Back from the Dead.

Not dead, just a bit sore!  My ongoing episode of renal colic which began before Xmas has discouraged me from doing...anything, including working on Jado this year.  Towards the end of a four week spell of working 7 day weeks I found that thieves had broken into our basement and stolen all my tools, power and otherwise, that I've acquired over the last couple of years, which was devastating.  Devastating too was the insurance company pleb who recommended I not claim the loss - a work in progress as I write!

On a happier note, having earned two days off (in a row!) I re-clad the carport in fresh tarps to replace the ones shredded by the winter winds, repaired the basement door, and bought a few tools to begin again.  Have done some scraping of the port bilges this year but need to tackle this in earnest next.  Was also happy to find a nice vintage bilge pump of the type described to me by Jim Donald.  It mounts on the port stringer, just ahead of the for'ard thwart.  It is pictured as it arrived today, but will get stripped, dipped and renovated shortly.

Also bought another bronze bollard a few weeks ago, to replace the "original" one Bill Carter dug out for me.  I'm positive it wasn't from Jado, aside from the material evidence of marks left on the damaged deck king plank, it looks more rounded than earlier photos indicate.  The latest one is definitely not original either, but does look a better match for what was put there by P Vos Ltd in 1958.