Concrete foundations for the meccano set being put in place

I have been out and about - I am still tired after the regatta - and added to tiredness by doing housework and going to the shops.

The  next stage is putting the meccano together, which requires a cherry picker for the man to bolt the bits together.

This was taken on my iPad as my camera has conked out.

Lifeboat launched at Aldborough - impressive demo for RNLI open day. At least I am watching from the shore rather than being rescued by it (as happened in Iris May when I went aground - 6 or 7 years ago.) I wondered if anyone else on the beach had actually been rescued and towed back to harbour.

Beach on Saturday with Aidan: bright sunshine, no clouds - as summer should be.

I am trying to recover from the excesses of the regatta - but my legs are still stiff. At least the sun is still shining.

Last day of regatta - Thursday- a day of special races and raft building  Actually I only did one - the non-sticker race -a short race for people who had not aquired a placing in any race - you get a sticker for the position you come in. So the race is known as non-sticker race.  The wind was shifty but stronger and I had a pleasant sail - a very bad start and some mistakes in spotting shifts. I came 2nd - and got two Mars bars - which I have hidden so I don't eat them.
I was too exhausted to sail another race, so came ashore and ate cake and drank tea until the prize giving. Very enjoyable except for the bizarre wind, mistakes in tacking, mistakes judging the shifts and tides, bad starts and remembering that I used to be a lot better. But I am getting more at ease with the streaker and will practice a few things - probably tacking. I think sea sailing is more fun and less difficult as you don't have to avoid moorings, shallow mud banks and strong tides.

A lot of aches in muscles I did not know I had.

Today - hair cut - shopping and lots of sitting in the sun - muscles now stiff.

Here I am - sitting on the edge in a dignified way, concentrating on the wind indicator. Taken on Tuesday.

Race 7: Flat calm for the 14-00 start and so the race was postponed waiting for the wind to fill in. To mu surprise, the sea breeze came up the river giving a reasonable wind, punctuated by big holes, large wind shifts and a few gusts. And a sensible length race on an interesting course. I suppose I am getting used to the shifts and gusts as I came 6th - out of a smaller fleet because a lot of folks were not inclined to sail after yesterday.
Race 8: Similar conditions to the first race but the tide turned in the middle and the wind dropped so it was a bit of a struggle to get back through the much larger holes in the wind. I do not sail well in such conditions and I was tired by then. I also think I am not setting the sail right for runs and broad reaches. Yet  I got the best position of the week at 5th.

I came 8th overall out of a fleet of 21 signed up for the regatta week.  I was just behind the people I would expect to do better than I do.

The amazing victory was to finish any races at all - let alone 6. And to feel well after it all - I wonder what this means - why should quite hard physical effort result in feeling almost normal. Probably the absense of horrible toxins and the good fortune that cancer cells seem not to be growing again (yet) - against many expectations. So I dedicate this victory to the oncology department at Ipswich hospital for their care and choosing the right treatment.

Toppers and the slow handicap fleet coming ashore. This illustrates the horrors of the slipway, which is worse in high winds.

Regatta
Race 5: I got lost on the course and lost a bit of time + a bad start + a big gust blew me off a mark rounding. Crazy long course (it took 1 1/2 hours in strong and gusty wind. BUT I came 9th (out of 17). Just behind the good people.
Race 6:  Same course - even crazier length of race - 2 1/2 hours (the tail end was over 3 hours.) The wind dropped and we had to sail back against the strong ebb tide. BUT (inspite of being tired and angry by the end) I came 7th out of 17. Extraordinary.I am not sure whether I enjoyed it or not. One thing for sure - I love racing - even when it is also horrible.

I got onto the ramp OK and parked up on the pontoons for lunch - something of a victory in itself.

I am now running 7th in the slow handicap fleet.

BTW - I prefer fleet sailing to handicap sailing - so apologies to people in Tynemouth with whom I have argued about this. You are right - - .

I am tired but nothing like as exhausted as I would expect. Maybe the streaker can be sailed in a less hard work way than the Laser.

Brian and Lorraine getting onto the slipway.

The start of the slow handicap for race 2. My boat is like the one heading towards us.

