Most commented posts
- One Week To Go! — 22 comments
- Sun, Wind and Thunderstorms in Sardinia – Part Two — 19 comments
- M13 — 18 comments
- Of Skulls, No Wind and Dolphins ! — 14 comments
- Sun, Wind and Thunderstorms in Sardinia – Part Three — 14 comments
Diana Naindenel
Author's posts
Aug 13 2022
One Year……
….has passed since you crossed the rainbow bridge.
We miss you dearly, Odin 🖤🤍
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
I am the sunlight on ripend grain
I am the gentle autumn rain
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die
Jul 30 2022
Furry Holiday Guests
Since last weekend we have two furry guests, because their mum – Manu a good friend of us – is on vacation.
May I present: The red one is Shinzõ and Chuí, is his pretty sister.
Both were born as feral cats and Manu rescued them in the end. They are approx. 10 months young.
In the beginning they were very shy, and almost didn’t dare to leave the cellar and explore the rest of our house.
But Shinzõ is the tougher one, so he was first going around, being curious. Chuí followed on Sunday night. Still very careful, but bravely following her brother upstairs.
Luckily, both are used to the litter box, so no problem there.
Since they are still young, we have some action in the house now. Both speeding around, chasing each other up and down, under the couch, behind the door, down to the cellar again….. PAWSOME FUN!
Next Wednesday evening Manu will pick them up and our house will be (too) quiet again 🐱
Jul 23 2022
IKEA did the Trick
A while ago Patrik and I visited his most not so favourite shop: IKEA.
We still need(-ed) some things for Luna Azzurra. Above all we were looking for something suitable for the inner life of the new cupboard in the galley.
Putting things on the bare shelfs wouldn’t be so smart, as a boat is moving constantly. So our idea was to have a type of drawers or baskets sitting on the shelfs, which would hold the contents safely in place.
And as always, we wanted to avoid plastic….. which seemed to be an almost impossible task.
It had to be light, preferably transparent and the right size.
Since we didn’t have a particular product in our mind or knew what we were looking for until we saw it, we literally combed through IKEA. We found a few other handy things on our search. Such as the “laundry octopus”, two big containers to store empty bottles and cans while sailing (yes, plastic, I know…. 😳), and some small organizers made of bamboo.
In the end – and to our surprise – it was in the kid’s department, where we found what we were looking for: Solid metal-baskets. The size fit, height, look, price also…. Perfekt! We bought twelve of those (three per shelf) and three small ones.
The only problem now was that they would destroy the cupboards wooden shelfs, when pushing them out and in again. Then I remembered that I still had some neoprene cloth in the cellar, called shark skin. It’s soft on one side and sticky on the other, which would avoid the baskets sliding around 🦈
So I simply cut fitting stripes and glued them to two rails on the bottom of the baskets 😅
And, voilà:
Ready for Luna Azzurra ⛵💙
Apr 30 2022
Älper One-Pot, Vegan
This is a traditional Swiss meal (well, not the vegan version though… *haha*).
Typically, it’s cooked in central Switzerland and the Alps. In some cantons it’s accompanied with salad, in others apple puree is served instead.
Either way, it’s a delicious dish and this is my first attempt to do it as a one-pot and vegan version.
It serves 2-3.
Patrik and I unanimously agreed that the result turned out to be absolutely tasty 👍
This are the ingredients & how to prepare it:
200g Potatoes, waxy peel and cut into 1cm dices
1 Applecut into 1cm dices
3 Onions fine rings
300gPasta (f.ex. penne)
2.5dl Vegan Cream
6dlVeggie Bouillon
2dl Vegan Cheese grated
Salt, Pepper
Put pasta, apple, onion rings and potatoes together with the cream, bouillon in a wide pot, stir, bring to the boil.
Lower the temperature and let it simmer under a lock at medium heat, for about 8-10 minutes. Until pasta is al dente.
Mix cheese, stir and serve immediately!
