Deck & Duck

The deck painting is now underway, and here is a picture of the inaugural splash. 

Mum opted for grey with a hint of blue for a pretty appearance, whereas I favoured a military grey that hides all the dirt.  I think her idea is better, though of course it's been covered in scuff marks within minutes.  It's nothing some sea water and a brush won't fix.  Although a fair amount of fresh water is applied to the deck - mainly for the purpose of scrubbing off bird plop, and at this time of year it's blackberry-infused bird plop - you are really supposed to wash everything with salt water as it's much better for the wood.  The fireglass covering should protect it, but as mentioned previously it's not infallible, and during really rainy periods you see the wetness trapped under the surface.

I am also posting our first video, which is of our hull.  Ostensibly it's in order to show you the amount of dilapidation, but if you're not into that sort of thing there is also a duck that frequents our part of the creek looking for morsels.  He has a colouring on his face that makes him look like he has crazy eyes, and when he strayed into view I took the opportunity to get some footage of him mooching about near the other boats.

Watch here...

We get quite a few ducks around us, and as with our cats we seem to have created a monster by the amount of feeding we do.  Mum gives them seeds and moist supermarket dreg brand bread twice a day. So do a few other people by the looks of it as some of them are becoming rather plump. 

I don't partake in the fowl feast, but it's gotten to the stage where if anyone appears on deck there is a chorus of quacking, as the ducks frantically demand their dinner.  It's interesting to sit there watching them pecking at each other to defend their territory, and the view of a dozen of them spatula'ing through the mud with their beaks with a tremendous squelching is a sight to behold. 

The ducklings get a lot of attention from the boat owners - sadly quite a few of them are lost to various forces of nature, but those that flourish grow within weeks.  I will write a post about the wildlife we have around us at some point, as it varies from seagulls (who always descend out of nowhere with a screech whenever any bread is thrown) to the occasional seal!