What's in a Name?

One of the hardest decisions we had to make was what to call our new boat, we wanted something that may make people smile but that also meant something to us. To help stir my imagination I asked the question on the Lotus 7 Club forum to see what ideas others could come up with http://www.lotus7.club/forum/chitchat/pobc-required-help-name-boat.

Having the surname Grubb and me being a little shorter than average gave enough scope for some creative ideas, a couple take a little more thinking about than others!  We shortlisted six names and for Christmas I bought Caroline a set of mugs with the following names on:

• Shore Tars
• Which Jetty
• Life's too Short
• Wibble Wobble
• Grubbs Crew
• Grubby's Tub

Caroline then wanted to add Wine Cellar to the list!

I loved Shore Tars but Caroline wasn't so sure she'd be happy using the name if ever she needed to call someone (marina staff, lock keepers or coastguard!). Wibble Wobble only refers to the boat movement when you move around on board and has nothing to do with my spare tyre!

Once the boat was finished Tingdene needed a decision from us so we went with Life's too Short as it is quite relevant to us and not only due to my stature (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017cj76)!

Around about 2004 I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis, a painful condition that although not life-threatening it can seriously impact quality of life. It took a long time to diagnose and even longer to find a suitable medication to relieve the symptoms.  As anyone with arthritis knows, there are good days and bad days. On a bad day I couldn't get out of a chair without help and would struggle to walk 100 yards, sleep wasn't restful so I became tired and grumpy at times. But thankfully we did find a concoction of drugs that slowly but surely made a difference and for the last few years it would be hard for people to notice that I have the condition. There are things I can't do anymore but at least I am mobile and generally pain free.

Once I became reasonably comfortable again we decided we had to make the most of our time while we could, we don't know if either of us will become ill again so now we tend to just get on and do the things we enjoy as best we can.  In 2012 I had a go at motor racing in the Caterham Academy, raising awareness and funds for Arthritis Research UK along the way, (see more at www.sevenracing.co.uk) and in 2013 I learned to fly!

Owning our own boat has been a dream on and off for about 30 years and we are so fortunate to have finally bought one. Just remember that Life's too Short to put things off, make the most of the time you have as you don't know how long you'll be able to!