Jet Lag and Bits
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sun 8 Jun 2014 22:57
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Back to Beez with No Cases and
Severe Jet Lag
 A gentle egg
event.
Wednesday the 28th May. On the road by nine, hire
car delivered to Avis. All checked with three cases,
one for sixty five pounds and Bears oversize fishing bag that went for free. Off
for a cup of tea, very painless. Our one o’clock flight took off a bit late but
we were soon settled with a drink and some good film choices. Landed at four,
funny how we fly through time. Found our cases at San Francisco, took them to
onward flights and went through security once more. I left Bear with a pint of
Blue Moon whilst Nelly of Air New Zealand got us Immigration clearance for
Auckland. As yachties we are the odd ones who fly back to our boat but to our
host country it always seems odd to fly in with no return ticket back. Ships
papers are a necessary thing to travel with. All settled with James at the other
end of the phone and back to Bear. Took off a little later than nine o’clock,
just eight hours after leaving Heathrow, still Wednesday.........soon settled
with a drink and some good film choices.
Friday the 30th. We landed just after six in the
morning. I lost Thursday, Thursday did not happen for
me. Yes, dear. Nelly and James had done their stuff, no problem with
Immigration but no suitcases or the blessed fishing bag. A very nice lady took
our details and seemed unfazed that my smalls had not arrived with me. Did you say smalls. I’m not in the mood for you but
I’m pushing a trolley bound for your Achilles tendon Oooooooo. “Oh, it happens all the time, they may
be with you tomorrow,” reassured our nice lady. Nothing for it than a plastic
apple pie from McD’s. Off we went to find the bus transfer to the city. Twenty
minutes later we were dropped near the Sky Tower. A short walk to the bus
station and a couple of hours cogitating before our bus to Opua. Dave, the same
driver as before chattered away about our journey. I did the very daft thing of
having an hours sleep. Woke feeling terrible, not a good idea. Off the bus at
half past two and with nothing other than our backsacks we wandered down the
hill and into the shop for some bread, eggs and milk. We were back on Beez where
all was as we left her EXCEPT three of the windows I had had popped to be
resealed were leaking. Thank goodness this is the first bit of rain here, we
could have come back to a puddle. Off I went to put my feelings into words
as politely as I could. “I’ll be with you on Tuesday said Peter. Off I skulked.
I was in bits about not having Beds or my pillow, the first time we have ever
been parted. Bear tried to pacify me with the lend of his pillow and did me
boiled eggs as comfort food, he had the modest egg event above.
By
four o’clock Bear said he had to have an hours sleep – at midnight we both woke
and had a cheese and tomato sandwich and watched a few episodes of Crisis. So
began the long week of being out of kilter with the clock.
Saturday the 31st. We went back to sleep at
midday and woke at four in the afternoon to our cases arriving. Beds and my
smalls had flown from San Francisco to Auckland, transferred to a flight to
Kerikeri and come from there by taxi. Many hugs, everyone was pleased to see
him. Bernie was thrilled and I heard him say that his preferred position sitting
between our pillows was wrenched from him and he had been held in a vice like
grip all night by the First Mate. He was indeed happy to hand that sort of
treatment back to his dearest friend.
We set ourselves the task of emptying
the easiest case. They all had a slip of paper in them to say they had been
rummaged through in San Francisco. Bear was muttering about his missing fishing
bag. Fingers crossed. He rang our nice lady who said once again not to worry.
  Sunday the 1st of
June. Late morning the marina lady rang to say Bears beast had made it home but sadly very battered,the
white bits of tissue are poked in the bigger holes to show them up. The zip is
broken as is the handle. That was a brand new
bag. Clearly the word lightweight would take on new meaning.
This has never happened to me before. Much
chuntering and gnashing of teeth when he found one of his slippers missing and a
brand new pair of Croc’s – ticket still attached. Repeat of the afternoon sleep,
the cheese and tomato sandwich and the episodes of Crisis. Must try to stay up
later tomorrow........
 Mismatched
metals.
Monday the 2nd. A Bank Holiday here for the
Queen’s birthday. Happy birthday Ma’am. I busied myself with putting clothes
away and a bit of light housework, rather refreshing and quite satisfying.
I feel a little
job coming on.
Oo Er, don’t let me stop you. Before
I could say what are you up to than the boom break was thrust before me. Just look at this. This is what happens when two dissimilar
metals are in contact with an electrolyte such as sea water. Under
my breath I was saying to spare me the metallurgy lecture, but I looked
concerned and made the right clucking noises. Off he went again.
