24th March 2016 - security at Ocean View - G Mall day

Thursday 24^th March 2016

A few nights ago we walked out along the ramparts in the dark, to see how the security guards are faring at the gun posts.  There was a cosy little clique of about five men, sitting eating their rice and chatting.  Pete examined their guns with great interest and they told us their shift finished at 6am.  They find it a bit cold, out there all night, in the fresh air… The temperature plummets to 23 degrees at night… This seems like a blissful temperature to me but they are finding it chilly.

Yesterday we had a day in town, in G Mall.  The marina provides a mini bus to take Ocean View residents for s stock-up day every two weeks.  The supermarket there is vast and quite confusing in its layout.  Fortunately the staff there are very well trained and they understand requests for oregano, powdered coconut milk, coffee etc, and can direct you tho Aisle 36 very speedily.  For about an hour I trawled through the main aisles, which go this way and that way, while Pete had happy times in a large hardware store in the basement, looking for stainless steel Philips head screws, but I still ended up confused and lost.

We had coffee in a nice little café and resisted the urge to order durian-flavoured hot chocolate.  I liked it there; the internet worked, if at glacial speed, and the password was… Godismysavior.

23rd March 2016 - whither now??

Wednesday 23^rd March 2016

I have just been blathering on, in this blog, about day-to-day life here at Ocean View marina.  It is hot; Pete is very busy; I am swimming a bit, lolling about reading, struggling with the internet, and cooking meals.

And I think what everyone really wants to know is – WHAT are our plans?  Well…still in a state of flux.  Undecided. 

Possibly we will leave with armed escort, with the rally going to Raja Ampat, in early May.  Or we will get Chas Blundell and his crew to deliver 2XS to somewhere else. 

But at the moment we are just living from day to day, going into the village to buy eggs etc, making sure we are drinking enough water, idly chatting to boaty neighbours.

And re our poor hostage friends…nobody talks about them very much, but everyone is heartbroken that they have not yet returned, safe and well and alive.

21st March 2016 - carpet laying on 2XS

Tuesday 21^st March 2016

Pete has been assiduously laying carpet.  Some of it is a bit patchwork, because it turned out not to be 2 metres wide, as we had first thought…never mind, he is doing a great job of it and patchwork is a good thing, surely!

I am not much help at all; I am lolling around, trying to find cool places to sit, under fans, in front of fans… The heat is just a bit…hot…for me.  (Pathetic!)

We might have to go back to the furniture shop for another metre or so.  Maybe I can find some more brightly patterned furniture!

The internet here is painfully slow…and it is almost impossible to upload photos.  Sigh…The furniture photo took over an  hour to creep up onto the screen and I am not sure it will stay there...