Monday, New Year's Day 2018

Minds are strong and healthy due culling of sick and feeble in brain cell herd. Rapid reduction of cytochrome levels will occur as abstinence into the foreseeable future proceeds. Lissome physiques will soon materialize from beneath newly acquired BMI inflators. No new year's resolutions will be necessary as boat is equipped with mirrors. An unfond farewell was given the old year as eyes gazed with rheumy blear at $7 million dollars of taxpayer funded entertainment on telly in Sydney Harbour and into the promise of 2018 just prior to everyone collapsing into a conscientiously earned stupor.

After a light breakfast with Champagne Charlies we now proceed with five bottles of newly purchased wine, which will go into the cellar for extended aging, four and a half hours north to Coff's Harbour, midway between Hunter and Brisbane, for the night.

Tuesday

Almost back to Brisbane for short night and O dark hundred get-up for flight to Darwin. Crikey! The last two weeks went quickly. Too much fun, but always good to get back home. Goal is to get Anthem back in offshore condition by end of January, but we've been invited to crew from Langkawi to Phuket and Krabi with Bali Hais, which will soak up bulk of month. Disappointment at inability to get hot and sweaty with boat work will be assuaged by seeing mates in Southeast Asia and getting back on the ocean. The sacrifices one makes.

Thursday

New entertainment: tweeting with Don and Kim. Mainstream and social media ricocheting off the ceiling in fear and loathing remind me of people who have no sense of humor thinking a joke is crude because they don't get it. Stop work on the bomb shelter, take a breath, buy a puppy.

Arising at 0600 to bike around Darwin revived suppressed memories of breathing stifling, saturated air while hazarding heat prostration. Didn't even stop for usual coffee to return quickly to boat with still operative air conditioning. Better than a puppy.

New exhaust manifold, having arrived in six days from UK, was held for retrieval. Oddly enough Border Force(Customs) didn't detain, DHL, following our request, didn't send back and it's the correct part - must be living right. Old corroded chunk has been removed, photos taken and new unit ready for installation once now accessible grime is cleaned off. This could happen at any moment.. or week.

Saturday

Eschewing bike ride this morning due potential rain and pervasive sloth we slept in. As lying about slowly becomes boring we will drive to Parap (that, for some obscure reason, is the name of a suburb) Saturday market because some of crew enjoy markets and some enjoy local cafe where above referenced moment may be contemplated over a flat white (this is not a racial slur).

As cracked rib from rather less than graceful bike dismount a few weeks ago (second of three that day - would explain sequence, but you really needed to be there) gets better, Jan's treatment symptoms rapidly disappear and with almost a week into this year, all things considered and looking forward with hope and giddy anticipation, so far (circumspect enough for you?) 2018 doesn't suck. Yay!

Jack