Gibban

26 February 2013   The first thing you learn about cruising under sail is that all plans are fluid. Any attempt at having hard and fast departure and arrival dates are pure folly as you are always at the whim of uncontrollable forces that pay no heed of your plans. The biggest of these is of course the weather but other factors also seem to love to pop up and complicate life. We have been here in Gibraltar since late October sitting out the northern winter and literally cooling our heals until we can get underway again. It’s actually been very pleasant. For winter, the weather has been remarkable with much, much more sunshine than grey skies. The people have been very hospitable and we’ve made many new friends. We’ve loved exploring the Rock and its remarkable history and have also enjoyed ample time to get on with pet pastimes. Karen’s been able to get the paint gear out and produce a wonderful collection of portraits and illustrations for the book project that has kept Rob occupi...

A full two and a half hours passes before I pause, paddling upstream in the big river with thoughts coming and going as they always do when I am in motion.  All of those thoughts flow through me like water in a stream.  Sometimes it is best just to let rivers be rivers.  And, the thoughts become secrets, each of them dispersing and blending with the others until none of it can be remembered. And then, something happens that reminds me of what "it" is all about.  An osprey, unseen until now, drops down and passes close over me flying ahead to a new perch where it might eat the fish in its talons in peace. I stop to write. This is far enough.  I turn and start back down.  Once again, the osprey overtakes me and goes for a perch up ahead, but something the size of a sparrow chases it away.