17th April - rudder problems - shopping mall

Wednesday 17^th April

Still very VERY hot in Townsville.  And apparently it has been pitifully dry…they missed their seasonal rain, and everyone is just a bit worried.

Last night Michael’s friends came on board for dinner.  They turned out not to be curry wimps at all, so I did add one or two red chillies, and they all seemed very happy.

Here is a photo of twins, Cassie and Hayley, both truck drivers in the army, and very lively, cheery company for us. 

And here is Paul, who is, I think Cassie’s boyfriend… And this is how we treat large male visitors to 2XS when they have mechanical abilities…

All went swimmingly until – oh dear and oh no…some sort of string/ropy contraption gave way and the large heavy rudder went plunging to the bottom of the marina.  This morning Pete hauled out the diving gear and spent a not particularly enjoyable time diving down into the murk.  He couldn’t see the rudder at all, and only found it by swimming into it and bumping his shoulder quite painfully.  This isn’t a  particularly good photo of either Pete or the recovered rudder, but it does show how very big and heavy it is…

Apparently Pete has investigated and found that the port side rudder is exhibiting the same problems.  He has gone back into the backblocks of Garbutt (this is, by the way, one of the most horrid names for a suburb I have every come across,) in Michael’s golden ute to get special tools and bits and pieces.  We told Michael that the ute had been a godsend, only occasionally failing to start, and then heroically rallying to the cause.  “But,” I said, “the aircon isn’t very efficient.’”  Michael laughed.  “No, Ma.  It doesn’t work at all!  The trick is – open the windows and drive very fast!”

And did I accompany Pete to Garbutt??  Well no…I went for a gentle stroll into town, had a cup of coffee, and spent a happy half hour in the beautiful Mary Who book shop.  After this I girded my loins and caught a bus out to Castle ShoppingHell.  I quite enjoyed the bus trip, always nice to meander around unknown areas of unknown cities.  I waited patiently in the heat at the bus stop with a very nice young girl from New Zealand, who has just finished her degree Marine Biology and is waiting, slightly desperately, to get a job in her chosen field.  Apparently only three graduating students have jobs in anything approaching their area of expertise.

Of course the CastleTown Shopping Mall is not hell.  It is a perfectly nice mall.  I just happen to find shopping malls unpleasant and discombobulating.  I was in search of Pete’s birthday present, and some postcards, and I wandered around a bit desperately, like a mythological character in a maze, until I found what I needed.  (The city centre in Townsville is very nice, full of grand buildings with splendid verandahs.  It does have, as I have said, a wondrous book shop, but not much else… Anyone needing to buy stuff has to go to the shopping malls on the outskirts.)

Tonight we are going to a Greek restaurant at the other end of the Strand, with my ex-Tasmanian in-laws Lindy, John and Sharon (Michael’s aunt, uncle, cousin.)  And yes I am almost certain to take a photo of The Food…