Spiky

Clambered out wearing layer on layer and with arms of water bottles. Trudged past shared boat that

top left hand corner…before the ice

promised icy movement entertainment today. The dog was shut out on the bow while mopping/hoovering movements appeared to be happening inside. ‘They’ll have fun trying’ was pretty much how we laid their return to marina mission to rest.

With a slight thaw yesterday followed by a cold night, the ground was icier than ever, and for some reason all the fragile people who’ve probably avoided walking in the snow seemed to have come out to take a slip. Murk was in his element, playing old lady skittles.

Were walking round the still, quiet Shugborough estate when a hissing noise suddenly started coming from Nick, he began jumping from foot to foot, frantically stamping on the ground as though the ice was erupting from beneath him, all the time shouting ‘What the…’ . Before long the hissing had turned to full  inflation and his trousers began to bulge…followed by an orange balloon forcing its way from his pocket. Despite a lack of trigger, the key saving water buoy felt it was time to do its thing. Pound shop presents again eh Sar?

Walked to shop, filled bottles and headed back. Exciting chunks of smashed ice sat

…and afterwards.

under the bridge, we walked on, wondering if our neighbours had actually succeeded in their marina mission. Then something we weren’t quite banking on…bigger, sharper slices of ice and, next to a particularly ferocious looking point, the sad, soggy sight of a half sunk cruiser that had been sat like a duck when we’d past it earlier. Not a nice surprise when they got home. Wondering if we’d ever find the guilty culprit we walked on. Every boat in its usual place, other than our share boat neighbours. And the ice behind us lay undisturbed. Stayed put this afternoon for fear of being the guilty looking boat caught passing the sunken cruiser. 

Either our brains have been slowed to comatose by the cold temperatures or time sped up today because it flew by. Last cold forecast tonight.

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