Regatta: This week is the sailing club regatta and I have managed to sail two races. Weather - very shifty winds and not quite enough wind.
Race 1 - I got a very good start and kept up with the other streakers and then took the wrong side of the beat. But finished in the middle of the fleet in 10th position.
Race 2:  I did not try race 2 - too tired.
Race 3:  I was over the line at the start - but managed to keep up with the other streakers until I got tired. I came 9th.
Race 4 - I started but was too tired to finish - so DNF (which scores more marks than Did Not Start - a bit of gamesmanship here so that they will calculate an overall result as 6 out of 8 races have to be started to qualify.)

Main snag is that they are macho about the length of races and the first race of the day (1 and 3) lasted about 90 mins which is too long for me - and the back of the fleet barely had time to get ashore for a bite to eat.

Second snag is getting ashore to sign off the first race. The slipway is too narrow and the pontoons very hard to get onto without falling in.

Fun - fun - fun - and reminds me how much I like racing. Muscles ached yesterday, but visits to the gym have paid off.

Camping holiday - Cornwall c. 1955

1950s: Camping: One of the recurring pleasures of my life has been camping and the outdoor life, including some bad weather. Sailing my smaller boats is a form of camping.

This was started by my parents and the picture shows their tent; my brother and I had our own little tents - one of which is just in the picture.  This was not our first camping expedition (which was a crowded Bank holiday when it rained all the time - but we were not put off.). We learnt to camp in farmers' fields and out of the way places. The white tents leaked of course - and no integral groundsheets. We had a trailer behind with all the gear.

Here we are setting off - I think to go on holiday in 1954.

Progress by today.

The mechano set that will become the new buildings.

The start of work for new buildings at the Tidemill marina

This was taken last week - I have not been down there since then due to dubious weather and other things to do. It is being built up above the likely water levels. More as it happens.

I had hoped to get out on the river but the forecast of high wind and rain has put me off - I want it to be easy. I am also feeling a bit under-par. It is always worrying when I feel like this as I assume that it is something unpleasant. But I improved performance in the gym this morning - so I am assuming I have overdone it again. I really want to be on good form next week for the sailing club regatta.

Lorna on a stony beach - Southsea 1953

1950s: Proves I had a primitive camera

I am making slow progress with sorting out pictures partly because I have been out a lot in the good (and recently indifferent) weather. I have somewhat overdone the going out and rushing about, and have felt mildly washed out for a couple of days.

 And I went to bed too late on Friday - I was captivated by the weird (maybe because it was weird and rather fun) Olympic opening ceremony! And rather better misuses of history than a socialist / feminist might expect.

This week the Plan is to do indoor things and go the gym in preparation for the sailing club regatta next week. Nous voyons - - .

Me, my doll (Louise) and my mother on a beach - probably  Bournmouth - c.1946

1940's; a beach. I spent a lot of my childhood (when not being educated or otherwise transformed into an adult) on beaches. We moved to Southsea, which had a gravel beach like those in Suffolk. And I used to walk along the sea wall there just as I do here. And we went on holiday to various beaches in Devon and Cornwall, where we ran around in the sea and appreciated the sun (which always shone of course.)

I have done holiday stuff in sunshine this week. Two days on the beach and two days with boats. I sailed the dinghy for about an hour yesterday in modest wind. It feels safe to launch and play here without safety cover, a thing I would not have done on the North sea. I even managed to launch and recover without help through taking things very slowly.  I suppose I am getting used to the ramp although I do not launch and recover with much panache (yet). It has the advantage of a shorter distance to get the boat out of the water.

Felixstowe beach looking towards the Deben entrance. This is how summer should be - -

Summer - and two days on local beaches - Bawdsey and Felixstowe. Bawdsey was refreshingly cool as there was a sea breeze. Very little wind at Felixstowe and I walked from the here round to Felixstowe Ferry.

Today - heading off to Lookfar to sit in the sun yet again. The tides are wrong to get out on the river for long.

In a Laser with a radial sail, Tynemouth c. 2000. This picture was taken when it was deemed to windy to race.

2000s sailing: I still do 'sport' in some sense. This is the best action picture I have but since about 1982 until today I have enjoyed sailing and racing.

