Still in Ayamonte

Blog Ayamonte Jan 11th  2010
 
2010 has gone on much as it started here, with rain, rain and more rain.   We saw the New Year in twice with some friends on their boat called “Status Quo”.   Once for Spain and then again, an hour later, for Portugal.

One of the highlights was Twelfth Night, or three Kings’ Night.   On 5th January  there was a cavalcade of carnival floats carrying the three kings round the town, as they threw millions of sweets to the crowds lining the route.    There were several of each of the three kings, dressed in lovely king outfits.   One lot (is it Balthazar?) had their faces blacked up.    Later, they turned up in the main Plaza, as it was getting dark, and stood on especially constructed platforms and threw lots and lots of toys out to the crowds and more sweets.    There were a few scrums as the parents fought for the free stuff.      Then everyone went home for big feasts and more presents.  The next day was yet another  public holiday.   I don’t know why that hasn’t caught on in UK?    It was fun.       

Apart from today and a few other days, it’s been raining pretty non-stop for the last three or four weeks.    The water in the marina is  brown from the silt brought down by the rivers.    The wind has been howling, and we even had hailstones yesterday.    It was so windy a couple of nights back that when I got up for a pee, the boat rocked just as I was off balance and I sat very heavily back onto the loo, which snapped!   Andy’s been gluing the porcelain back together again this morning. 
We’ve been poring over weather forecasts looking for a couple of days of good settled weather  with no rain, not too much wind, and not in the wrong direction.   Not much to ask.   Just so that we can move on.   We need to get to the beginning of the French canals by the end of April at the latest, in order to get the boat back to England in time for me to fly to New Zealand in June.    I’ve bought the ticket, so I’m going anyway, whether the boat’s back or not.    That baby is not allowed to be born without me there!  

I’ve been knitting like mad.   The poor little soul is going to have to wear the creations, even though I haven’t knitted for about 25 years.   I must say I’ve been enjoying it, though.    It’s been a sanity-saver, stuck in this tiny space, and makes a change from reading crime thrillers with the odd page missing.    The other boon has been the huge number of films we’ve been able to get either from the internet, or from other sailors who’ve got them form the internet.    Again, quantity has far outstripped quality.   

Off to the internet cafe then, to post this.    Things are still not back to normal here after the  Christmas fiesta.   We think we were getting our wifi on the boat from the Adult Education College, but it’s been off since Christmas Eve and still it’s not back on.   Get a grip, Spain.  It’s the 11th already.

I'm now in the wifi cafe and the news on the TV is all about the snow in Madrid and as far south as Seville! They even showed a picture of snow in Majorca!! Just rain here, though.