Week 264: The end (for now)
After 264 weeks of weekly blogs, welcome to the last one - for now.
After two hundred and sixty-four weekly blog posts, it's time to take a break.
I've been writing this blog in various forms now for over twenty-five years, through multiple iterations. This particular iteration has documented our journeys since we moved to Greece, first aboard Matilda and now, as we moved to Belgium on the inland waterways of Europe and renovated Delfine.
When I wrote about my startup on this blog (many years ago), I remember finishing that series with this comment. "We’re all good at starting things; there is also an art in knowing when to stop. It feels like a good time to stop." And I think that's true here.
One task this week was upgrading the table top. It was damaged and cracked. With Simon's help at this workshop, I sanded it back, smoothed the top, routed out the cracks, and added a wooden wenge inlay. It looks much more luxurious now.
It's been a pleasure to share the adventures and ups and downs of the journey with you, especially while it felt like there was something new to say each week. However, that doesn't feel true anymore. We're still waiting on the toilet seats and the charger to be fitted to the engine. We're still waiting on finalising the commercial meet-brief. We're settled in Gent now. There are no new travel photos every week to share of new locations or new history. The progress shots of Delfine are much less dramatic. Much of the "drama" now is technical and bureaucratic, which, at best, is not interesting to read and, at worst, probably not something we should delve into publicly as it gets sorted out.
So, I've decided to drop the "weekly" aspect and instead continue with irregular posts, perhaps two or so a month, when we have something new to say. Moving forward, I'll focus less on the minutiae of the week and more on the highlights and changes when there's something decent to share and show.
The gearbox has been leaking oil, so I arranged for the shipyard to inspect it. They're replacing the seals for me.
Delfine is in good shape! As we tick off the last few items, our weeks are slowing down, and we're looking forward to relaxing, taking a break, and catching our breath. We'll soon be sharing our adventures of cruising the Belgian waterways as we begin to explore and get underway.
For now, thank you all for following along. This is not a goodbye, but rather a transition to a new phase that marks the beginning of a new journey.
Thank you for all your comments and support over the years. We hope to see you all aboard Delfine soon!
Tim & Karina