Yesterday I took out the Streaker in fairly windy conditions - mostly upwind so not much planing. In the river it is hard to just go for a good blast because there are moorings, cruisers motoring (who do not obey the collision regulations) and boats moored; there are also mud banks to go aground on.  So you cannot just set off in a straight line as I did in the picture. I also find the streaker does not plane as well as the Laser - but I think this is partly that I am not quite 'at one' with the boat yet. And also that the new hulls (mine is quite old) get on the plane earlier.

I have entered the Regatta in two weeks - I hope to do what I did last year - and sail the first race and then start the second but only finish if I am feeling well. The second start means I get a result for the race as well as practice starting.

You can gather from this that the 'holiday' from the chemotherapy is giving me back a bit of physical energy (before I run out of energy in the middle of the afternoon!). And I hope that I will also get back a bit of confidence. Being ill is a downer - not only through the physical effects of illness but through zapping the confidence to 'do' stuff. As I resolved some time ago - I am not planning to worry about it all going wrong - although obviously I do.

Today - the sun - intending to gross out in it on the beach - probably at Bawdsey.

Tennis team - c1957.  I am 3rd from the left and was captain. I played doubles with the girl to the left and spent a lot of time with her - and I have no idea where she went after we left school.

Hockey team - c1957. I am 2nd from the right holding a stick. I played in goal and was vice-captain.

1950s: at school: shows there was some sport - but not enough for me. And we do not look like ladies. We were allowed to play hockey against a boys' team at weekends as long as we did not 'fraternise'. (Not much chance of that dressed as we were - it must have terrified them. But I remember it as good fun and rather jolly.)

I also played badminton in the winter and in summer I went to the tennis club most nights so it is hardly surprising that I did not do a lot of homework; I even played in a tournament during A Levels - a different world.

I still sort-of do sport, having discovered dinghy racing in the 1980s - and I have been a frequent user  of various sailing clubs - in St Andrews, Tynemouth and now the Deben.I often go to the sailing club now - but not to the detriment of doing my homework! How strange and similar - I suppose going to the gym four times a week is part of a similar desire to be active, although it is not competative.

Lorna - September 1953. Setting off for my first day at girls grammer school. Note the weird uniform and shoes.

1950s: In Southsea: This is displaying a life-changing turn in my life. Going to grammar school in the 1950s opened doors that I did not appreciate at the time and that I took only after many hesitations, stops and starts. And perhaps it marked the end of a childhood in which I ran free and wore shorts or pretty dresses - in contrast to school uniform.

I look pretty pleased here but I was not happy at school, although looking back there were some good things (like the arguments we had about politics and radio programmes at lunchtime, where we sat in a dining room and served ourselves from serving dishes.)  I did not fit in to the school ethos - I did not want to conform and  so just seemed naughty and awkward. There was too much fuss about being 'ladylike', learning languages and wearing school uniform alongside too few facilities for games.

Launching off the East Sands - St Andrews, 1989. Good fun

This is how sailing should be - we were taught how to get over the surf - which was necessary there. A big contrast to launching down a ramp into a river.
This is not my boat - but I did launch there a lot in an OK and later in a Laser.

I have bought a photo scanner for doing the best bits from masses of old pictures. It also does slides and negatives.

I am 70. I bought a badge and scanned it at a wonky angle for better effect.

I was looking for one that said 'I am 70' but they don't seem to have them in Ipswich or Woodbridge - they don't even have them for children. Maybe they are not in the best of  taste. Anyway - I will wear it sometimes as some sort of gesture of survival.

I visited the consultant yesterday - no long waits nor any boredom. The conclusion - the blood tests still show some effect of toxicity but nothing to get excited about. There is no sign of the cancer doing anything nasty - or indeed anything at all. So the Plan is to keep off the killer-chemicals and keep an eye on how I am and feel. So no side effects for a while - yippee.

I am going to try not to worry about it all as there is nothing I can do except eat vegetables and generally live a healthy life. Oh - and make sure I do not ignore symptoms that I ought not to ignore.

So am also finding a few brain-things to do - from geology to figuring out how to upgrade the U3A website - interspersed with scanning my photos - hard work and needs a new scanner.

