Weather, close up!

Returning to Kantara yesterday after a weekend at home sorting out various domestic matters, we found the marina yet again being buffeted by very strong, gusty winds.  The water looked like a sea, and the boat rocked more than we've previously experienced. I lit the oil stove, which was great, but it did mean having to go outside in torrential rain before going to bed after midnight, to take down the chimney, and the 3G antenna, too, for the sake of their safety!

I guess it's even more true for those who camp in tents, but being in a boat really makes us very much more aware of the weather, to an extent we do not have when we live in a house. Today's newspaper warns of colder weather on its way, with sub-zero temperatures before the clocks go back. This is most likely to occur further north than we are, but it is certainly something we have to be more wary of in Kantara than we would at home. The central heating system needs to have the right mix of anti-freeze in it, and there is always a danger of pipes freezing and splitting in the hardest frosts.  Before we finally leave Kantara and go home for the winter, we have to "winterise" her, which we will get done professionally for the first winter at least. This involves draining all water pipes and drains, and insulating things against severe chill.

So in winter, we will really know it's winter throughout the day, living in this strange steel cylinder home called Kantara.  And on sunny, crisp days like today, the same is true for me... we are far closer to the weather, somehow. And I love it!