nobody asked us,four children if we really wanted to go.....!!
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But with hindsight, ultimately it was OK. No mobile phones to play with were there?
 
pagoda said:
But with hindsight, ultimately it was OK. No mobile phones to play with were there?
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Quite!

Re life after boating (or in my case between bouts of boating) I've tried to get enthusiastic about gardening as an activity... but much as I love watching the seasons unfold in my garden (and watching Monty Don, Don, on other gardens) and enjoy a little weeding from time to time, I'm not a natural agriculturalist.

I had to replace the broken shaft of an otherwise very good spade last year: my enjoyment was in fitting it carefully into the socket, then giving it a few coats of oil... haven't actually used it yet!!
 
My best friend spends every waking moment tending to his perfect garden.
He has turned into the most boring person, he used to be great fun until he reached 60. He even has lights that change colours depending on the weather.
 
Concerto said:
That is what was the picture put forward by the RYA at the South East Conference. Liveaboards will have to leave the EU (all states) an ensure they never stay for more than 90 days in any 180 day period. That also means you MUST ensure you check out otherwise the clock will still keep running. This is going to be a major problem for cruisers and liveabords in the Med.
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For those who are doing liveaboard , do as we have done and get residence status. Very easy in some countries.
 
38mess said:
My best friend spends every waking moment tending to his perfect garden.
He has turned into the most boring person, he used to be great fun until he reached 60. He even has lights that change colours depending on the weather.
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There is a certain fascination with gardening,especially putting order in a wilderness,a sense of control over your domain,a bit like railway modeling,creating,god like a path or a pond ,here carrots or beans,fighting off enemies like moles,taming nature!
 
Wansworth said:
There is a certain fascination with gardening,especially putting order in a wilderness,a sense of control over your domain,a bit like railway modeling,creating,god like a path or a pond ,here carrots or beans,fighting off enemies like moles,taming nature!
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That's a very old-fashioned way of gardening. Modern gardening involves working with nature to provide a balance between order and chaos. I did A-level botany for my sins but came to appreciate the complexity and fascination of plant life, and its association with animals and fungi. Here is no joy in imposing order on a garden, but a lot of satisfaction to be had by helping to create something 'organic' and watch it change.
 
johnalison said:
That's a very old-fashioned way of gardening. Modern gardening involves working with nature to provide a balance between order and chaos. I did A-level botany for my sins but came to appreciate the complexity and fascination of plant life, and its association with animals and fungi. Here is no joy in imposing order on a garden, but a lot of satisfaction to be had by helping to create something 'organic' and watch it change.
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I agree entirely but many gardeners do try and maintain a strick control much like my neighbour with his model garden,most of the summer color in our garden comes from so called weeds!
 
Well, I have a garden and I hate the weed-covered mess it would rapidly become if I did nothing. AFAIAC, dandelions and chickweed are the enemies, to be ripped out by the roots but, for the rest, does it look nice or, at least is it not ugly? If so, it isn't a weed. I sowed a bunch of mixed meadow flower seeds a couple of years ago, and we had cornflowers and poppies from June to December, plus a load of others that self-seed. The Scabious seems to be starting to flower again - there's a lot to be said for a mild winter on the South Coast!
 
Gwylan said:
You have to worry about someone who knows the relative merits of garden center tea shops. That is a very special anorak you have there mate!
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Essential info if you are required to attend garden centre outings,sitting down sipping tea whilst others are erstwhile looking at the merits of hydrangeas!
 
Reflecting on the replies i am anxious as the end of my boat owning looms. Gardening? Oh please say that is not my future.
Will not involve a shovel.
Though creating a camper van is tempting. Leaving the garden behind is also attractive.
 
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