Lorna and brother - Roger - in the rock gardens, Southsea. About 1948

1940s: Roger was born in November 1947. I am not sure that this does either of us justice, but notice my dress. My mother was a dressmaker (so also 'good with her hands'). The smocking was all hand done, from gathering the material to doing the embroidery. I did learn how to make clothes and do embroidery from her - but rarely make such things now. But when I do make something, I get huge pleasure from it.
I also remember the shoes and the rock gardens.

Tower Bridge preparing to open. The olympic rings have already been lifted up to the pedestrian bridge.

 I think I have seen it open once before - not impressive as I lived down the road for a year or so from 1971. It had already opened 15 times today.

A large, well used barge comes upstream.

The bridge opens.

The barge goes through in a stately manner.

Seen today as Aidan and I had lunch by the river. We also noted that it could not go much further as London Bridge does not lift.

I walked back to Aldgate underground and I was able to walk a lot faster and further than previously due to lack of side effects and an increase in fitness.

On a beach - perhaps Bournmouth - with a boat.

1940s: I had to include this as it illustrates two of my life-passions - beaches and sailing (although I did not do sailing until I was about 40.). I think my father  made the boat - note the aluminium wheels - he often used aluminium for the things he made.

Me with Sid and a wonderful car.

1940s: He normally had a car around - usually a pre-war one which he spent a lot of time fettling. He also made a lot of things and was, as he used to say 'good with his hands' - a trait which my brother and I have inherited. I wish he had taught me about the inner workings of cars - but he probably thought it was not something girls did.

Me with Uncle John in my grandmother's garden

1940s: John is my mother's youngest brother - he now livies in Shrewsbury.

My father - Sid - with me. He was about 43 in the photos

1940s: I have one of him with me as a baby - but I have yet to find it.

I am planning to enter a few from each decade. I have spent a long time trying to sort out piles of old photos. It is surprisingly depressing, perhaps making one aware of lost opportunies - things not said -  teenage rebellions and the like.

In my grandmother's garden in London.

Joan Scammell with baby Lorna - 1942

C'est moi.
I am 70 today. Joan - my mother - was about 25 in the picture.

I do not normally acknowledge my birthday - the last time was when I was 60 and was taken up in the London Eye by my children for a fun experience. Today - I was intendimg to take a short trip out on the river - but - heavy rain and a bad forecast. So I am doing indoor things and hoping to go on the river tomorrow.

Toppers and streakers at a recent open meeting

This illustrates why the Deben Yacht Club is going to build a new ramp over the mud in September. There is no room to launch and recover more than a few boats at a time. I am not very good at getting it right and slipped off into the mud too often last year.

I had the streaker out a couple of weeks ago - and someone kindly caught me as I paddled in (no wind for once) or I would have been in the mud again. Since then we have had very strong and gusty winds and I have not been out. Nor have I been out in Lookfar.

I have been to the gym and my muscles are starting to get stronger and I am working them up to the next weight level - but still less than this time last year.

Rhoda and I at Aldbrough on Friday last.

Rhoda and Doug have now gone home. The weather was cold and horrible for most of the time but the sun flashed out for us to eat fish and chips on the beach. I managed to walk round the town and along the beach - so my range is improving. I even avoided the (very nice) shops in Aldburgh - perhaps I was too tired by I got to them.

Striding Edge in the Lake District - a metaphor

I have walked this several times - years ago. It is a metaphor for how my life feels just now. I walk in the sunny uplands rather than in the valley of the shadow - but it is often a narrow path with steep sides - and things can go wrong. It is a very beautiful, if scary, walk along the Edge to Helvellyn - so the metaphor is quite a good one.

Today I feel as if I might slip off the sunny uplands. Yesterday I was due to have a maintenance dose of Pemetrexed as usual but this was aborted becuase the blood test results for kidney function were outside the limits. Some more blood tests showed that it was not due to high blood sugar or leaching of calcium from my bones - which is a good thing. It is probably due to toxicities building up from the chemotherapy - and so I am off the drug for a couple of weeks. This has the advantage of no side-effects - but I worry about whether the 'holiday' from the chemo will allow the cancer to grow again (although I am told it won't grow in that short time!) and also whether it is knackering important organs. Fret - fret - worry - worry - all rather pointless but understandable.

