Monday 16^th April

Very strange to be back at work… At two in the afternoon yesterday I was going lalala in my head and idly gazing at a sleeping seal in the Derwent.  And today…I was gazing at legal documents, trying to dredge up a bit of brainpower.

We had a wonderful homecoming.  It was very beautiful, coming up the Channel in the drizzle. 

When we got to Blackmans Bay we had semaphore messages from a trickily positioned mirror – Stuart, welcoming us as he had farewelled us, with Claire, Jemima, Felix, and also Hamish and Angus cheering him on.

As we went past Taroona, Rudi and Diane waved teatowels at us from the veranda.  We didn’t actually see them…we were a bit too far out.  But it was the thought which counted!

We went right up close to the CSIRO wharf, because Katy had said the family would be there.  And indeed they were, Jeff, Katy, Leo, Eva, Zoe, and Rose in her marsupial pouch, leaping about waving and cheering as we swooped towards them and then jibed and fled in the opposite direction.

Just after we had gone under the bridge, Pete noticed people waving energetically from the shore – round the rugged rocks the ragged rascals ran!!  Dad and Fleur, our final welcoming committee! 

By the time we manoeuvred into the berth, everyone was on the dock, with bottles of champagne and happy smiles.  So wonderful to see them all again!

We had our last night on board, eating leftovers and finishing off a bottle of red wine.  There is still quite a lot to write so I’m not closing off this blog just yet…am still attached to it…