 The next time the skipper appeared he
looked rather pleased with himself. It’s rubber and
anticorrosive gunk. Of course it is dear. I
took it over to the riggers because I couldn’t get the stainless U-bolt out, he
did it with his press. Marvelous. Then I
cleaned it up, I’m rather chuffed with the result. Life could not be
better. It could be if I had both my slippers, where’s
the odd one. Ummmm. Oh.
We managed to keep going until eight.
Awake again but this time at four in the morning, sitting up with a cheese and
tomato sandwich – no just a few biscuits this time, but still watching an
episode of Crisis.
 Tuesday the 3rd.
Bear was pottering about so off I went to the laundry. Sitting quietly typing up
about the bells of St. Cleer for a blog, in he pops with a massive parcel for
me. Thrilled with my replacement blinds, shown against the kitchen blind – worst of the originals. The mossie netting didn’t like it when I tried to scrub it with
kitchen cleaner. The process to get the new ones was protracted and began
at the end of December with a long consult with the lady at the chandlers. The
new models ‘stick out’ not sitting flush as ours do. Next thing was an email to
head office in the UK. They referred me to a company in Auckland and so began an
electronic trail with Russell. Photographs, including digits in a variety of
positions for perspective, measurements of everything that could be measured and
finally Russell found someone who found enough bits from ten years ago to build
my shiny new ones.
Wednesday to Friday.
Struggling to stay awake, we finally made until eleven o’clock the last
couple of nights but still awake at four. Discipline dictated no sandwiches,
biscuits or episodes. Nothing for it but to fidget and chat. We took the
decision in the UK not to sail out into potential winter storms and have took
the rash step to hire a camper van for July and August to tour South Island.
Well you know, dear reader, that I do not do cold or camping. The lady in the
office was giggling as she told us it was currently snowing “down there.” Oh
well, no stripping any layers off for the duration then. There’s much fun in
route planning and listing off the things from the 1000 Places Book, lots of
cutting and gluing to prepare a travel folder. But at
four in the morning all I can hear is whwicsh, whwicsh, whwicsh go the scissors,
with much rustling and tearing. What was that muttering. Nothing, my love. Grrrrrr steady.
Rob has been and taken the front
three windows out. Amazing how the plastic sheeting has become a welcome change
to the bits of tissue stuck in the leaky bits and drip trays on the settee have
now thankfully been made redundant.
All I had to do for a five three win
at backgammon was to throw anything above a one. I don’t throw ones that often,
what happened – I threw a five and ............ a one. That took us to four all
and I blew the last game on getting stuck in his bed. Not a bad place to get stuck I would have thought.
Have you ever seen anyone wield the first thing that came to hand – a large
candle. Bear has.
 The 6th of June was of course remembered on Beez Neez.
  Red means BIG
Horses.
Saturday the 7th.
Very pleased now we took the decision not to leave. Bear bumped into Becky –
Windarra. They had set off from Whangerai heading for Fiji and got
beaten enough to turn in to Opua, they plan to stay here a week then set off
again with One White Tree and Tribe which is under new owners.
Apparently Almacantar is out there getting severe treatment. We wish
them Godspeed. Steve and Clare want to be in Australia by July, hope things
settle for them and we look forward to hearing of their safe arrival.
Bear took a look at the GRIB files. You all know
how we like to go out in nice blue and don’t mind a bit of yellow, orange only
if it happens out there and red a definite NO. In the evening we booked our bus
tickets to Auckland to pick up our camper van and worked out a date to catch the
ferry over to South Island, the eighth of July. I do so like to tick the over
sixty box for a bit of discount. Cheek. Just
saying........
 Sunday the 8th. Well, we made it until
midnight last night, several episodes of Suits kept us going – sadly ran out of
Crisis. I got up this morning almost afraid to look at the clock. What a nice
surprise. Six o’clock. It was still dark though, the wind is picking up and the
rain is giving Beez a good wash. Finally a proper night. Wheezing not to bad, so I guess I can say,
success. Bear got up and did his boiled egg
best. I think this mornings egg event looks rather like
a string of pearls. Yes dear.
 Tizz
reading her blog.
An email from Geoff and Sabby made us
laugh, thank you both for sending this smashing picture. Tizz has had a bath in
readiness for Christopher and Rachel getting married next Saturday. Fingers
crossed for the weather and hoping the marquee reception goes well in the
beautiful garden. All the very best to the new Mr and Mrs, we will raise a toast
and wish you many happy years to come.
ALL IN ALL GETTING
THERE
SLOWLY |