Black and blue

Above me, on deck, the sails are going up.  All afternoon they have been walking on my cabin roof, turning our boat into a sailing vessel. Alex, Markus, Melinda, Dave. I listen but am apart, told to keep my body horizontal. Frozen peas are also involved.  If my ears don't deceive me, Silvain may have finished, or be close to finishing installing our davits. Halyards, outhauls, battens, furlers, sheets, electric winches - everything I been dying to get my hands on for weeks has been on offer today for the able-bodied to help set up. The weather is made to order - a light breeze, blue skies, the antithesis of last weekend's nastiness.  We've been talking of leaving by Tuesday. There's enough basic food and wine etc stowed aboard Enki to see us through to Croatia - a month from now, or thereabouts. Melinda and I have shopped and shopped these past three days. We returned the rental car to Arles last night.

I know that we are still on the pontoon, and no-one is thinking of going anywhere else tonight or even tomorrow. What I don't know is why I can't stay on my feet after so many years of living on them. Here I am, again nursing a painful injury after slipping on a (wet) non-slip surface wearing non-slip shoes. This time it's my left hand which is out of action. If I can be useful for anything in a week or two I'll consider myself lucky.

Roman arena in Arles

After many months, I finished reading The Illiad this afternoon. Those Greek gods sure played havoc in people's lives, as Homer wrote of them. I'm open to the thought that a capricious Olympian is taking me down a peg or two. Either that or...I don't want to think more. We are so close now. Melinda and Dave will be wondering what they have signed up for. Fortunately I took them to Arles on Thursday - mostly for pleasure, with just a small diversion for boat business.  I'm so fond of that town, and they understood why by the end of the day.

Parfumerie, not chandlery

Sea blue shutters - I want them!