Getting There

Hi from Doreen.
I have just received a text message from John ( 10.44am) "12 miles from Tauranga. Left Whale Island near Whakatane at 6am. 30 knots up the bum. Sailing at 7 to 8 knots all the way."
In reply to queries he said that the sea was very lumpy with 5 metre swells but all right because they are behind them. Sounds almost like they are surfing home, doesn't it? ETA Tauranga about 12.30pm.
The 10/20 to go from Tauranga to Lyttelton has fallen through and they haven't heard any more about the one from Opua so they are coming home - probably by rental car or bus and ferry which seems to be far more economical than flying.

In the meantime I think I have broken the back of the wall plastering job. It has taken ages covering up whoopses and trial and error but I am pleased with it at last. This wall has gone where there used to be a buffet bench jutting out into the Family Room and putting a wall there was to us the obvious thing to do because there was nowhere to put the TV. We think it has made both the kitchen and the Family Room better. Next challenge is getting the coving and skirting right then I can paint it. Have enclosed a photo - not very good for showing it in relation to the rest of the house. I have to sand that plastering now, then I can have a good clean up around that area.

Sailor's Wife Again

Hi - Doreen here.
John has been away for a few days with Graham on a boat delivery from Picton to Tauranga. Nice boat, a Chico 37 called Sea Hawk. No photos of it yet but John will have taken some.
They arrived at Napier midday yesterday after a very slow and rocky ride. I have just been talking to John on the phone. They had a good night's sleep and the weather is nice so they are keen to get away and head for Tauranga. It will probably take them about 3 days, putting down the anchor at night and taking it easier. John will keep in touch via phone texting - phone range permitting.
In the meantime I am spending time at home having book and clothes sort-outs and intend to make a super effort to finish that wall we put up. It needs more plastering and then coving and skirting and then paint. I really want it finished. If I run out of things to do I shall carry on in the garden which is looking quite good now that it has grown some and all the efforts to get rid of grass-grub, moth, and weeds in the lawn has paid off. It is looking great.

Delivery trip

This is a quick update between delivery trips. I've just arrived home from one and am off on another tomorrow and have lots do do tonight to get ready.

Delivery of the good ship Lollipop, sorry, Zeehaen, which was sort of like a bathtub with a cabin and motor, started this morning at 3.00am when we left Picton and finished 7 hours later when we tied it up in it's new home at Mana (just out of Wellington). Actually, it's not really its new home as it's going to be trucked from Mana to Auckland and ultimately shipped to England to be used by the owner on the canals there. Why anyone would go to all that trouble and expense I have no idea.

The official description of the boat is "a 28ft displacement launch" but that doesn't really describe it. It is about 60 years old and quite unusual in looks but motored well at around 8 knots and got us there safely.

The weather in Cook Strait wasn't too bad although a bit lumpy in parts.

We only stopped in Mana for a few minutes then caught the train into Wellington, jumped on the 1pm ferry back to Picton and arrived here at 5pm tonight so it was a long day.

The trip tomorrow is a 35ft yacht to be taken from Picton to Tauranga and should take about 7 days if all goes well with the weather.

As I won't have access to the internet while I'm away there probably won't be any new posts for a week or so (unless Doreen gets creative).

I trust all of you reading this who have proper jobs are happy in your work....keep pedalling!

Woke up this morning at 5am and got up for a cup of tea as normal only to find out a few hours later that daylight saving had finished and the clocks had gone back overnight so it was really 4am when I got up. We seem to have completely lost touch with the real world over the last few months and I had no idea that the clocks were going back last night!

Notwithstanding the early start, it's been a good day for Doreen's birthday. Cards and phone calls from all the family and lunch at the Slip Inn at Havelock with Dave and Bev and Julie. It's been blowing a gale all day but quite warm and sunny. Hopefully the high winds of the last few days will die down soon and we can get in a last bit of nice weather before the summer really ends.

I did a bit in the garden over the weekend, trying to get ahead of the weeds and the lawn which is growing at an alarming pace.

Not sure what the coming week holds but as soon as this current spell of wind and cold fronts is over I'll be off to Tauranga in the Chico 35.

Doreen: Yes, it was a lovely day and I enjoyed my birthday. Thank you all for your good wishes via cards or phone calls.
I recommend the Slip Inn at Havelock for its very nice seafood - it is at the marina.

Oh dear, big headache, bad aching feeling all over this morning. In short, a king size hangover. Our friends Roger and Joc from Christchurch arrived yesterday and we did some serious damage to a bottle of very exspensive cognac given to me by Tait friends when I left work last year. Seemed a good idea at the time but I'm paying the price this morning.

Sorry but there will be no deep and meaningful posts today.

As everyone who is anyone seems to have their own blog nowadays it seems only sensible that us recently retired, upwardly mobile, young grandparents should have one as well.

Our lifestyle over the last few months hasn't left much time for emails (a lot of the time we've been out of phone and internet range) but we'll try our best to update the blog whenever we're in port!