It's so hot out here!

Date: June 21, 2018 

Trip #16 (#36)
Weather: Sunny, very hot and still 
Waters: Slightly choppy just outside the marina and on the way to the anchor point, but calm after dropping anchor north of the SAF firing range 
On board: C, A, J1, J2, R and Pudding 
New gear on board: Non-slip mat for the dog (Grandma's gift!)

This is how we remember mid-year weather to be - sunny, sun-burningly hot, in fact, searing. We just broke out the beers, turned up the music and chilled, our way. 

Pudding uses the non-slip mat that Grandma bought him.

The dog, on his third outing on the boat, was restless. Then we realised he was desperately in need of a cooler spot. Unlike us humans, he doesn't have a built-in system of sweat glands to cool him off. Wearing that coat of fur doesn't help.  He was chomping gratefully down on cubes of ice tossed to him from the cooler, and moved from place to place on deck to find a cool spot to lie on.  Then J2 doused his head with water from the hand-held shower head on board. He didn't even fuss - and this is a dog who everyone knows hates bath days.  

Wet (and glad) dog.

The hat didn't stay on for more than a second
after this shot. How do all the other cute Instagrammers
get pix of their doggos wearing the coolest head gear?
And this "Spraying & Praying" hat was put on him
with the best intentions -  to keep him cool 
this hot day at that...   

When J1 went below deck into air-conditioned comfort for his customary nap, the dog followed him readily. 

Dog-dad J1 in a happy moment.

R cosies up to her pal. 

This was a really chill afternoon - strange use of the word, come to think of it, given that it was anything but cool. But the flatness of the dark green, murky water, the stillness of the secondary jungle onshore, and our having that whole stretch of water south of the fish farms to ourselves was a wonderful Saturday respite from a hectic work week, which we undertook amid the hub-bub of renovations of our new home. So many things to tend to, some in consultation with the interior designer:   

Where do you want the grommets on the study desks? 
Do you prefer the bedside power points above or behind the bedside tables? 
Has the fan for the front yard been ordered and paid for?
When do we install the awning if we are unsure of the Building & Construction Authority rules? 
When are we going to start packing? 
And where do the boxes sit in a home that is still pretty much lived in? 
Will Move-In Day run smoothly? 
What about the leaks in the basement of the new home - will that continue to haunt us and break our budget down the road? 
What other things are left to buy? 

We are all looking forward to moving - well, more precisely, settling into - the new place, and finding our new routines and rhythms. 

And it's not just us. The dog too, four months into his life with our family and after graduating from a Puppy Start-Right programme, will have to find his own new level too. 

We really don't understand people who keep moving house, either because of circumstances or because they get a good offer on their existing home. The unsettled-ness is awful to us. That sense of Place is key, the feeling that when you come Home, you know where all your things are; it's also where people important to you are.    

At the close of yet another great day out.
Raffles Marina dock