C28 & Beyond
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sun 17 May 2015 22:57
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C28 in the Marina and Final
Preparations
 Monday. We got up to
thick fog, at six Bear and I were discussing a move into the marina, makes sense
to do a full charge on the dock electrics, top up the water and a small shop for
last minute bits and try to fill the gas cylinders. Over breakfast there was
more talk about weather and when to leave, then trying to persuade the State
of Mind pair to spend less time in Tonga and Samoa so they could meet up
with the gang in Fiji mid June. By the time Rod and Brenda left the said fog had receded back to a ball of fluff.
Tuesday. Bear left
at seven to take the bus to Auckland. I stayed behind to have a cook-in. Steak
and kidney, liver and bacon, jerk beef and a cottage pie were cool enough to put
into the freezer by the time the skipper clutching Simon returned at eight. We
settled for late supper in bed to watch an episode of Blacklist. We tried season
two but as Bear couldn’t remember what had gone before he worked through several
beginnings and finally chose half way through season one. Munching through his
big bowl of mince and tatties he announced that he had bought a mobile phone for
twenty five pounds, an android you know, from a Parallel
Import House. I await with baited breath the quality of that
particular purchase........ I was not bothered about watching repeats as I’m
happy to end each day with a few hours on music library rebuilding, now weighing
in at two hundred and forty two days, still some way to go yet but at nearly
fifty thousands items I’m clearly getting there.
  Wednesday. At a
quarter to nine we said our fond ‘farewell’ to Buoy
23, our safe haven for so long in Bay Beez, Mr and Mrs Mallard saw us off
and were treated to a piece of brown bread each. Sheer Tenacity had
already made their move to the marina and as we passed Scott-Free, Maj was just releasing their buoy. Quite
funny that three boats had all decided to do exactly the same thing, go to see
the ladies in the office separately and end up on B, C and D docks on the same
morning. Great minds think alike.
 Passing P3571.
  C28 – our first marina berth since Tahiti - Bear settled us
and by five to nine we had the kettle on. Our new
view.
  Now the saga of
my breasticle blister took a severe downturn for a couple of days. My work list
had to gravitate around bed. I strayed a few feet to do small chores and soon
scurried back between the sheets. Aches and pains, throbbing and shooting heat,
general feelings of being under the weather and the strangest floaty sensation.
Horror came to mind as words like “necrotic” and “toxic” were bandied about.
Confirmation via the all-powerful World Wide Web, my problem
simply came down to an encounter with a white-tailed
spider, the picture of this innocuous little chap was taken by T Taylor
[thank you for sharing him]. Going through Google pictures we found identical
blisters and wounds. Please close your eyes and scroll past the next set of
pictures if wounds are not your thing, I have put them in small as not to alarm
as much as they do me and I own them. Also on the net we found an information
sheet, the worst bit was reading the words “.......blistering or local
ulceration a condition known as necrotising arachnicism”. Oh dear. Antibiotic
cream and plasters was the way forward. The granulomatous or stumpy bit in the
middle got harder and eventually fell off leaving something that looks like a
target healing from the outside. On the larger version of the middle picture you
can clearly see fang marks. It has to be said that the chap in question is not a
native of these parts but an escapee from Australia.
   Injury with ‘core’, without, covered – now awaiting
scar........
I remember from childhood how my Nana
and Pupa would eagerly greet Fred - the House Spider, each Spring as he
scampered down – in a diagonal direction across the lounge wall. When we moved
from our house to the apartment we actually took our Fred with us in an emptied
out medical kit bag the size of a pencil case. The big, burly removals man asked
that we not release him until he had gone on his way........ I had the balance in the Caribbean of micro ants to micro spiders
allowing two small nests in each corner of the kitchen, spiders munching the
ants. We have had our latest spider on board for a few weeks, he was a tiny dot
of a thing and as he was on his own he was made very welcome. He clearly
wandered under my nightshirt, found himself facing the Great Wall of China at
the same time as I moved – nothing for it but to defend himself in the way
Mother Nature intended. Wouldn’t mind but we both
treated our chap like a pet and even moved him from the lounge back to the
bedroom. That’s what we got for believing that nothing could hurt us other than
mossies and sandflies in the whole of New Zealand. Lesson learned. I have always
admired Buddhists who will walk around any creature rather than step on them.
Well, trust me when I say Buddhism is off the list........ from now on it’s the
palm of my hand or the heel of my foot from now on.
Meantime Bear has been busy with
chores and finding last minute jobs to do, frequently passing me cups of tea and
making coo-ing noises. Yes, but you’ve not been weak
enough not to beat me, only once and I’m three behind on the
backgammon front, not to mention the money I’ve lost.
 Friday. Birthday Boy. I sat up and began to sing the Beatles song:-
When I get older losing my hair,
Many years from
now,
Will you still be sending me a valentine Birthday greetings bottle of wine? If I'd been out till quarter to three Would you lock the door, Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I'm...... Please don’t sing the next bit.  Bear made us a boiled egg breakfast
and posed patiently for me to capture his egg event. We had a nice day and
supper for two it was really, really good until I was
thrashed at backgammon and soundly beaten at Mexican train dominoes.
But you are loved. Huh and
Grrrr......
   Saturday. Down to
the serious business of weather watching. Maj and
Bear take it very seriously while Steve looks like the Director of Operations, all of a sudden fits of giggles.
Sunday.
Bear worked really hard stowing Baby Beez, fitting
a new latch on the back lazerette and general pottering. I did housework and
laundry, cut the skippers hair and showered. At six we all met at the Yacht Club
for supper and ‘farewells’ as we thought we were heading out on the
morrow.
   The
weather we hoped would give us a ‘path’ leaving tomorrow, has sadly
decided to throw a wobbly. Opportunity for a new window may open next Sunday.
So, more jobs and keep ourselves out of mischief.
ALL IN ALL OUR FINAL MOVE IN
NEW ZEALAND
NOW WAITING FOR THE WEATHER
WINDOW |