Saturday 21^st January

Happy second birthday darling Zoe in Tasmania… At the moment, No. #3 of 3, soon to be No #3 of 4…

We didn’t rush about yesterday.  I read a lot, and Pete talked to his computer a lot.  At about 6 our Tasmanian/Gold Coast friends Tim and Sally came for a drink; little did they know that we were going to keep them captive until late – Pete had prepared a large a hearty meal.  We had a very pleasant evening and woke early so that Pete could steer the boat onto a specially reconnoitered part of the bay, above a sandbank.  He was very keen to get a good look at the underbelly of 2XS.  Was there or was there not a mysterious bit of something or another wrapped round the propeller shaft??  I had already tried to look, when swimming in the not-very-translucent waters of Tipplers Passage, and had seen nothing.  Well…it turns out there was nothing to be seen… But it is good to be able to look carefully at all of the sea-life making a home on the watery underside of the boat, so it has been a worthwhile exercise.

We are now sitting stranded and sanded high up above the beach.  Children are playing in the shallows, dogs chasing balls, people are fishing, horses are being exercised, with 2XS providing a large and majestic bit of shade from the sandbank.  It is quite comfortable but we are on a bit of a slope.  Never mind, when the tide comes in, we will be afloat again.

There are many sandbanks around here in the Broadwater, and many boats run aground.  Tim says there are two sorts of boating people: those who have run aground, and those who lie about it.  Sally says, there are two sorts of boating people: those who haven’t run aground, and those who are about to.

We left 2XS to cope with the sinking tide and went for a long bike ride into Surfers Paradise.  Surface Paradise, as my poor dear Claire used to write, longingly, in her school story books – all of her friends, it seemed, went to Surface Paradise and had a magical time at Dream World, Wet World, Sea World, Movie World, Lalala World, and Shopping Heaven.  Many of them – sob – also went to Bali… We never could afford anything of the sort and went every year (many thanks to Dad and Fleur) to the Château at Coles Bay.

There were bike paths all the way, and no hills at all, so it was a very nice, easy ride.  We stopped for coffee and watched people coming and going from the beach.  People all shapes and sizes!!  Some looked like supermodels, male and female, others…well others were just a bit on the boombalada side of the spectrum.  Fascinating!  Some of the thin women had enormous bosoms, enough to make one’s eyes pop.  It’s all a bit unfair.  It is now within most women’s ability to buy a splendid set of breasts, so instead of being impressed, I now look carefully and think, “They can’t possibly be natural!”  In the past I would have been consumed with envy and wonder, now I think, ho hum.  I don’t think any such ho hum thoughts cross Pete’s mind, however. I think he is just impressed and admiring, whether or not the bosoms are fake or natural.