Thursday 8th April (Lini’s Journal)
Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Thu 22 Apr 2010 19:52
happen occasionally!) It was probably Simon fidgeting with excitement
that woke me from my slumber: There was a chandlery only a short
dinghy ride away with lots of goodies just waiting to be browsed
through. At last my back seems to be on the mend so I decided to brave
the bumpy seas and go along to pick up some ingredients for tonight.
Colin has a gluten free diet and my only focus on food labels has been
fat content. Making food free from both was going to be a challenge.
Sitting in Shovell going ashore my thoughts were on possibilities when
I looked up and who was moored in the marina with their much awaited
family but Joice and John on ‘Fair Encounter’. We joined them for
coffee and met the family, catching up with our travels and comparing
future plans. It seems unlikely we will catch up again now as Simon is
flying home from Bermuda to see Christopher at half term putting our
planned departure for the Azores back a little and they are leaving
some time earlier than I thought. Also ARC Europe who they are
returning with have few stops in the Azores planned and we hope to
cruise the western most islands which we didn’t see on previous
visits. Our next encounter with ‘Fair Encounter’ could be back in
England.
I searched through food labels for some time in the supermarket and
met up with Si some time later. He lacked that ‘kid on Christmas
morning’ expression so I guessed his bag contained none of the goodies
he hoped for and the chandlery was a disappointment. It was; few tall
shelves stacked with bits and pieces to handle and make a use for, and
few things off his list were in stock. It seemed most things were
ordered and shipped from their other store in St. Martin, so at least
Si can look forward to a browse when we are there. Under his arm
however he carried a fab chair/cushion with a supported back which we
can use on the aft and foredecks, and in his rucksack was a beautiful
lump of polished metal which I fear cost infinitely more than the fish
I will catch from a rod held within it. I will have to make an even
bigger effort now!
I had eaten little yesterday so cooked pasta for lunch. Si ‘closed
his eyes’ afterwards which gave me the chance to clean through
Brindabella who was looking rather grubby after days of being
neglected. All clean I pottered in the galley making goodies for
tonight. By the time the sun began to sink Si’s cocktail bar was set
up below and the cockpit table groaned with fat and gluten free
Mediterranean humus with suitable crackers, mini mushroom and cheese
frittatas, fat free cream cheese and walnuts on celery, nuts, and
three focaccias hot from the oven with olives, tomato and basil and
garlic and rosemary. Colin and Sandie arrived with two huge plates of
dates and chopped fresh fruits, together with a mountain of crudités
and Chrissie had made two scrummy dips. Perhaps it was Si’s Pimms
followed by rum punches which gave us all enormous appetites but
somehow, between eight people, a lot of drinks and a lovely evening
which stretched from sundowners, moonrise and was heading towards
sunrise, we devoured the lot. The short showers did little to dampen
our spirits as we huddled under the bimini with the strong winds
continuing, but one or two had a wobbly time getting into dinghies at
bedtime: Purely because of the waves of course!