Taking Shelter

 25 June 2021

From time to time new boats pull into Carey Bay and drop anchor. Yesterday morning a small sailing boat spent some time moored in our backyard. It stayed all day and was still there when we went to bed but was gone when I put the blinds up this morning. I hope they enjoyed the tranquility in our quiet bay. The photos below show how calm our bay can be in contrast to the middle of the Lake. 

The visitor is on the right of this image

La Palma

When we heard about the volcanic eruptions on La Palma I dived into my photo folder to look at the photos we had taken during our round island tour on 1 December 2018. 

Our tour took us half way round this beautiful island to a reasonably unpopulated area area on the coast where there was much evidence of previous lava flows. Unfortunately the following photos I have of those landscapes were taken from the window of a fast moving bus so are of very poor quality.

I hope that the current lava flow is going in that same direction and is staying away from the towns we visited.  El Paso on the middle of the island is where we visited a silk museum. 

Our ship was berthed in Santa Cruz de La Palma, a beautiful old town on the other side of the island. Some snaps of Santa Cruz de la Palma, the Island's capital follow.

A Flag in Santa Cruz de La Palma in front of volcanic rock

The cliff behind this building is composed of volcanic rock

I took this photo from a vantage point above Santa Cruz de La Palma

Hot Dogs

 As the doors out to our deck open wide giving us access to our view and the lovely lake breezes we do not often eat outside but remain inside close to the kitchen. 

Today we ventured outside with our hot dog ingredients and cordial and settled at our outdoor table for a lazy  lunch. While the meal was simple our surroundings were first-rate. We are so grateful that, while in Covid19 lockdown, we have such a pleasant environment to enjoy al fresco meals. 

On the Water

23 September 2021

When Mr GeniAus suggested that we take the boat out for a spin this morning I immediately agreed. We have intended to go out for the past several days now that the weather is warmer  but, as the wind has been whipping up the waves, we have stayed put at home.  This morning the conditions were right.  I noted that some of the neighbours had a similar idea today.

The neighbours returning from their cruise.

It only took me a few minutes to grab my boat bag and Paddy and meet Mr GeniAus on our jetty. It's good to be able to have an outing during our Covid19 lockdown. We started with a slow run around Carey Bay so that I could have a good look at the neighbours' houses and see if there were any changes since I last went out in May.

Is that a new pergola?

Lots happening here

I don't know what that crane is doing

Looks like work has stalled here

Quite a facelift here

We then ventured further out in the Lake. While we sailed around I took notice of the many boats we passed, most of them were stationary. In contrast to what we see on the weekend there were just a few boats actually out moving on the water. There were a few lone fishermen casting lines and two chaps in a tinny hooning along at great speed. I only spotted one vessel under sail. 

Young chaps hooning along

Fisherman 1 

Fisherman 2

When I agreed that Mr GeniAus could have his head and gather a little bit of speed he took one wave head on and Paddy (a nervous sailor who likes to sit on my lap) and I got a lovely salt water soaking.

Paddy, the nervous sailor likes to ride on my lap

I needed a change of clothes when I reached home

In spite of my soaking (Mr GeniAus was apologetic - he didn't mean to do it) we both had a splendid time on the water and look forward to more explorations on the Lake during the warmer months. 

A Contented Captain

Out the Front Door

While I have ventured out our back door a couple of times since we went into our Covid19 lockdown at the beginning of August I had not been out our front door once during our six weeks in isolation.

When he came in from working in the garden a few days ago Mr GeniAus mentioned that we had a white azalea with a magnificent coverage. Although I have a lovely view of our front garden from my study I hadn't checked on the shrubs since July. It was time for an inspection. 

Yesterday I opened the door, ventured out for a stroll and caught up with some of our spring blooms but, alas, many of the azaleas were past their best. I should have gone out earlier. as I wandered around I once again gave thanks to the previous owners who laid out such a pretty garden. Following are a few snaps from my stroll.

I'm pleased I took my walk yesterday as, today, the weather is rather wild and gloomy as can be seen in this video of our backyard.