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Ravensdale decked out for Christmas |
This Christmas is definitely going to be different for us.
And if the weather forecasters are correct we are quite
literally going to be rocking around the Christmas tree J
We considered booking into a hotel for the festive
season, as we have done on a number of occasions in the past, but decided we
really wanted to spend the first Christmas since moving onto Ravensdale on
board.
Neither the prospect of cooking Christmas dinner in a
tiny gas oven nor the forecast of 70mph winds on Christmas Day have managed to
put us off.
We even decided to stay put when it looked as though we
could have been without our heating system over the festive season.
However, we’re now hoping Phil has rectified the heating
problem as it has been running fine since he went down into the engine room and
straightened out the outlet pipe from the heater. So we should be lovely and
warm for the celebrations.
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The new name plates have been fixed on both sides of the boat |
We have also put up the new name plates we had made for the boat once we had registered her on the Small Ships Register and received our registration number.
Choosing a name for our new home proved incredibly difficult as it would
also be our address.
After compiling a list of around 50 possible names, a
neighbour suggested Ravensdale as we were then living in Ravensdale
Court, Corpach, and it was the first name we both liked so Ravensdale seemed
the obvious choice.
We have previously only put up warm white lights at
Christmas, but decided a white (OK, whitish) boat called for something a bit
more colourful so we went to B&Q and bought two sets of 400 flashing,
multi-coloured lights.
Armed with a pack of cable ties, we attached one set to
the rail around the bow and port and starboard sides. The other set creates a
canopy of lights over the aft deck.
I was like a kid in a sweetshop when we turned the lights
on and I totally love being able to see the boat flashing like a beacon to
welcome us home when I take Dex out for a walk in the dark.
They also seem to be attracting the attention of passers-by
who stop to take photos and some have brought their children along to see the
lights.
I tried to take some photos of the
lights in the dark. They haven’t come out very well, but thought I would share them anyway
as they may be poor quality, but they still make me smile J
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Finding room for more decorations inside the boat was
more difficult as the main cabin is surrounded by windows.
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The end of a tiring day! |
I got out the boxes of decorations from previous years,
but most have had to be repacked due to lack of space and we have had to settle
for a three-foot fibre optic Christmas tree, a lighted rattan star, our
Christmas cards, a few baubles and a table decoration.
I also swapped some of the pale grey cushions in the main
cabin for large red ones to give it a more festive feel.
All the decorating proved a tiring business and Phil and
Dex fell asleep in front of the TV.
Talking of sleeping, I don’t know whether it’s the sea
air or not going to work, but I seem to be sleeping much better now than I have
in years – especially since the arrival of the new mattress J