symmetry should at least be a palindrome.

By the by, I didn't sleep ever so well and woke before my alarm. The tide and guests called us out of bed to gulp breakfast, to collect the necessities of sailing and load the car.

Tender loaded and pausing only briefly to remove a splinter from my wife's hand we set off. The outboard started third attempt as we swung to the centre of the channel and out to our lake, our boat, waiting for us in the soft morning with wisps of mist hiding the detail of the Solent. On the rising tide, off the mooring, up to the harbourmaster's pontoon to collect friends. Wind from the North East pushed us gently onto the boards, starboard to to leave us bow on towards the inrushing flow. A light spring off the stern to depart, during which I raked a finger mildly and drew blood.

Out the river and making good time, up with the flood. A slightly extended drift with the assent of the more nervous of the party. One, two, three tacks and then, becalmed a mile out, the motor to bring us in to anchor for lunch. The flood washed us into the estuary, strong and high enough to drown a starboard mark, but inside was calm, peaceful and full of beauty. We watched birds and fluffed cloud and the mist burning off to reveal mainland features ten miles off.

Up with the anchor, the engine to control the exit with the turned tide and the ebb now caught us and carried us home. Ignoring all forecasts the weather fooled us with a Westerly, which gave us a single tack back to our home. As the cross-tide reduced up the river mouth marks we returned to engine power to the pontoon, where the wind was now softly blowing us away and we moored briefly, port to, into the ebbing flow. Our friends departed and with the main ebb starting we returned to our shrinking lake to moor again, to have a final cup of tea and a rest before, as the mist slowly concealed the Island, we took the tender back. The engine started on the third attempt.

Having enjoyed a lazy afternoon we had the fun of tying up the tender when six feet of mud separated the channel from the pontoon. Soon the car was reloaded for the return and, after some frivolous telly and a light dinner, thoughts return to bed and, a better sleep? Showering, I found a splinter in my knee.