Tuesday 23rd March (Lini’s Journal)

Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Mon 29 Mar 2010 17:23
It was a pottering day today. En-route to the supermarket we called
in at the chandlery where Simon took great interest, not so much in
sailing gear, but fishing gear! Things must be getting desperate!! We
cast our eyes over fishing hooks the size of meat hooks and lures I
would now happily barbecue in absence of the real thing. I was offered
any equipment I wished to choose; but what use would that be? I fear
the problem is not with Brindabella’s fishing gear but its operator!
Feeling very disgruntled we moved on and loaded the supermarket
trolley with whatever we thought we could carry then rewarded our
stowing efforts with lunch out. Already I find buying, carrying then
stowing drinking water a huge pain and I didn’t pay for the watermaker
or spend a large proportion of my life trying to fix the damn thing.
Lunch was a giggle: Salad on its own wasn’t allowed at the very
popular pizzeria but after quite a discussion in my limited French
with a very bubbly and scatty waitress who spoke limited English, we
agreed on one of their half pizza, half salad meals with no cheese.
She was still shaking her head with mutterings about dry pizza and,
“What? No cheese?” when lunch was delivered and devoured. Even without
the cheese it was very good but I drooled watching Simon’s pizza
oozing stringy mozzarella.
Back to work in the afternoon Si removed the rest of the silicon
from the coachroof where the broken solar panel used to be while I
blitzed inside: Brindabella hadn’t seen a vacuum cleaner in quite some
time. Chores complete Si suggested we invite an English couple for
sundowners who had just arrived on our pontoon after a transatlantic
crossing. I quickly assembled some nibbles and Ann and Jim joined us
from ‘Impressionist’. It turned out we were both in Porto Santo at the
same time back in October; A small world. By the time they left it was
way past hungry o’clock so we skipped dinner for sleep.