Wednesday 5 September 2012

Night lightning

We had a wonderful thunderstorm during the night. I was SO pleased to be tucked up warm and dry in the boat. Andrew and I nipped out of bed and closed all the portholes etc., and then lay there watching the stupendous flashes above us, and listening to the rain lashing down on the deck.  There had been some heroic work during the latter part of the evening to get the guest cabin heads to work - and this was achieved! The problem was some sort of blocked inlet valve - but lordy! the relief! That if I needed a pee in the night I did not have to go out into that great storm, across the tiny little wet gangplank, in the dark, and then all round the whole marina to get to the public loos.  Blessings, blessings and eternal gratitude to the two Andrews who worked out what was wrong and how to fix it.
Actually, what with the rocking of the boat, and the storm, and the muggy air, it was not a great night's sleep, but who's complaining? Not me.
In the morning we sat here, rocking gently on our mooring, having a gentle breakfast, deciding not to go out of the port today - all the other mariners were deciding the same thing because of the forecasts....
We had lunch with some of the Cruising Association committee who had gathered here - what a hoot! Then we two went out with Andrew (host) in his rubber dinghy to visit the little monastery just 80m away in the bay - Gaveka??? - where there is a tiny monastery, and the grave of a hero called Ivo Masim who lived from 1927-1961 and was strangled in prison for opposing Tito...    So he was only about 34 when he died, and his statues around here show him looking like a bit of a rocker.  He is buried in a beautiful place.
We have just now done a goodly walk round to the western tip of the island  - lovely boat mooring all along, and children playing in the water, and tiny beaches, and palm trees, and occasional ice-cream cafes, and ruined houses, and new villas and apartments.... so calm and idyllic with the wide reach over to Zadar lit by this pearly putty-coloured light.
We had a drink at the Olive Island marina - ladies' loo approached through a very dark and dank passageway and then with a hard-to-find lightswitch at the very far end....  
And we walked back again through the little smallholdings, olive groves, vineyards, gardens... with families relaxing in the dusk. Here you can be simultaneously in a kind of medieval world with a 21st century gloss... the modern is not necessarily so attractive, in comparison.
It will be an early night for me. I am zonked.
However, for any readers who know about the Juice Plus+ Smiley you will be pleased to know we have hit the full smile three days running, with all this trekking about.  Ha!

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