When will this pregnancy end?
19 May 2009 | Coffs Harbour
John and Shauna
When a woman's pregnancy goes to 41, then 42 weeks or more, the obstetrician can give her an oxytocin drip to induce the labour. When you are waiting for weather, there is no meteorological oxytocin. You just wait. And wait. As you know, we hoped to be way for Noumea from the mid-north coast tomorrow or Thursday. There is a low forming off the South Queensland coast, promising 45 knot winds and seas of 8 to 9 metres. All of which makes staying put a while quite a nice idea. We have shore power, an IGA 5 minutes away and lots of friends to visit. Not to mention the eternal round of boat maintenance.
Because of the weather forecast, no boats are leaving from, and none are arriving into, Coffs Harbour. As a consequence we are striking up more than the usual passing acquaintance with some other yachties on the marina. On our port side is "Aussie Rules" crewed by David and Bernadette - like "Destiny V" she is a Joe Adams design - but an Adams 40, a design more suited to racing and fast passages. Across the dock is "Sassoon", a Sayer 12 with David and Melinda - they are also waiting to leave for Noumea.
Down the dock a way is Keith Sutherland , on "Carisbrooke". Keith is a long-term cruiser who, due to Parkinson's Disease at a cruelly early age, is now not able to easily head offshore. But he copes well and has a humblingly bright outlook on life. A lovely fellow. Shauna has been looking after him a bit, taking him to the supermarket in the car the Carters have loaned us, and so on. He bought her a pretty little bunch of flowers today.
Pete Walduck helped us install the Seagull IV water purifier over the weekend - this produces the sweetest product from Coffs water (Coffs water is safe of course but tastes really dreadful), and as well the Seagull filters out parasites, bacteria and even viruses.
Of course there is reading and relaxing - somebody observed to us last year "You guys never stop do you?". Well, there always seems to be plenty to do and interesting things to see, but this weather is definitely putting the brakes on us, and that can't be a bad thing!
And then there's cooking (and eating!!) - one of our favourite sports. Tonight we are cooking a green fish curry with our son Tom's homemade green curry paste - it smells great so I'll go. We'll keep you all posted.
(PS: No phone calls - "Haven't you had that baby yet?")