So I take active steps to do stuff - a long session in the gym and now off nurture Lookfar in sunshine (for once).

A fine barge at Woodbridge quay - with Tidemill behind and mud in the foreground.

It came up the river the other day - inspite of the nasty weather. It is here for the Woodbridge regatta - whih is also a sort-of festival of boats.

a special heritage train at Woodbridge station seen from my flat.

We get all sorts here. It was powered by two massive diesal engines - and had a lot of carriages - most with posh table lamps on tables - and a lot of people. Pity it was not a steam train!

Strange to see that nearly a week has passed since my last entry. I have, of course, yet to finish the cover for the engine because it is harder to do than I thought it would be.

I have been better at doing things in the morning - I am trying to make sense of aspects of the geology of the Pyrenees and I do a bit of reading and writing every day. Interesting and enjoyable and tiring for the brain. I am also getting back to doing resistance training in the gym and have improved both the weights and my endurance. On Monday - the last meeting for a while of the U3A geology group. I also  took the car for its MOT on Wednesday - before having lunch with Aidan near the Tower of London. I went to the sailing club a few times during the week to sort out my boats, took my bike to be serviced in the hope of riding it sometime, I went to the shops and market on Thursday and had chips for lunch today. I have not put my improved mainsail back on Lookfar - the twice I have gone down to the boat to do it - it either rained or a big wind came up - so I am leaving it snug and warm inside until the weather gets better.

The snag with the week has been that I have felt like going out and doing things but I have become exhausted by the afternoon. But it is very boring just sitting around - and I have had enough of it.

The cockpit of Lookfar - not a very tidy sight.

 Chaos as I try to cut up an old jacket to make a new cover for the outboard engine. The one I had blew away in the recent high wind. I also tried to do a cover for the tiller from the smaller bits.  I mostly lazed about in the sun and drank coffee and read the paper. But I prepared myself for doing fittings.

Stratigraphy of the Pyrenees

The weather here is unmentionably awful - so although I have picked up my improved sail and have all the fittings to make Lookfar easier to handle - I have not ventured out to do the work on the boat.

Instead I have searched for material on the geology of the Pyrenees and tried to understand it. This has taken time and all my energy - I have barely heard the rain lashing the windows and have merely glanced at the tele.

Why? Rhoda is now living there and their place seems to be in a geologically interesting area ( a bit south of Tarbes - near the small N-S fault there, near the dark strip (which is metamorphic rock). I have yet to locate her place exactly on the map above). The one below shows they are near a seismic zone - their place is a bit to the south of Bagneres - where the large dots are.

Cool or what?

 You can follow Rhoda, Doug and the pigs - not to mention unwary visitors (including Aidan) at http://laviealapetiteferme.blogspot.co.uk/

The bonfire and moon seen from DYC

Yesterday evening I walked to the sailing club to eat nibbles (yummeee) and watch fireworks - set off on the other side of the river. The star of the show was the moon - rising over the trees and reflecting in the calm river. I went to bed much too late and got up late this morning. Fatigue continues - I did not race today inspite of ideal conditions (ie lots of wind).

The parade of boats along the Thames - I watched it - and tried not to listen to the commentary. Sky News was the best as it showed more boats.

The front of the parade at Chelsea - impressive

The train - fantastic.

It rained here most of the day - otherwise I would have been screwing fittings on the deck of my boat. I have experienced some fatigue from the chemo - which made staying indoors easier. I have managed to return to doing weights in the gym - for about 35 minute sessions.

Why is it raining? Is the weather telling us something?

Gloriana: rowed from Chelsea to Tower Bridge and beyond - must have been exhausting

Today - the jubilee parade on the Thames - which I will watch on the tele because I like boats. But - - how are we republicans to deal with the celebration of monachy and the gross commentary that accompanies the whole carry-on.

 It would be nice if we were celebrating something more meaningful. Perhaps the people - 'fanfare for the common man' (and woman) sort of thing. Or acknowleding events of the growth (not yet complete) of democracy in our country - such as universal voting (1928).

If we think what monachy symbolises - not a nice picture -  hierachy - privilege - unearned wealth - deference - militarism - and much more. Republicans need better symbolism - many people don't even know that this country was a republic for a while in the seventeenth century.

