�� 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.
�
