A damn close run thing!

'Sarf & West mate, Sarf & West'
Pete Bernfeld
Sat 27 Nov 2010 20:48
A near disaster this morning on Trouters. I put the kettle on and made my
customary Sunday morning (my time/day) phone call to the UK. Strange,
kettle has not boiled ~ aha, no flame under said kettle. Strange, Freya
changed the gas bottle less than three weeks ago and on my own it should
last 40 + days. Hey ho ding dong merrily wotsit, off we go to the foredeck
gas locker to change the bottle. Hmm, t'other bottle connected up and
ready to go isn't ready to go, it's empty. So are the other two bottles.
Oh dear :(
No pot of tea, no Sunday cooked-breakfast, no nuffink. I feel faint from
hunger already (or should that be already I feel faint from hunger, no
matter.)
But wait, all is not lost! No sirree. Last century, when I owned a pile of
bricks and mortar, I was the proud (nope, I hated it) possessor and sole
operator of an all electric kitchen. Deep in the depths of darkest
'Ampshire, we used to get the occasional power cut (actually, to be quite
honest at times there were frequent cuts and it was like living in West
Africa again! Hurrumph, hurrumph, disgraceful etc etc.). After one such
'power outage' (how DO they think up these expressions?) I took myself off
to the family camping store (Millets ~ and yes dear Old Mum was a Millet,
Grandpa Michael started off the whole business) and brought a camping-Gaz
cooking ring. AND I have it on board! HURRAH!! Pot of tea, cooked
breakfast et al. I almost felt moved to sing 'Ging Gang wotch yer goolies
or whatever it is the Scouting world sings around a primus stove these
days. Only one small cloud on the horizon.....
The four cocaine (oops, sorry I meant PROPANE) bottles that I have on
board are from Guernsey and dear old Guernland weren't overly bothered
about gas bottles being tested or in date or any of that 'elf and safety
rubbish. You just took the empty bottle along to a petrol station and
exchanged it for a full, equally non-tested and out of any reasonably date
bottle. You probably know where this is going. I do foresee some problems
when I come to refill the bottles tomorrow. Note to self: buy new
Camping-Gaz canister tomorrow as well.
On a less jocular note, Arctic arrived yesterday (the boat that poor
Alessandra was on with Per.) Per had sailed it down from Neiafu with his
best chum Thomas, who he used to work with in the Fire Service in Sweden.
Apparently he was OK during the trip, but actually arriving in Opua, Bay
of Islands was his and Alessandra's dream. The poor guy is breaking down
every few minutes. It's probably a bit of a delayed reaction because he
had to hold it together not only for the trip down but there were
horrendous complications getting Alessandra's body back to Sweden, all
caused by the authorities (or at least one person) in Tonga. The body is
back now and Per will be flying back early December. I guess the lesson
(if there is one) is to enjoy every day as if it were your last and don't
hold back on expressing your feelings of affection for your nearest and
dearest because you just may not get the chance to express them tomorrow.
Something we all know, but do we really take it on board?