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Witchfinder’s summer cruise 2005 Nov 16, 2012

[Written late summer 2005, but only just came to light again]

I can only take four weeks leave at one time in the summer but this year we wanted to Go Somewhere.  This would be our third summer sailing Witchfinder General, a Sigma 362 and our first boat.  Our first two summer cruises had seen us setting off from Suffolk and getting as far as Isle Of Wight along the English South Coast the first year; and Honfleur and the Cotentin peninsular along the French coast last year. Each of these trips had fitted into a fortnight and people kept telling us we had “done the hardest part”. Usually there are just the two of us, but this time we were joined by our son and his partner who have just taken up sailing but need experience to convince their insurer that they can be trusted to take their old (sorry, classic) wooden Nicholson out alone. So this year we decided to go further afield but where should we go? We thought we might get as far as Portugal, which would mean my extending my vacation to an unauthorised six or seven weeks, but would be happy with the Scillies or southern Brittany.

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House progressing Jul 18, 2012 Sub-floor down, walls plastered… Beginning of July the builders started. It was a bit more radical than I expected! They went right down to the stone, then waterproofed it and started applying layers of render to flatten and square off the walls. One layer of render and first fix electrics One layer of render and first fix electrics
Plan ahead… Mar 11, 2012 Signpost to Trewellard on road into Pendeen
Always use a proofreader who can read and write… Mar 11, 2012 Signpost near Gurnard’s Head on the road from St Ives to Pendeen
Pendeen living Dec 30, 2011 We have moved… We have moved to Pendeen on the north coast of the far west of Cornwall, 7 degrees, or half a time zone west of Ipswich. Front (ie away from road) The house is about 150 years old: a granite tin miner’s cottage with three gardens and the front at the back (it shows its back to the road – the best side faces the garden). ... Read more
Chun Quoit and the Straw Dogs farm Dec 21, 2011 In which we make it to Chun Quoit, but not to the Straw Dogs farm Jenny has located the farm where Straw Dogs was made and it is only a few hundred metres away so I set off to walk there, taking in Chun Quoit on the way. The weather was typical Pendeen – not cold but wet, misty and windy. ... Read more
5° 40′ W Aug 04, 2011 20 Carn View Terrace TR19 7DU Not where the "A" pin is! Its the last but one on the left. See the plan also Ignore the “A” pin. Number 20 is the last but one from the bottom on the left. It is the one with the gable end facing the road, giving it a roof ridge in the shape of a T on its side. ... Read more
CItris – A console mode tetris in C# Jul 23, 2011 A very simple console mode tetris in C# without using Object Oriented features. citrus Edexcel Level 3 BTEC National Unit 16 Procedural Programming distinguishes between procedural and object oriented programming techniques. Arguably this is an absurd distinction, but they are the awarding body so we have to go with what they say. ... Read more
Gozo walks – North out of Victoria to Xaghra May 01, 2011 It is quite a way to Xaghra by road but this 20 minute walk will take you there over footpaths and quiet roads. It does involve an over all climb of about 100m and needs some careful route finding at one place. Maps and GPS datums See this other Gozo walk for a brief discussion of Gozo maps and GPS datums ... Read more
Gozo walks – The big rock east of Hondoq c8fd7409015b May 01, 2011 Hondoq is a tiny bathing beach at the east end of Gozo. A short canoe paddle east of the beach is a big rock about 100m off a tiny, apparently inaccessible beach. This easy to follow 1km walk leads from a reasonable parking space above Hondoq down the the tiny beach. ... Read more