Looping NZ Style: Industrious us!

It is always a major effort to clean the inside of the fly deck. Well, it is actually even more of a major effort to clean the outside of it too...but that isn't what transpired last Sunday. I say LAST Sunday, because that is nearly a week ago! Wow! where did THAT one go?

Waz and I took ourselves out to McDonalds for breakfast, on Sunday. They still have the two for one special on Egg McMuffins! Who can resist? ok...lots of people, but the price is right for some of us cheapskates!

We then went home and started cleaning the boat. Well, I did! I was determined to hose out the Fly Deck, which can be a challenge when all the windows are closed...it can feel like a Sauna, on a hot day.. The hot day is needed to dry it all out.

Hosing is imperative to get all the dirt off surfaces, that just wont go away when they are wiped. It also isn't good to wipe dirt off the shiny surface, because that can scratch the surface. You get the idea!
Two hours later, I am still wiping her down, and the neighbor comes over for a consultation in regard to the colors for the outside detail finish on the front of their house...currently painted white. Her brother in law, who us an Interior Decorator in TX (I think) had sent color swatches for the couple to look at, but they couldn't make up their minds...and were arguing about them! How did I get in the middle of all this? Oh! I said I wouldn't mind helping...silly me!:) An hour later, I am making excuses that my poor hungry husband needs feeding (it was almost 2pm!) and leave. No color swatches have been painted on the house this week! We await the transformation....maybe before they leave to go back to NY at the end of April??

So, eventually I finished cleaning, wiping and drying the fly deck off...wow! what a difference it makes to how the space feels. :)

So, what have we done for the rest of the week??
Good question! One day rather slips into the next, and before you know it, we are facing another weekend.
Tomorrow is Saturday again.

Today, Friday, we decided to Tiki-tour down to Pine Island. We have actually been there before. Well, part of it. We went there when we were here a year ago, and the traffic on Hwy 41 is the same going through the little touristy parts, and still nowhere to park and enjoy the restaurants. In fact, the only place to park was at the Dairy Queen, where we 'enjoyed' a lunch that we would not normally choose...don't ask, ok!!NOT GOOD!!!

Well, that was a minor blip on the screen of our day. We went one way up the island to the top and then turned around and went all the way down the island to the bottom, and of course went up and down the canal streets looking at homes for sale, as we do!

In the process, we spied...well, we HEARD Osprey. There is no mistaking their 'cries'. They are piercing, and the call to each other while on the wing, so it isn't hard to find them. Lots of nest at this time of year, and we were fortunate, while perusing a dead-end street (of which there were many!) to find an Osprey atop a power pole, eating a fish almost 1/3 the length of the bird's body.
I was able to get reasonably close to the bird and take numerous photos, before my camera told me it was FULL! bah!...rushing back to the car, I was handed Warren's camera which has a longer lens on it, and fired off a few more....ok, about 30 more! I cannot show you those ones, but I can show you the ones I took with my camera....

The crow thought he might be in with a chance, obviously.

We never tire of watching or photographing them and get a thrill from being able to be close to them.

That left us feeling good, for the return trip.:)

We stopped off at the Super Target on the way home to buy some of the better steak we have enjoyed, on our travels. We also picked up some other good looking meat, which included some GRASS FED beef! Hmmm...coming from NZ where 99% of the beef is grass fed, this was a bit hilarious. I DONT WANT TO KNOW what the other beef is fed on! seriously!

We had made a note, on the outward journey, to stop in at a Farmer's market stand, on the way home. We did this and were delighted to find some gorgeous tomatoes and egg plant, among other things. We also found unpasturized Honey! yay! I have been looking for Raw Honey for a while now. This one is Black Mangrove, which tastes kind of wild!

We arrived home around 4.30 and put the kettle on. We rather hang out for our cups of tea, don't we?

Putting food away in freezers and getting some dinner going was the order of the day after that. Len came over with something for us and we invited him and Stef to join us for dinner. I made Rissoles, breaded fried eggplant and had fresh garden tomatoes with basil, mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic. Yum! A bit of a weird dinner, but it worked some how!

Stef took two hours to get home, tonight, due to a crash on the highway, so we didn't sit down until the sun was almost down, around 7.30. The air got cool, but it was nice and relaxed upstairs once I closed all the windows and doors.

We have watched another movie tonight...Netflix! Need I say more? and I was supposed to be writing blog instead. Now it is 12.30am, and Im still here.

I skyped with the NZ child and caught up with his life, and Waz went to bed!

I knew I wouldn't sleep with the blog hanging over my head, so here it is:)

I will write the Toilet issue after this...it is MOST important...as toilets tend to be!

Ciao for now..

some pics from today! just so that you don't feel deprived.!!!

At the top end of Pine Island, this fishing pier was charging $8 each to enter! we didn't!