Enjoy it with a glass of white or red wine – whatever suits you 🍷🍾
Apr 23 2022
Pasqua
Did you all have a pleasant Easter weekend? We certainly hoppy so 🐰🌷🐥
Naturally, we spent the days in Bella Italia, on our sailing yacht. The weather supposed to be sunny during the whole weekend, though windy with some nasty gusts in between. Temps were promised around 18-22 deg. C. Well, good enough for us 🌞
Since we haven’t seen Luna Azzurra for such a long time, Patrik and I took two extra days off and left already on Wednesday, early morning. Two o’clock in the afternoon we arrived at the marina and got settled quite soon.
Then we went to a nearby grocery shop to buy a few veggies and salad.
We spent the evening on board and had an early night, tired but happy! 😴
The highlight was on Thursday, because my parents arrived in the evening at the Loano train station!
After two attempts – due to the pandemic – they finally made it!
Of course, Patrik and I picked them up (the train arrived 18.25, twenty minutes delayed…. No surprise there 😉) and drove them to their hotel “Excelsior”, which is only a few minutes by foot from the marina.
An hour later I picked them up again and we went to our boat for a quick introduction. At eight o’clock was our table booked at the restaurant “Sacripante Osteria“. Patrik and I went there during lunch time and booked a table. I “warned” them then that I’m vegan but apparently it wasn’t a problem….
…..which they proved a hundred times worth in the evening! We all agreed that this restaurant offers an outstanding service, excellent dishes and is hosted by incredibly amiable staff! It’s not cheap, but certainly worth every cent we’ve spent there! This surely won’t be our last visit ❤
Afterwards my parents were tired and went back to the hotel, while Patrik and I returned to Luna Azzurra. Our plan was to sail out the next day. My dad hat to prove that he was seaworthy 🤢
A sunny Good Friday morning greeted us. No more gusts, but sadly the wind was a bit chilly.
Nevertheless, at 10 o’clock my parents arrived in good spirits and half an hour later we were on our way out. Filling up the diesel tank first (surprisingly only EUR 1.93/l) and off we went, towards Punta Crena.
Unfortunately, we only had between 3 and 5 knots and after a sad attempt to hoist the mainsail, we soon gave up again and motored to our anchor spot.
After we were safely anchored, we prepared some lunch and enjoyed the sunshine and the view.
Around 15.30 we were ready to leave and returned to the marina. My dad didn’t become seasick, by the way, a true seaman ⚓ My mum knew that she is a mermaid, so she didn’t have to worry 🧜♀️!
Apr 09 2022
Avoiding Plastic – It Continues
We extended our efforts to avoid plastic in our little two-person household.
A while ago I spotted these kitchen sponges and dishcloth.
As you may recognize, the scrubbing sponges are made of luffa, which is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines in the cucumber family. Surprisingly, they really are effective and remove burnt food residues without scratching the surfaces.
You can even wash them several times at 60°C and when they are used up, you just throw them on your compost.
The green dishcloth is made of cotton and cellulose, which means they too are 100% biodegradable and compost friendly. Of course, they can also be washed at 60°C.
In order to find an alternative to the dishwasher detergent in plastic bottles, I finally found these super practical and palm oil free soaps. And they do their job, let me assure you.
Not only are they fat dissolving and have a fresh lemon fragrant, but they actually produce a nice foam!
Patrik and I have tested all these products for a while now and we both can confirm that we are totally satisfied.
With regard to being on a boat, sustainable cleaning products are even more important, since there is no sewage treatment plant, between your cleaning and the sea!
And of course, on board – with limited space – you want to avoid waste, as much as possible ⛵
By the way, on www.etsy.com one can find a good selection of sustainable cleaning accessories!
While I wrote this post, I was also on the Etsy page and in my opinion the “GreenHugShop” might be worth to try 😉
Well, I guess Patrik and I found a good solution after a long search, even if it seems like a drop in the ocean – for the oceans 🐬🐠🐋🦑
We care……you may too with your next donation?
Visitor counter
Visitors since March 23, 2016
