Keeping on Keeping on

(Day Pod Monday 30^th March

Darren is back from his cruise, he had a great time and he is quite happy for us to stay here. We chatted briefly at the allotted safe distance before our morning walk. The yard is busy now with moving machinery and people working on their marine projects. Rob is filling Zoonie’s port water tank and is then going to start on servicing the 10 winches. Jobs arise the more he focuses on Zoonie’s needs.

Talking of spiders as I was recently, I went into the first loo in the public toilets and closed the door to find this baby on the wall. I wasn’t going to get any closer to give an idea of scale before taking the photo and once shot I left briskly. He was at least 4 inches across.

Last night my limbs did not want to rest so we discussed exercising twice a day so we would go to bed more tired. On the radio people are coming up with all sorts of ideas about staying fit and sane in the isolation and adopting a sustainable psyche. How about you all, I think you have been self-isolating a few days more than us? I have always enjoyed structuring my days and that helps now. Also, because we have no idea how all this is going to last I look at each day constructively used as another day less to go to the end of the tunnel. Then as a long distance sailor, I like to prepare for the worst scenario in some ways as time goes on. For example I wrote to Border Control the other day, as us cruisers have to every three months and I asked if it was likely we would still be able to clear out of Carnarvon at the end of September to start across the Indian Ocean and they said there was no reason why we shouldn’t but we may not be allowed in to South Africa, a possibility I understood.)

Was I beginning to feel guilty having such an enjoyable time in Perth in the loveliest weather? No I wasn’t because Rob and I were prepared to obey all new regulations as soon as we met them and our careful interaction was helping to keep people in work and businesses running. After the mint we strolled around the uncrowded esplanade and Elizabeth Quay area hungry enough to focus on eating houses and found The Brew Garden on the island just perfect for our needs. We tucked in to a tasty light lunch of vegan tacos and Caesar Salad washed down with a very pleasant dark beer, brewed on the spot and then noticed there were Espresso Martinis listed on the drinks menu.

You may remember Lauren who is a dear friend of our family and came on the family holiday with us in New Zealand. Well I saw a photo on Facebook of Lauren with her twin sisters Sophie and Chloe all enjoying what looked like Guinness in a champagne glass. Suitably enlightened as to the real nature of the drink Rob and I decided to share one. Very nice but I think it will take quite a lot of experimentation with proportions in order to get the drink to our satisfaction on board! Now there’s a novel occupation for our isolation.

Up to this point our flight home was not cancelled and the camping trip was still on, but rules on 4 square metres individual distancing and limits on numbers in gatherings were being announced; almost something new with every news broadcast or each nervous whispering of nearby strangers.

To bring our flight forward would cost us hundreds of pounds more, Qantas was taking advantage of the situation and I didn’t like that. Some people flying with Qatar are turning up at the airports and getting 10% discount on flights. If we took an earlier flight we would have to cancel the camping trip and most probably, at the end of the frustrating struggle to get a refund, would lose our money anyway along with a lot of emotional effort. Once home we may not be allowed back in to Aussie to re-join Zoonie and continue our odyssey this season and the prospect of another delay like the one we had in New Zealand is something we would really like to avoid if possible.

Were we down at heart? No because the trip north was still on and the next day we were due to meet Walter McGuire, a friend of Tyronne Bell of Canberra, who runs Go Cultural Tours, a first nation look at the environment of Western Australia.