Archive

Quiet — check the barometer reading and note the time in the notebook

Quiet — walk down the path to the south beach, find a flat rock above the tide line, set the trap down, and release the rat's body into a plastic bag. Tie it off. Walk back up.

(calling back toward the cottage) She's caught.

Calculated. So it's found the way in.

(A small, breathless laugh) You're such a pragmatist. It's infuriating.

Quiet — enter the cottage and check on the razorbill chick in its box.

Alive. Warm. Took minced limpet at dawn, again at ten. Crop's full.

How far?

Quiet — walk to the porch, pull on my boots, and head down to the dock to check the mooring ring pins at low tide.

Quiet — step onto the porch and head for the garden, oilskin collar turned up against the wind

Quiet — grab the ladder from the porch, carry it to the garden, and prop it against the stake line to reach the flapping corner of the tarp

Quiet — apply mixed epoxy to the mortise joint around the mooring ring and sister beam, then torque all through-bolts to 35Nm with the wrench. Wipe excess clean with a rag.

Quiet — cut two oak wedges from scrap, drive them into the worn mortise of the landward mooring ring to take up play, sister a piece of the spruce spar alongside the beam with through-bolts and washer

Quiet — lean into the tarp, feeding more line through the leeward grommets, cinch it drum-tight to the fence posts, check the center doesn't pocket water

Don't rush the fit. The air is turning.

Hmph.

Aye. First light. Bring the drill and the long auger — we'll know how deep the rot goes.

Barometer's holding at 1012. But the fall's stopped. That's the tell.

Quiet — fetch the sound dock plank offcuts, the 10mm bronze bolt, washers, nyloc nut, and the drill from the workshop. Cut a 400mm sister block, drill the through-hole, and bolt it through the existin

(quiet, to himself) Crowbar. Bolt. Hammer.

Don't forget the washers for that bolt. I don't want it vibrating loose again.

A quiet turn — nothing said.

Quiet — haul the dinghy up the shingle until the keel bites, step out and tie the painter around the granite boulder at the tree line, double half-hitch with a slipped bight for quick release

Quiet — case-harden spline tips with propane torch, quench in seawater bucket, check for warpage, then test-fit on Yanmar starter shaft.

Quiet — grab the hand drill from the pack and drill out the broken copper nail point while the water's still shallow enough to work.

Easy with the leverage, the wood is as soft as wet paper there.

Be careful with the way, I don't want it getting on the sketches.

Happy birthday. Still here. The engine runs clean now — new seals, new sleeve, no water in the gear oil. Found a tin at the shrine marked E. Couldn't read the rest. Left it where it was.

Anything stamped on the bottom?

A quiet turn — nothing said.

Quiet — let the Yanmar idle at the dock, watching the tell-tale and checking for leaks, then ease the throttle up to full for a sustained test run

Clean. Water flow's strong. Hold it steady.

Check the edges. If they're damp, the mold takes them overnight.

Aye. Higher than predicted.

Aye. Outer third's rot. I'll raise him on the radio — tell him to land stores midships or not at all.

Box on the shelf by the vice. Ten mil bits, two twenty mil washers per bolt. Nylocs in the red tin.

Quiet — walk the length of the jetty, checking each cleat and the sistered planks. Test the aft spring tension, add two more turns on the cleat, and secure the bitter end with a clove hitch and seizin

Quiet — scoop a portion of corned beef and rice into a mug and lean against the counter to eat.

Aye. Limpets first. Bolts go in the keep pile.

Aye. Best get the kettle on then—nothing like hot water when the air’s got an edge to it.

Bring the headlamp. Batteries in the drawer by the radio.

At least the boat will stay. I'll handle the pantry shelf tonight, I'm tired of broken wood.

Quiet — chisel out the remaining rot from the stone mortise, test-fit the salvaged timber block, mix a small batch of epoxy with sand for bedding compound

Bronze bolt's fine. Stone's the problem. Mortise is chewed out. Need to epoxy a sleeve deeper or through-bolt to the stringer.

Quiet — climb onto the garden wall, pull the shade cloth taut at the south corner, and secure it with a trucker's hitch to the existing anchor point

I'll check the pantry first. That rat is getting bolder and the corn is low in the tin.

Don't trip on the loose scree.

Quiet — enter the cottage and head straight for the kitchen to check the pantry door.

Quiet — eat the limpets slowly, watching the clouds artwork through the window.

Almost ready. Just need to drain the water and crisp them up in the fat. You want the skillet hot or just warm?