�� Day two of the new regime and I remembered a little more of my Typhoo as my mate Edward used to call it and completed all of my ab workout without fear of being soaked by Simon. Luckily nobody is ever around when we get up so I can prance and wobble about without providing morning entertainment for the marina. Having your living space so close to the pontoon and your neighbours means a daylong chance for chatting, with people frequently stopping to swap tips and advice. Everyone has something to offer. Our first chat was with �Sunboy� next door with talk of today�s rugby (Aus vs England), and updates about Aus for Si. We had to walk briskly round to Sailor�s Bar to try and catch my family on Skype as I�d text last night to say I�d be online. On all the tables people were tapping madly on laptops. Ron from Zahara was just leaving as we arrived and it was great to catch up with him and hear about his crew changes.

�� Well what a strange experience the caf�as! Totally ignoring Simon sitting across the table from me with head behind laptop, I talked loudly to Dan and Ami competing with noisy cars driving past. Joy of joys Ami now has a webcam so I saw her for the first time in two and a half months. Just Bob to get sorted now and the distance between us won�t seem so bad. As time went on more people arrived and several people�s connection was cut. I managed to upload a few day�s of blog before we too lost the connection. It was getting rather embarrassing too as we�d been sitting there ages and had only bought a couple of coffees.

�� Next stop the chandlery and fishing store where Simon decided we needed a new handline and lures. (Our equipment is obviously the real problem with our lack of fish!) We now have a new red shiny hand reel set with selection of girly pink and boy blue lures! Si returned to Brindabella to get on with his mountain of maintenance jobs while I zipped off on my bike for round two of the shopping. I was keen to find the central market and make friends with my chosen stall holder who will be trusted with providing us with good quality produce to see us through the three week trip across the Atlantic. Map in hand I first found a supermarket and party shop quite close to the marina. I guess they are about to be busy with our costume party coming up. On to the daily covered market where fresh fish filled the air and vibrant coloured fruit and veg was stacked around stalls. I don�t know whether it was a wise choice to go for the stall with a supporting ARC banner, but stall chosen I waited patiently over and above my turn to be served. My wait was time well spent scanning the phrase book so I could order in Spanish and the broad smiling stall holder seemed to appreciate my feeble efforts and I much appreciated tuition in pronunciation. They have a different dialect here and many words are different from my phrase book. I actually had quite a giggle as my bike bag slowly filled and with a, �Hasta pronto�, I loaded bag onto bike and returned to the marina. I hadn�t realised the marina was so large until I cycled round to the reception office to get another gate key. It is a bit of a pain having to unlock the gate to get in and out but with the amount of people wandering around the security is most welcome. With Simon and I having different chores to see to over the next two weeks my own door key is essential. A heavy shower caught me returning to Brindabella.

�� Lunch, fridge sorting and more chores not to mention lots of chatting saw our afternoon slip away with boats leaving and more ARC boats arriving. We now have Australians behind us as well, the skipper having sailed on Brindabella, the famous Australian racing yacht. The grumpy Danes next to us left leaving only the happy ones and we are holding our breath wondering how big a yacht is going to squeeze into the narrow gap beside us. With the weather cooler I decided to cook our Sunday dinner today and having just started a new gas bottle I�m trying to use electric as much as possible before our departure. Out came my trusty Remoska and I layered up a sort of hotpot thing with lamb chops (the first lamb since home), rosemary, red wine and sliced potatoes. I then prepared vegetables for a microwave steaming bag and made a dessert of biscuit base with bananas, butterscotch whip and chopped walnuts.

�� My 2am finish yesterday was now catching up with me and sipping our (well after) sundowners my eyes were heavy.� The red wine made me more sleepy and I�d also pulled my back trying to heave in the pick up line yesterday and it was twingeing big time. I took ibuprofen and snuggled into my bed at a normal hour tonight.

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