Keeping Going - Just
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Wed 5 Mar 2014 23:57
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March Is Here and We Keep
Going – Just
 I know, I know, I’m late with a blog.
I have been suitably nagged, emailed and messaged. My only excuse is that the
long days of work have now blurred, as have the dates and now it’s the 5th of
March already. Some days have been so long we haven’t played backgammon,
that is long. Not long in fact until we
begin packing. So where are we. Last week began well enough with Bear producing
a stunning new look to the sail-drive, now a Beez
colour, it’s made by Petit and called Vivid, quite a fitting name methinks.
 I was presented
with this little problem. Can you separate these
two, do you think. I’ll give it a try, always happy to rise to a
challenge. I began with a saucepan of boiling water with a bit of oil. No. I
held it in a pair of pliers in one of my two flames on the cooker. No. I heated,
we both played tug of war. No. Now this should have been an indicator as to how
my week was going to play out. Mmmm.....
   Just look at the difference between
how the propeller looked when Beez was hauled and
now, just beautiful. Soon it will be painted like the
lady opposite us. This yellow paint, called Propspeed, is special, barnacles
skid off as their little feet can’t get a firm grip, (designed for propellers as
ordinary anti-fouling falls off.) We are not allowed to put it on, so more men
to tend to the girls needs, how she always looks forward to that. Apparently
there are some countries we could buy it and put it on ourselves, but not here
in New Zealand. Beez can’t wait for the yard boys to be at her beck and
call.......
Ron finished taking the windows out,
then had to have a couple of sick days with a twingey back, so Warren put them
back in, after they had been disassembled, cleaned of the old sealant, new
applied and put back in. Yet another one of those jobs that looks as if nothing
has been done. Rather like my list.
Don’t get me wrong, Bear is and has
been working really hard each and every day. He constantly refers to his five
notebooks (for different areas of the girl –
an organisation thing you know). Anyway on I
went with the varnishing. I dealt with the paint spatters behind the sink –
sorry. Stripped back the main and obvious
wall in the kitchen where himself had brushed by and left two dollops of shiny
stuff – sorry, but I have no idea what the shiny stuff
could be. THEN, just as my mood was levelling through gritted
teeth........OOPS. It began with the hoover
not working, the girl is 220v and the hoover is 110v, so it has to go through a
heavy little box (transformer). Bear stopped what he was doing to bend the two
pins a little but as he did so – poof. Just a little bit
of a shocking experience. I heard a big clatter from the office and
went to investigate. I’m alright and I think the hoover
is too. On I go with my jobs only to find later as I was hoovering
just what the clatter had been. A chunk out of the office doorstep, newly
finished with its sixth coat of varnish......... THAT’s IT........ Down went my
tools and strike action began. At that moment, just as I was about to have a
conniption - Rod and Mary rang to see if we would like to spend the day with
them on Monday on a trip to Whangarei, yes please, never thought I would look
forward to anything as much. Just the weekend to get through. Cross as a wasp
doesn’t come near. So cross I didn’t drink for three days. I think it best at this juncture to remain very silent, there
are far too many heavy tools out and about to risk it. Baby Beez is still on holiday, I feel like joining her. But she might be in a draughty, dank hangar somewhere.
Do I have to book ????
  Monday morning (this
time next week we will be on the bus heading for Auckland for a few nights
before we fly home, yikes, so much still to
do. Well he didn’t actually say yikes but something not to be typed
at this point).
Ron back
to work today and there he is under the girl, dealing with a little bit of reef
damage. Meantime Warren was finishing off the office window. Rod and Mary due at
half past nine. Just time for me to operate on my ‘over the shoulder boulder
holder’. Most yachty females don’t bother with this particular piece of
clothing, rather like wearing a life jacket – only necessary when needed. Last
time I wore my new cheapy from The Warehouse, I could barely chew as my chest
appendages were strung so high. I know,,,,,,, I’ll remove the under wires. There
I was sawing a hole on the left side piece. First wire removed. Warren watched
the second one in sheer amazement as the long slither of bent wire found its way
to freedom. So this morning I left the girl with said appendages in a more
appropriate position to carry out normal daily functions.
   Rod and Mary promised us a wonderful
shop called Arthur’s Emporium. I was to be wowed by the material section and
Bear in the hardware department. We had a pleasant journey down to Whangarei in
Mrs Puki and headed straight for Arthur’s. Well were we wowed ??? Not much to
look at from the outside, but inside, I haven’t seen that many different materials on the roll since Jimmy Abood’s in
Trinidad. Bear was soon seen ferretting around in the Boys Department with a
cheesy grin on his face and a basket on his arm – soon to be changed for a
trolley.
