Summer Part 2

I have just found this sitting on my lap top!! I so thought I had published it!! Ah well better late than never!! This should have been between Summer Part 1 and Kaya!! Sorry!!!

Summer Blog 2

Fun became the theme of 2016, we had a Pirate party in the Boat yard for Michaels Birthday complete with full Pirate clothes

plus a canoe to raid any nearby moored boats with.

The Boy John at Smugglers Cove is simply the best place to have a party.

The views are amazing, the fire pit huge and with just a little bit of bunting the place can easily be transformed into a Pirate venue! 

Inside the beautiful dry docked Boy John you has everything one needs from running water in the galley that comes complete with not only a bar area but a cooker, unlimited electric and a kitchen sink!

As everyone has vans we raided the reject pallet pile outside the gates of a local supplier, recycling all we could fit into the spaces between the canoe, food and beer supplies and of course the BBQ before heading down to our Pirate Pad for the weekend! 

At the boat yard we got the teenage boys to break them all up into usable fire wood while we older and more mature and sensible ones danced along the deck to sea shanty's and 'mood music' from various sources!!

The fire burnt until morning, which was just as well as we were still sitting around it at 5am!

Between the fire cooking, the buffet we had prepared and the BBQ we also had enough food to feed the five thousand which was also just as well as no-one felt like cooking the next day, so we all lived on fabulous left overs for two days!

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After the success of the Pirate Party we decided that Fancy dress themed Parties were definitely the way to go, so when Jamie decided on a Viking Birthday Party for mid July we all jumped at the idea.

This time were were even more prepared! 

Pallets were raided this time not only for a fire but also to be built into a boat complete with figure head.

After the excess food of the Pirate party food production was designated to set items and this time a location was found that was free!

As soon as we all finished work a convoy of vans could be spotted parking right at the edge of the dunes where soft sands reach the beach. 

The last tide had left a faint line in the sand about 2 foot away from our designated parking position, but to be safe we left one vehicle in the car park to pull us out in the morning if needed!

Again everyone got into the spirit of the Theme with axes, knives and unusual costume dress (mainly raided from Sophia's normal wardrobe!)

With the boat constructed, the figure head added, most of food and wine was shared and once our throats were correctly lubricated and our tummy's full we were ready for the sacrificial burning of the boat ceremony !!!

The idea had been that anything we wished to leave behind, things we wished to sow for the future were to be placed into the boat and the boat would be burnt releasing these items to the Universe! This would have worked very well if we had been sober enough to remember to prepare any of this!

Instead we threw grains of sand into the boat to represent our forgotten items and then with great pomp and ceremony, the boat was lifted and carried processionally to the burning fire.

A silence fell over us all as we lowered the boat onto the flames.

We watched as flames licked their way around the base igniting the paper stuffed cardboard flymo box boat .... 

... to be fair it was all rather dramatic!

A moment or three of contemplative thought fell upon us all

…. until with much Indian style hooping and hollering we danced around the burning inferno, waving axes and blades, arms and beer until we were all suitable exhausted!

The climax of the evening was the killing of the Deadly Chocolate Cake Caterpillar by Jamie armed only with an axe!!

After a fearsome battle he at last chopped of the Deadly Caterpillar’s head and in a moment of triumph …..

....... he ate the head in one bite!!!!

Again we watched the dawn creep into the sky before we found our berths and yes, I made it to work again on time!.......................

(Now the story of the Summer is complete!!)