One corner of Fox's marina

I went to Fox's chandlery today - with a list. I actually spent more on some new thermals than I did on bits for the boats - which is a good thing as it is getting cold again.

Fox's marina is an interesting mix of massive boats with hired crews and old boats in mud moorings - just visible at the top of the picture.

 

The wonderful Tocata. I spent a happy evening aboard playing Monopoly three years ago in Brightlingsea - when I felt ill but did not know why. The capt and crew were kind to me - I do not forget.

Looking the other way - I spotted Tocata - the wooden ketch.

Lesser black backed gull nesting on a roof in Ipswich station.
A very cross looking bird - so it is good that there is a glass panel between the gull and the passengers.

Yesterday - I had lunch with Aidan by the Thames near the Tower - in sunshine like summers ought to be. I saw this gull and another one on nests on the roof of a building on Ipswich Station on the way home. I looked down on them as I crossed the bridge and had just enough energy left to take a pic.

Deben Yacht Club from Lookfar

We took Lookfar out on the river on Saturday - at high tide - so no dramas - just a nice day. A different view of DYC and the river banks.

Lookfar was launched yesterday - drove her round to the pontoon. The sun even peeped out for a short while. I have done the mooring lines and prepared her for a trip out on the river tomorrow - when I hope to get a meaningful picture to prove we are back in business. Feeling less fatigued as the effects of the chemotherapy fade.

What I was trying to say yesterday is that there is some sort of paradox in the way I feel emotionally. As I get more able to do things - instead of feeling more optimistic - I feel more gloom - more anger - more despair.
Not so bad today (yet) - although I did want to gnash my teeth when I was out this morning.

Suffolk Punch horses in Woodbridge

Something different - and a magnificent contrast to normal vehicles (and boats) in Woodbridge .

Last week was difficult. I was more active than anticipated, so I thought I should be OK. But I have struggled to keep going in a positive sort of way and have not written to anyone. Side effects and the weather. Let us hope that next week works better.

Deck of Lookfar. The black lines are where I have decided to put new lines. The picture was taken at launch in 2011..

Lookfar is now next to the workshop in the marina, ready to be cleaned and have the anti-fouling done.  I was much cheered to see her there this morning, which has inspired me to figure out how to lead some of the lines back to the cockpit. The black lines show where the halliards will go from the bottom of the mast.

It was a bit tricky for two reasons. One is that I have some deck gear that I thought I might use but have not seen a way to fit it as it came from a much larger boat. The other is that there are some high points on the deck. But I have found some nice new gear (££££ obviously) which will fit easily. The cleats are represented by circles in the picture.

This means that I will be able to let the main sail down quickly as I approach moorings or the marina. All very encouraging.

52 Degrees North  - Bawdsey and the mouth f the Deben

The side effect of  fatigue suddenly kicked in on Thursday afternoon - fortunately after I had done some  shopping. I have felt zapped since but not as bad as on the three previous occasions. So on Friday I dozed infront of the tele and watched the election results and the very curious (ie wrong) commentary from the pundits - but did not get angry.

Aidan was here on Saturday and he drove to Bawdsey - it was high tide and there were intrepid trainee sailors spread out as far as the West Knoll bouy. It is very refreshing to see the sea - and to feel the wind. I walked a few meters along the beach amongst the cabbages and watched the waves pile onto the beach and the tide change.
Today - temperature was 6 degrees C. at mid  morning. I promised not to moan about the weather - but - - - . A bit more zapped today but I did go out for a coffee and newspaper  - so am not housebound.

Chemotherapy: Yesterday I was in the Day Unit in Ipswich hospital for (I hope) the last lot of the current chemo. I got there at 8-50 and left at 18-00 hrs. Typically - it was sunny all day whilst I was indoors - when I left - it clouded over and rained. The length of stay sounds worse than it was - I was not bored for very long - read the Guardian and looked at pictures of boats - and the chandlery catalogue.

I expect to feel OK for a couple of days - and then anticipate side-effects - especially fatigue - but not as bad as previously. At least there are some political sillies to watch on the tele.

The weather seems especially important - but it looks like cloud and rain into the future and I wonder whether I should stop looking out for the sun to shine - and then stop grumbling about it.