(no subject)

Today was 'Presidents' Day' at the local inshore rescue station. My mother and I and a neighbouring Mayor and Mayoress were invited into the station, where after a quick look at the training room we were dressed in lifeboatmen's suits and taken for a ride along our six-mile stretch of the Solent in the rescue boat. We went about halfway out from the shore towards the Isle of Wight and kept about that distance from the coast the whole time as we sailed along. It was good to get some fresh air, quite exhilarating riding at top speed and nice to look at the views of our local coast. As we passed the district where Miss K2 lives, I looked wistfully at the coast all the time it was in view and thought "she's out there". While we were sailing, I think one of the crew was explaining various things about the boat to us, but I could hardly hear anything thanks to the wind and the noise of the boat, except for the brief spells when we went slowly.

Back on land we changed out of our suits. We were warned how tight the head pieces would be to get off; they were, and the station master joked about how we still had our ears. Then we were served tea/coffee and biscuits (including Jaffa cakes) and the station staff talked to us all about their operations and an extension they're hoping to get permission (and acquire the funding) to build, before showing us their control panel, letting us see their workings as radio messages came in. Then my mother went to have a chat with a couple of the station staff out on the wooden balcony, and I went back to the tea ladies, one of whom was bagsing the last two Jaffa cakes for herself. She was happy to make me another cup of coffee though.

As fall-out from last night's row, my mother has been being a bitch to me this evening, and I'm back to the wretched office tomorrow. Goodnight.