SCILLIES AND FROGS

This may not be the most politically corresct blog as I live with an ex-navy chap who cannot be trained off some ingraines behavioiur. It is like this. We arrived in the Scillies and took up a buoy in the lovely harbour at St Mary,s and looked around at our fellow travellers.
-Hey Jen
-Yes Dave
-The place is full of frogs!!
And it was obvioius that he was not referring to the hopping croaking kind. ALl around us were boats with the French ensign - we are very much in the minority. This is not a problem as the town is full of Brits. But there are some intereting customs they bring with them, apart from shouting louder than everyone else. I soon learned you do not glance over at a man standing on the aft deck - he may be doing something unmentionable. And then there is the squeezebox which comes out in the evening. It may be music to some, but I have my doubts. The worst of all for us old codgers and early sleepers was the arrival at midnight of what seemed to be an armada, all crashing through the moorings oin the dark and shouting, when there were no moorings to be had. Not to be daunted they went out a bit and regrouped and a full frontal assault was made to raft up alongside any boat that could be found, including us. Crash, bang wallop and a torrent of indecipherable French and we had a not so welcome guest alongside. It wasn't so bad really I suppose, it was just that we were woken from a really lovely sleep and had to appear in our jim-jams. Well, Dave, being the manly one did - I took the tactical decision to accept fate and go back to bed. All was resolved in the morning when the sun shne bright and hot and everyone sorted themselves out. However, we learned a lesson and when we saw a yacht coming in flying the same RNSA ensign as ours, we invitied them alongside as we knew all the buoys were taken. They were a lovely couple about our vintage and we had a nice time with them till they moved off next day when a buoy became free.
Town was excellent, and the laundrette does the washing for you - no waiting to feed money into machines, brilliant. The parcels and mail duly arrived at the harbour Office and so now we are all rested and fixed up for the next leg down to Spain. We are crossing fingers that the forecast provides an accurate prediction as it should do us proud.
Talking of proud - the new dinghy is absolutley wonderful. Launching it with the pole over the die worked really well, it goes well and even rows well as I found out when we ran out of fuel half way to the jetty, and I was ion the rowing seat.
We are now about to retrieve it and stow it again as it is time to be off and on the lovely blue water again.