As September waves goodbye, the summer of 2023 is winding down. I’ve already had my fair share of tussles with strong winds, and here in sunny Bandol, I’m soaking up the last rays of late summer.
My Switzerland journey turned out much sunnier than I expected, but those mountains sure keep me on my toes. I had two main missions up there. First, I needed to clear my barn – the one that was home to my pandemic-era animals. It had become a bit of a maze with cages and all sorts of collected odds and ends.
This barn is situated in the middle of a steep meadow, making any moving operation feel like a real workout. When the sun was out, it turned into a sauna, and on rainy days, it became a mud pit that no truck could touch. Back in my days living there, I’d casually tote things back and forth every time I went for a walk with Jango. But this time, it felt like a marathon, not helped by the layer of dust that had settled. I practically lived in a face mask, especially when I had to tear down the bits and pieces of my earlier handiwork.
Well, in the end, I got that barn cleared and prepped for relocation, but the stuff is still there because the trusty little truck I normally use decided to take a break.
I reckon I’ll have to make a return trip to finish the job.
The other task on my list was helping out Anita, the owner of the house I used to live in. She had a couple of things to do around the house and I pretty much wrapped up my to-do list for her. With some renters moving out of her other place, I might find myself back there in November, and if the weather cooperates, maybe I’ll finally finish that stubborn barn.
Since last weekend, I’ve been back on Santana, where the weather couldn’t be better. I have my mastermind week, when I host all my monthly mastermind groups and spend a good chunk of time glued to the screen, working on my websites. The Django.Tours website, in particular, is acting a bit finicky these days, so I’m crossing my fingers for some winter season bookings.
But that’s not the end of the story. I’ve got some boat projects going on. With the weather being just right – not too hot, but still sunny – I’m giving the cockpit a fresh varnish job, something I’ve had in mind for a while. I’m also swapping out my old gas oven for an induction one. I’m pretty confident in my solar power setup, and if I need more juice, I’ve got space for another solar panel since I’m planning to install a second arch at the back of the boat.
And then, there’s the big excitement – finally installing a wind vane. It’s from Windpilot, a German company, and it sure gave me a runaround during delivery, thanks to UPS. They left it sitting in the depot for a whole week and then sent it back to the manufacture…. with each shipment costing me a hefty 220€. All they needed to do was answer a call! But it’s here now, and I’m blown away by the quality. It seems built to last a lifetime. I can’t wait to see it in action!
I hope you have a great time and keep in mind to let me know if you want to go sailing.
Take care my friend, Floh