Time, schedules and the shore bosun (AKA the wife)

[John Arton]

Whilst sitting on the throne in our throne room (or as some people refer to it, the netty), the other day to the chorus of calls of "just how long are you going to be in there" (not that that is a problem in a house with multiple netty's) I reflected upon how, from an early age, our lives are ruled by time and schedules.
Primary school (aged 5-11) Up at 0800, breakfast, walk to school for 0900 start, break at 1000, dinner 1200-1300, afternoon break 1400-1430, finish 1530, walk home. Play out with friends, tea 1800 then bed by 2000
Grammar school age 11 - 16. Same routine except up earlier as had to be out of house to catch bus, or cycle to school, 10 miles away. Home by 1630-1700, then homework.
Then seagoing.
1st trip cadet, up 0530, scrub out wheel house and polish brass (difficult to do monkey island binnacle in darkness if sunrise not till 0730), clean and tidy cabin and then breakfast, 0700-0730, 0800 turn to chipping, painting, overhauling flame gauzes, lifeboat work, rope and wire splicing, tank cleaning etc.
Smoko 1000-1020, lunch 1200-1300, smoko 1500-1520, finish 1700, shower, into uniform, drinks before tea. 1800-1900 evening meal, then study until 2000 then relax in bar/lounge/cabin reading, writing, listening to music or even an ale or two.
This goes on Monday to Saturday lunch. Saturday afternoon given over to study time and Sunday morning present yourself to the Mate or Captain who checks and signs your MNTB traing book and you recite the Rule of the Road you have memorised.
Then watchkeeping Mate
3rd Mate 0800-1200 and 2000-2400. Start with 0730 call, quick breakfast and then on watch. After lunch turn to 1300-1500 (minimum) doing safety work.
2nd Mate 1200-1600 and 2400-0400. Up at 1000 for morning sights. After 1600 two hours chart corrections or safety work.
Chief Officer 0400-0800 and 1600-2000. After morning watch turn to after breakfast supervising crew, cargo work (ventilation, temperatures, checking lashing etc.), check stability after getting engineers consumption figures, work out stowage plan for next cargo or discharge plan for present.
After lunch, couple of hours zzzzzz'ds or bronzy then back on watch, After watch, relax with a few scoops, though on a number of wrecks I was on I had to go through from 0830-1530 (or even a bit later) repairing hydraulic leaks, operating bilge valves for hold washing, inserting lead wire and chiselling over cracks in ballast tank bulkheads whilst lying on my back in dark, wet duct keels.
Master. Day work at last.....as if. By now sailing coastal, in port every 2/3 days, long pilotages, berth shifts, endless paperwork, drills, training and mentoring junior officers, channel passages on the bridges but at least now 20n/2 off work/leave. Even so 72hrs plus at a stretch was not uncommon during the 2 month on,
Lecturing. Just like being back at school except in college for 0730 in order to have the days lessons prepared and three nights a week evening classes up to 20000. At least weekends free and in addition to statutory holidays long summer breaks.
Retirement. At last, free of time and schedule. Time to get up when I want, drink coffee and scratch my bum till I decide its time for shower/shave. All the time in the world to read new books, walk to shop and buy morning paper, check in onto sites on the Internet etc. All done at my own pace and in my own time. Evenings spent relaxing and off to bed whenever I feel tired (possibly even have a little nap in the afternoon)
NO CHANCE
The shore bosun (wife), now rules. If she decides we need to go shopping it has to be NOW, even though the shops are open till late and are only 10 minutes walk away.
Jobs around the house (grass cutting, decorating etc.) have to be done NOW.
All of this despite the fact that both our children are grown up and living their own lives and the shore bosun does not work (beyond the odd spot or cooking and ironing), yet I still feel that Time is still ruling my life (don't even have the weekend off these days).
Anyone else feel the same ?
rgds
JA

[Captain Kong]

Just the same here John
always "NOW!!"
Just ripped up 1,000 feet of decking planking and carried it out to the local bonfire by Saturday evening, started to lay the new Decking. , The old back is killing me, been to the hospital yesterday for my Larynx and today to the Doctors, I have to have an ECG on Thursday afternoon.
The Bosun "When are you going to finish that decking job.??? taking a long time,"
I only started last week. Rain tomorrow, ECG Thursday, so cannot do anything until Friday, but that is shopping day so it will have to wait until Saturday, if it is not raining or snowing. After all I am 81 and a half years old.. I am going back to sea, more peaceful in the watch below.
Brian

[Ivan Cloherty]

#1 You forgot the meal reliefs John, which interrupted your time off as 3/m, 2/m, and 1/m, otherwise it all sounds very familiar both afloat andasore

[j.sabourn]

Most weekly schedules now have to fit in Doctors and Dentists appointments, if not for yourself then some other person. These now getting too frequent. Now the same as most ashore with the smallest twinge off to the Doctor. At sea just lived with it, never ever saw a doctor unless it was to stick a needle in you for some peculiar tropical disease that you may or may not catch. Now sitting doing this directly in front of me and above is an imitation ships clock, run on a battery, if had to wind would probably forget, forgot how I remembered to wind all those ships clocks and the Chronometer when 2nd mate, JS

[gray_marian]

#1, John do you have a shed?

[j.sabourn]

Yes but last time I looked was full of lawnmowers and such like. The one thing I try to forget is about the use of. No room for me to get into. The pubs too far to walk to, otherwise could go there and forget to come out. JS

[happy daze john in oz]

There I am cooking dinner or pushing the vac around and a voice will say have you got a minute. The minute can last for half an hour as she explains what she wants done and by when!
'We' need to repaint the house you know, yes I know and 'we' will be me on my own while she tells me which bits I have missed and not sure I like that color now and why does it look different to the color chart we saw?

I have so far painted about one third of the house telling her I will finish it after Christmas, but so far have failed to say which one.

[John Pruden]

listen just put your foot down I'm the boss in our house{WHEN BARBS OUT} jp

[Brian Charles Williams]

I`m the boss in my house too ....I`m typing it you understand John,, wouldn`t dare say it a loud !
Mind you when all said & done it`s always nice when the work is done and you can climb into bed and cuddle up to the bosun !
Regards to all under the cosh....Brian W.

[John Arton]

Marian
re #5
Yes I have a shed where I spend hours cutting up cardboard etc. to fit in our recycling bin, the cardboard coming from packaging around the goods that the shore bosun has brought insisting that we ABSOLUTLEY must have whatever it contained. The shed is also full of those items the shore bosun brought last year which have been superseded by this years purchases. Just as I am getting to the near bottom of the pile the shore bosun demands that she has my presence inside to wash up/paint/re-arrange furniture or any other myriad of tasks that could easily be put off for a day or so but in the shore bosun's eyes need doing NOW.
Though as Charles says in #9 snuggling up in the lee of bum island every night is more than enough compensation for the demands upon my time.
rgds
JA