The Smiths do sushi - and become famous!

Inspired by our recent dining experience at a Japanese restaurant on the evening of our marriage, and also the close proximity of the best Fishermans Co-Op we’ve come across, Mike and I attempted to make sushi for the first time.

Here is a picture of the result! (Looks a bit untidy but they tasted great!)

The other photo and newspaper article was in this morning's local Bulletin. The result of a phone call from a Bulletin newspaper reporter, and a subsequent interview yesterday.

It was on page 2! You can look for the full text at www.themorningbulletin.com.au (if you are so inclined)

Until next time

Jo and Mike

We got married!

Today is our wedding day, and in keeping with our lives together so far, it has been a very relaxed and enjoyable one! At 10.45 Sue Hutchinson, our Marriage Celebrant arrived, followed shortly by our two witnesses, Sandra and Sharon, both of whom work at the marina.(and recruited just an hour before hand!!)

Jo and
our witnesses

Jo had already organised the boat - getting me to remove the table and clean up all my stuff. She had sourced flowers (from the marina garden) and the place looked very romantic. By 11.20 we were married! We opened a bottle of French champagne sent to us by our lovely friends in Geelong and cut the delicious cake brought by Sue.

We've even got the certificate
to prove it!

Cutting
the cake

Dr & Mrs Smith

As soon as I can post this blog, we will be off to the local Rydges resort for a night organised by Jo’s children.

For obvious reason this will be a VERY short blog!!!

A family visit

Last week my daughter Sara, her husband Marcus and their three-year-old Matilda joined Mike and I for a week aboard Meander--and what a fantastic week it was. It did however get off to a somewhat shaky start when an hour before our visitors were due to arrive Mike discovered a bilge full of radiator coolant! It appeared one of the heat exchanger hoses had sprung a leak. Mike managed to replace it - which wasn’t an easy task on a Saturday afternoon in a small coastal town, but replace it he did, and albeit a few hours later than planned, we were on our way to anchor off Great Keppel Island to enjoy some swimming, snorkelling and general relaxing. The relaxing side of things was made much easier due to the fact that Mike had enclosed the rails around the boat with safety netting which turned it into a giant play pen for young Matilda!!

Matilda and
Grandpa Mike

Matilda and
Grandma

Note the
netting!

Sara Marcus and Matilda slipped into life aboard Meander very easily. Even when the weather changed and the gentle breeze turned to 30knt winds they weren’t perturbed. As the forecast was for three days of strong winds, we sailed the boat back to the safety of the marina, hopped aboard the ferry, and returned to the Island and rented a lovely rustic A-frame house until the winds subsided. As soon as things began to calm down, Mike and I returned to the marina and sailed the boat back to Great Keppel to retrieve Sara Marcus and Matilda.

We hiked through the bush around the Island one day, stopping off at some fabulous secluded beaches where Sara managed to gather (and eat!) some lovely fresh oysters. Other days Sara and Marcus did some snorkelling and fishing. Marcus and I also snorkelled and managed to see some beautiful fish, giant clams and a sting ray hiding on the bottom in the sand. Matilda thoroughly enjoyed the beaches and was quite content to play in the water and build sandcastles.

Matilda and
an octapus

All together

Putney beach

Hiding form
the sun

Marcus, Sara
and Matilda

Off on a
fishing trip

Off snorkelling

The week seemed to go quite slowly which we were all pleased about, but all too soon it was time to say goodbye: our intrepid travellers boarded a light aircraft to take them to Rockhampton in time for their flight to Brisbane then onto Darwin and home to Jabiru next day.

A friend of
Sara's on
Keppel Isalnd

Jo goes underwater

Since Dee’s departure from Meander Mike and I have been quite busy. The courtesy car from the Marina may only be taken as far as Yeppoon and as we needed to do quite a few chores so we decided to rent a car for the day and head into Rockhampton. We went to the dive shop just outside of the city where I bought a wet suit and some snorkelling gear. Mike bought me (as a wedding present) all the gear I need to do some scuba diving. Oh yes, I must mention, Mike and I are getting married on 16^th October. We have talked about it for some time and decided now was the right time to do it, mainly because we discovered that we needed to give one month and one day’s notice beforehand. We are not sure when we will be anywhere again for one month and a day, so now seemed like as good a time as any!!

We’ve been out at anchor around the islands of Great Keppel, mostly snorkelling….. how fantastic!!! Today we anchored off a reef and took the dinghy closer to the coral and snorkelled around. Mike has taught me to snorkel (which includes duck diving, something I have never been able to do before).[not to mention getting back into the boat in a somewhat more elegant manner than impersonating a beached whale! (Mike)] Excuse me!!!! After a couple of days of practice I can now dive down and look at the many fish and the beautiful coral. I even saw a turtle today as I was duck diving!!! I nearly drowned trying to get Mike’s attention so that he could see it too. I must remember to come to the surface next time before I start yelling and screaming and getting excited underwater.

Jo impersonating
a duck

Jo impersonating
a beached whale

Mike discovered that his dive computer had given up working, and on top of all this other dive gear, he sadly came to the realisation that he needed to buy a new one. Now he is busy working out how to use it – and, needless to say, I will be busy for the next decade trying to work out how to use all my stuff!!!

Of course I needed to try out my new dive gear. Mike took me for a shallow dive which I really loved (didn’t like the idea of hurling myself backwards off the boat though!!! But even that wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated) So… now I am in the process of undertaking a dive course and I am very excited at the prospect.

Jo the intrepid
diver!

My daughter Sara, her husband Marcus and their three-year-old Matilda are coming to join us on the boat next week. In anticipation of this visit, we are attempting to make Meander child friendly and adult stress free. Hopefully the weather will continue to be as glorious as it has been for the past two weeks and we can spend lots of time in the water and on the beautiful beaches around the Islands.