HIDING INSIDE

The last couple of weeks we have had bad storms, wind, hail, the works. Obviously it is hard to work on the boat under those conditions. The saw cannot be set outside, so it is hard to advance. However, Bill has managed to do a lot of work. The base cabinets in the wheelhouse are finished, and the new flooring has been temporarily laid. Things are beginning to look great. I found an upholsterer who is calling me today with an estimate for the cushions which will serve the dual purpose of dining room seats and beds. Hopefully we can have them ready for our first guests who will come in early June.

Yesterday Bill made us a wine cellar, where we can store our wine under the floor directly on the boat's steel hull. This will keep the wine at canal water temperature, which is considered optimum by some people. It has freed up a lot of space in the pantry area.

Last Sunday we went to Brighton, England with the Cambrai Mini Club for the 21st London-Brighton run. We crossed the Channel Tunnel on a bus. Although it rained all day, we managed to have a great time shopping around The Lanes and going into the little pubs. We had a lovely Indian meal which lasted at least three hours, and were back in Cambrai by 10:00 PM. Tomorrow is Ascension Day in France, a National Holiday, so we are going to Maastricht, Holland to meet our friends Jamie and Anne, whom we met here while taking our boat-handling course. They have a lovely 32 m Dutch barge, which we are going to take as far as Liege, Belgium. It is about a day's trip on the boat, but I am sure stops will be made along the way. We shall be back on Monday to resume our work on Biesbosch.