Laxe
'Sarf & West mate, Sarf & West'
Pete Bernfeld
Thu 19 Jun 2008 11:38
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Laxe is a slightly down at heel, less than bustling
thoughtful sort of place. It thinks about raining in a less than bustling sort
of way but can only manage a slight drizzle. The sun occasionally tries to
pierce the mist low laying over the surrounding hills but somehow finds it all
just too much effort and Laxe continues in it's slightly languid, down at heel
fashion.
Because Troutbridge is fully provisioned I have no
pressing need to go ashore and so have become slightly affected by the air of
the place and can't quite be bothered to release the dingy from the davits,
manhandle the outboard and go ashore. From reading the log of 'Ocean Freedom'
[my previous boat] I see that I am about three weeks ahead of myself, I was last
here on the 9th July 1995. Then the weather was similar, but without the SW
winds. I noted then that Laxe had a supermarket but wrote little else. Perhaps
Laxe had such a stimulating effect on me that I was just too agitated to record
my impressions. My, how times haven't changed.
Done a couple of odd-jobs on the boat today. Now,
this will come as a suprise to the Bury Hill Coven, but I've actually done a bit
of cleaning (if not dusting). I well remember being firmly told that it was not
enough to merely buy cleaning products or even open them but it was necessary to
actually USE THEM! One of the batten cars came unscrewed again so this time I
released the batten from the mast-track and screwed it right up (well, given my
mechanical abilitied that's always a sporting possibility).
I've rediscovered the delights(?) of Bimbo bread.
Now, this isn't bread baked by, or meant for, the Spanish equivalent of Essex
girls (sorry Margaret, couldn't resist that one) but is, in fact, long life
bread. Those joining for the Atlantic crossing will become used to Bimbo
bread.
There is, allegedly, a High building up in the
Madeira/Azores area which will expand towards France. This will either mean
Northerly winds or, more likely I fear, no wind at all. To confirm this
forecast, the barometer has in fact fallen slightly and the wind remains out of
the SSW. I wonder if Michael Fish does contract forecasting?
That's it for today. I await the response from the
Guernsey Milk Marketing Board........ OH WAIT.....how could I
forget?
Whilst out for a walk in Coruna, going to take a
look at the Torre de Hercules [a light house built by the Romans who evidently
got fed up with losing ships on the rocks around Coruna] I stopped to avoid
going past an individual about to comit bagpipe-playing.(Speaking of walking, as
the trip from Coruna to Laxe was conducted at walking pace, I wonder if it
counts as taking exercise?). Whilst waiting
for him to either deliberately stop or perhaps be struck-down by some malady
which prevented him playing, my hat was removed by the fishing hook of a casting
angler on the sea wall. He ( the angler not the sea wall) was very apologetic
and spoke quite good english (senhor, I'm sorry. Please remove your hands from
my throat). After this introduction, we naturally fell into conversation and I
mentioned to Xavier my quest for Lurch. My description of Lurch seemed to prompt
a memory and he recounted the story of a man with a double hernia who sold up
his bar in the old quarter of Coruna a few years ago and retired with his family
to a village down the coast from Coruna. The story has it that, becoming
slightly bored after a lifetime of lifting barrels of wine and subsequent
hernias, a new establishment was opened. Xavier knew no more, the bagpipe player
had had some sort of fit and ceased playing so I continued my walk. Perhaps this
was Lurch, I would simply have to visit small establishments along my way to
continue the search.
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