  I know, I know, we must get out more.
But look. When was the last time any of us saw a button
selection like this.........and the edgings and finishes........ I found
him at the transition point between Household and
Boys.
  Our most inappropriate purchase was
however, a had to be. I saw a Beez coloured bin,
unexceptional – until you see the size of it against my shades. It’s going to be
our cockpit bin, Velcro to keep it in place in the corner. That’ll save me coming on shift and finding your sweet papers
chucked in the corner. They are not chucked, they are placed in the
corner, ready for collection. Yeah, by me.
No, let’s move on......... Hair cut booked for Saturday, note to self from a
while back. Don’t use husband, he may be inexpensive, I so don’t like the word
cheap. It’s because I wear varifocals, I can’t do
straight lines. Clearly.
    With no paintbrush in hand I had to
find something new to do, perhaps something creative that looks as if I have
achieved something. At the start of everyday is the question, where are you
working today. This morning it was, at the front in my
office, sorting my shelves and making labels for my boxes.
Marvelous. I set up on the cooker cover, a nice space at a great working height.
New edging on the window
blinds, velvet cord material cut to size. The fun bit
of squidging the glue, using my nail file holder as a
spreader, squashing down the material and seeing the final
product drying on the settee. Sounds simple. Just how many times did Bear
pad backward and forward. Just how many times can you squeeze two big people
past each other. Just how many times until I wanted to stab him with my hair
cutting scissors (my kitchen ones are now quite blunt. I
hope you don’t want to blame me for that too. I might).
  Meanwhile, back in the office. I’ve
seen a variety of clothes, less clothes and the back view of
the busy Bear. Sadly, I didn’t get the blue glow as he dropped his
spanner on the bow thruster battery and caused a bit of a firework display.
Fortunately short lived and only blew one fuse. I’ll say nothing at this point
because it would only get physical, cause Bear pain and me the need for a stiff
libation.........
   The office. New
boxes from The Warehouse, all labelled. Central pile
organised, note nice varnishing on the floor. Later, said shelf seen with
the new netting look. Do you
know, that took me all day. It might have been done by lunch time,
had you not padded up and down past me every two minutes. My turn to growwwwwwl. Don’t you growl at
me.........
   This is the first time I’ve seen
the office vice in years. The end
of the bed may have to be finished before sleep time and the dressing table is a must to be cleared. On the morrow
I’m getting the printer out. Bus tickets, flight tickets, lots of important
stuff scheduled for the morning. Yes,
dear.........
 The view in my
office is unchanged. A young man did come by to remove the last
...........No special tool though, as promised, just the strength of youth
and my soaking it overnight in WD40. Yes,
dear...... Hopefully the engine boys will be back soon and you never
know.........
  One day we walked up to the shop. What a great
sight, a gang of mature, silver riders waiting for
the Russell Ferry. Our only other view is trudging
back from the shower each evening. All things must come to pass, surely........
Soon enough the jobs will be finished, will they. Seeing everyone at home is all
that’s keeping us going right now.
 The absolute happened this evening.
Where’s my anorak, came the call from
outside. In the cockpit behind my chair, I called back. No, that’s yours. Oh !!! and as many swear words as I
could spout in the next minute and a half. A rule on Beez Neez is ‘One In – One
Out’. On our last trip to Kerikeri – the one Bear took me on for having done bad
things to my varnishing, that ended in me needing fish and chips, we had stopped
at the farm shop, the one I had found the retractable cattle prod, well anyway.
Bear bought me my new waterproof (cheapy Arry, but I love them) leggings and
anorak. I duly put mine out for the pile to go to the laundry, where
others pick over said pile and take what’s useful. Rod popped by and I thought
Mary might like it and off it went. Now a hasty phone call to Rod and Mary. “No
problem, Bear can have his back.” Oh how I had to pour myself a big one. A
massive thank you to Mary for showing me such pity. I hope
my real one fits her as well.
On a brighter note. This weeks winner
has got to be Bears neatly strung variety of duct
tapes. Always good to know how to lay my hand on the major supply. I do
have my own see-through roll hidden but handy for quick release purposes – for
the just in case speedy need to tape the skipper by the wrists, or is that by
the neck................................
Life cannot be this
exciting..........
ALL IN ALL ARE WE THERE YET
????
SOON, I HOPE.......
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