A slow day in the heat

Our walk this morning was not quite the 10000 steps we normally do. Rowan used different suntan cream and managed to get it in his eyes and it drove him crazy with red weeping eyes, then his nose began to run, so we beat a hasty retreat after 6000 steps.

Very little wind and very hot confined to the boat. We didn’t venture under our new awning as we were still sunburnt from yesterday and without a breeze it’s too hot.

I spent all afternoon making my mask from the fabric Lorraine (from Beccles!) gave me. i discovered half way through I had the cord threaded the wrong way, which required a bit of unpicking. But we are now the proud owners of one 500 thread count, face mask! Not so happy to read in the paper later that at least one scientist thinks they are pointless.

We had smelt petrol and couldn’t work out where it was coming from, until we spotted the severed fuel pipe on Jeldi Jeldi (the dinghy). When we were cleaning her, after her accidental douche of kitchen waste water, Rowan hooked the fuel pipe out of the way over the pulley for lifting her out of the water. Of course we forgot and winched her up grinding the fuel pipe in two and never noticed! Just another boating chore that needs sorting out.

What a relief when 5 o’clock arrived and we could go for our swim around the marina. It seems that the change in wind direction has made the water in the marina crystal clear, most probably helped by the lack of boat activity too. There are so many fish about, including a barracuda that Chris had told us about earlier. We’ve spotted the turtles a few times and today we spotted a colourful blue fish we have never seen before. We identified it when we got back and it is a Scrawled Cowfish. The Cow bit being the horns over its eyes that are very distinctive. Good eating apparently but very poisonous if you puncture the liver. Luckily it is way too pretty to think of eating.

I’m leaning out from the boat towards the jetty. The fish love all the vegetation growing on the submerged bit of the docks

The hexagonal markings are actually a plated carapace according to our research.

I made some truffle popcorn to go with our Friday night bottle of wine, and made extra as a thank you to Lorraine for my mask fabric and template. Only later as we were eating it did I worry about their dentures, as I hit a few kernels!