Sunday, April 24, 2011

The planets align!

I was preparing another post on writing tools, but have some news to report on the pirate ship instead.

I blogged last week about things co-incidentally going right all at once, but yesterday was an exceptional example of this.

Things didn't start off too promising. Weekly grocery shop OK, except for duck breasts. Nothing on the shelf at my usual store. Popped over to the butcher at Brentwood. Nope. Came home and unloaded, then set off in the other direction to Sidney. First attempt, no luck.

Oh dear!

But on the off-chance (and on a totally unrelated mission) I stopped in at a boating store nearby. This is the kind of place where you have to rummage through heaps of odds & ends to find what you want. And I found a ship's wheel. Right size (although I was worried it might be a few inches too big) and reasonably priced.

Flushed with that success, I tried one more store for duck and found exactly what I was looking for.

Now I'm on a roll!

Got home and started building a pedestal to mount the wheel on. Finished that in record time, and realised I still had time to get to the builders yard for some hardware to attach it. While there, lo and behold, they had the rope back in stock that I've been looking for since October.

So today I finished off the rigging and the wheel. The last two planned items on my list. Anything else now is just incidental. The ship is officially finished!





Oh, and to round off a beautiful day (yes, it was sunny as well) we all drove downtown to Boston Pizza and had a delicious meal. Ali and I shared Thai chicken bites to start - sweet and hot - then both chose the most meltingly mouth-watering pork ribs, with fries and salad. Mmmmm.

14 comments:

Stefanie J Pristavu said...

OMG! It looks awesome! Your kids are soooo lucky (can you tell I'm dripping with jealousy?)
Lol on the food - I had lamb today, since it's Easter, and that's what we eat. Plus, a ton of cake. Mmmm....cake :D

mooderino said...

That looks fantastic. if you ever feel like adopting I'm available.

mood
Moody Writing

Jean Davis said...

That's awesome! Love the pics with the pirate hats and all. Having followed this project from the beginning, I have to say, its damn impressive and the finished project out great! Your kids are very lucky.

Here's to hoping your planets stay aligned for a little while longer. Who knows what else you'll accomplish!

Elizabeth Rogue said...

Great job! That's looks amazing. I'm so jealous.

Are grown ups allowed to play too? :)

Botanist said...

Hi Steph! I didn't realise lamb was an Easter tradition in that part of Europe. It was always chicken for us. We ignored tradition today and had duck (in case you hadn't guessed!)

Moody, if we start the adoption process now, you'll probably be drawing your pension before the federal bureaucracy cranks through the application :D

Jean, it feels great to be able to say "the end", whether in writing or in other endeavours. Thank you for following this project. I hope your own burst of speed on your novel is still going strong.

Elizabeth, the simple act of entertaining the thought is enough to qualify you for admission :) When can we expect a visit?

David Batista said...

This is awesome beyond words, my friend. It makes me smile to read about your terrific day gone so well. And, alas, what a magnificent looking ship! I'm loving the shrounds best of all (nice find on the rope), but that wheel is simply PERFECT! It really brings everything together.

Congrats, Ian. What a job well done! :)

Tin Cup said...

Aaaaarguably one of the coolest play things ever!


Tin Cup
http://forty9andcounting.blogspot.com/

Charmaine Clancy said...

That's so awesome! I'd ask my husband to build one, but he made us a rabbit hutch once and I needed to keep the kids away from it because it was just so dangerous with jagged sharp bits, nails, wire. inappropriately head height posts of wood sticking out everywhere.
I bet your kids will live on that ship :)
Wagging Tales - Blog for Writers

Carole Ann Moleti said...

Adorable kids, a fantastic pirate ship, and a very sweet tale indeed. Congratulations on finishing the project. It's wonderful when those stars and planets align, isn't it?

Botanist said...

David, the shrouds do make a difference, and the wheel is too perfect for words. Talk about luck!

Tin Cup - that was the target, glad it hit the mark :)

Charmaine, sounds like your husband and tools don't mix!

Carole, yes it's a wonderful feeling.

Danette said...

That is so great!! Your kids are really lucky to have such a great dad! They will have so many happy memories from this! Cheers to you!

Botanist said...

Danette, they've been asking for this for years. I could hardly say "no", could I?

Saloma Miller Furlong said...

Ian, how cool is that? What a project, and what a sense of accomplishment to pronounce it finished! My son, now almost 25, might come over and play... he loved everything pirate when he was a child. He would be so envious of your children.

Congratulations on your great handiwork!

Saloma

Botanist said...

Thank you Saloma. Your husband used to make toys, didn't he? I thought I'd seen mention of that on your blog somewhere. I'm sure he must have done some projects of his own for your son.

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