Day 431

Jenny, the pressure’s dropping quick. Let’s get the heirloom seeds up to the high shelf before the damp gets in.

walk to the table, gather the drying seed packets, carry them to the highest dry shelf in the cottage.

Right. Lifting them one at a time, no slippage. And how’s the bandage holding up?

lift each seed packet gently, slide them onto the highest dry shelf, then sit back to inspect Jenny’s ankle bandage.

No fever yet, that’s something. I’ll recheck the north piling shim at low tide—0630—as planned. You rest that leg.

stand, check the barometer again (979 hPa and falling), then walk to the door, pull on my boots, and head out toward the dock.

Let me rewrap it clean. You've been keeping it up.

Take the clean gauze and antibiotic cream from the first aid kit, gently rewrap Jenny's ankle with a snug but not tight spiral, securing the end with medical tape.

Limpets and corned beef fat. Ten minutes.

Set the kettle off the boil, dump the limpets into the cast iron skillet with a spoonful of rendered corned beef fat, and fry them hard until the edges curl crisp. Slide two tin mugs onto the table with a fork each.

Save some for the rat.

Shovel limpets into my mouth straight from the skillet, grease running down my fingers, chase it with a swallow of tea from the kettle, wipe my hands on my trousers.

Back by 0730. Radio at 0800.

Grab the crowbar and the greenheart shim off the porch, pull the door shut behind me, and walk down the path to the dock.

Back. Piling's holding. Shim solid. Void hasn't worsened.

Walk onto the porch and set down the crowbar. Check the kettle on the stove — see if there's hot water left for tea. Then head to the bedroom to check Jenny's ankle.

They’re burned now. The packets are sealed.” I say, looking at Jenny, “If any of the seedlings are still damp, we’ll burn them too.” I add, “I’ll keep an eye on the ankle.

Burn the damp lettuce cells in the kitchen stove, then dispose of the ash in a small tin. Re‑seal the seed packets with self‑amalgamating tape.

Fair enough. Salt soak'll do more good than fire.

Pull the kitchen chair over to the bedside. Set the basin on it so she doesn't have to reach. Pour the last of the boiled limpet broth into a tin mug and set it beside her. Check the stove — bank it down so the water stays hot for the soak.

Red's still tracing up. Not hot. Metronidazole's in. Keep the soak.

Fill the basin with more hot salt water from the kettle. Hand her the clean gauze to re‑wrap when she's done soaking. Keep the radio on the shelf tuned to 16.05 MHz, volume low.

On it. You get the sketches dry.

Walk to the porch and check the door latch, then secure it with the timber batten.

Bedroom it is. I'll tie down the tarp over the generator while you're at it.

Pull the spare tarp from the porch roll, unfold it over the generator, and lash it down with the ratchet straps from the storm lashings kit.

Yell if it's hot or weeping. I've got the doxycycline and metronidazole in the kit if we need to adjust.

Step onto the porch, crouch low against the rail, and cinch the tarp's corner grommets to the generator frame with the ratchet straps, pulling each tight before moving to the next.

Keep it elevated. I'll bring the pill mug and the broth when I'm done here.

Finish the last ratchet strap on the generator tarp, tug each corner to confirm they're drum-tight, then step back inside and set the kettle on the stove to heat water for the antibiotic mug.

Broth's coming. Elevate it on two pillows if one isn't enough—don't want it dependent.

Pour hot water from the kettle into a tin mug, add one doxycycline tablet, stir until dissolved, then carry the mug and a second mug of limpet broth to the bedroom and set them on the nightstand beside Jenny.

Pressure's a brutal 983, Jenny. The tide’s backing up too. If we don’t secure the north piling before the next low, the whole dock could climb.

check the north piling shim, tighten the greenheart block, update the barometer log.

I’ll brace the piling now, then run the radio check on 16 as soon as the soak’s done. Keep the wound clean.

wedge the spare driftwood block tighter under the north piling toe, hammer in two cedar shims on either side, and lash the sister plank with a length of new rope to stop the groan.

No hammer. I’ll drive the wedges by hand and tie it off with the new rope. Keep the pressure even.

tap the cedar wedges in by hand with the mallet’s butt, snug them tight against the piling toe and sister plank, then secure the joint with a figure‑8 lashing of the new half‑inch rope, taking care not to overstress the rotted wood.

Copy. Snug only — no crank.

take up the slack in the figure‑8 lashing until the vibration stops, cleat it off with a half‑hitch so it can be eased quick, and step back to watch the joint breathe.

Got it, Jenny. I'll tighten the oak wedges and keep an eye on that greenheart block. We’ll get it past the high‑water mark.

inspect the dock shims and apply additional wedges to the mortise.

I’ll squeeze the ring tighter, add a fresh shim, and keep an eye on the water line as it rises.

secure the mooring ring with a new greenheart shim and tighten the oak wedges.

It won’t. I’ll lash a second line to the sister piling. Redundancy.

rig a backup stern line from the dinghy to the south sister piling using the heavy weather rope.