Catboat 
- John Fitzsimmons

Old boat I have used you
grown dry and checked,
heavy on your timber cradle,
tired of all the bullshit
and messing.

Ripping the glass cloth
they laid on your keel
I felt the power
of a labored birth;
the stagnant smell of years
of damp-rot
and patchwork.

Neither am I proud
of your plywood deck, knowing
too well I wasn’t built
for ease of maintenance.

We repair each other
to our barest hulls,
and strengthened
work from there.

I enjoy modern technology but it can be an easy and addictive way to use quite a lot of precious time. So I am taking a Blog break to catch up on a lot of boat building / maintenance, to go sailing and to involve myself in some other important retirement activities. I will perhaps get back to Blogging (Which I enjoy and think is a worthwhile activity) again some time in the future.

_____________________ The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn _________________

I wish to spend as much time as possible at or on the sea, sailing, living quietly, independently, and according to a value system in which not economics but Simplicity, Openness, Curiosity, Reflection and Time are important. To honour this while being committed to and surrounded by the ones I love is my calling.