Sunday 5^th February

I had a lovely Port Macquarie day.  I read my (very enjoyable iPad) book on one of Andrew’s big comfy blue leather couches, much scarred by previous generation of cats.  His present cat is a slightly crabby and very pretty tortoiseshell who sometimes scratches humans but leaves furniture intact.  I also asked Andrew, idly, whether his massage chair was any good.  “Yes, certainly, have a go!” he said, swiftly settling me into its clutches.  There followed fifteen minutes of pummeling!!  I am sure I am much improved but I had no idea my back was so boney…

I certainly don’t feel boney; in fact I feel like a total boombalada, surrounded as I am by beauteous young blonde nymphs – George and Harry’s gorgeous girlfriends, Robyn and Tegan.  They are lovely girls, intelligent, polite and pleasant to be with, and I do NOT begrudge them their youth and beauty.  But I do wish I didn’t feel so very fat in their presence…

In the afternoon I borrowed a Miedecke bike and rode into town, about 4 kilometres away, along gently meandering leafy streets.  My own bike was accessible, but it was easier to hop on one ready to go in the garage.  The problem is…Miedeckes are tall!!  George (at least 6’5”) put the seat down as far as it would go but I still had to do much hopping up and down, and heaving of my leg to get it up and over.

While I was having mildly pleasant holiday adventures, Pete was…down the hatch with yet another kind and willing helper, James Miedecke, this time.  Something had come detached from the gearbox and the whole system was in peril.  It took them many hours.  James very skillfully hunted down a missing bolt (very small and sneaky) with the aid of a large magnet.  It had slithered its way across two pairs of legs and down a very small aperture; they were lucky to get it back.  When I got back from my ride, I wandered down to 2XS, and there were James and Pete, looking very pleased with themselves, but SO hot… Pete, in his bright new t-shirt, looked like a red and yellow tomato…

We have just had a most delicious dinner, prepared and cooked with love and skill by Andrew – prawns for entrée (well that was James not Andrew…) followed by marinated spatchcock with French lentils and lime and a fabulous salad with nectarines and chilli.

A few weeks ago John Miedecke sent me the following from the Mercury, George in his recent Targa accident…

TWO Targa Wrest Point cars ended up in the drink yesterday after tackling a tricky corner near Dover.

No one was injured when the vehicles plunged into the Huon River in the state's South early in the afternoon.

The Ford belongs to Miedecke's father Andrew, a Tasmanian racing legend who pulled out of Targa because of a back injury.  He gave his son two warnings before the race - don't crash and don't come second.

Oh deary me poor George… Tonight I thoughtlessly asked him whether he had been frightened – it really was a scary accident; I have seen the video footage and it was a big crash, roll, plunge, into the Huon.  “No,” he said, shortly.  “But I was scared afterwards.  After all, I had just crashed and ruined my father’s pride and joy.”  Oh deary me; poor me this time…I felt like such a klutz… But later in the evening, Harry leaned over the table and said, in very loving tones, to his big brother, “So what are you going to do next, now you have destroyed our father’s pride and joy?” and George laughed merrily.

We are leaving in the morning and will probably go not far down the coast, to Camden Haven.  James Miedecke thinks he would like to come with us for a day or two; this will be good – our third Sailing Miedecke Companion!