An Invitation With A Difference

Late last Friday afternoon the owner of Lara, the boat next to Tweed, arrived with this invitation, right.  He had put it through the Google translator but we were able to understand it and accepted his kind invitation to a pizza restaurant.

During a gale in December his yacht's halyard had come loose and just happened to be within reach of our wind generator!  One blade disappeared into the water and another was broken which made the whole apparatus unserviceable!!  Luckily, we had a spare set on hand so we could continue to supplement our battery power along with the diesel generator (there is no shore power available in this marina).

Well, the pizza restaurant was indeed a delicious one and we enjoyed our first taste of Italian food in a long time, all washed down with Japanese beer and Australian wine!  We had at least eight starter platters and then a variety of pizzas to choose from as well as good company.  Pam took along her Japanese phrase book and was able to have an interesting conversation with Tomoko, right, as well as several others.  To top off the night, Kikuji (third from right) put us in a taxi back to the marina - about a half-hour drive.  We think the night definitely paid for the wind generator blades!

Winter Drags On

We've just paid up for another month in Odo Marina so no sailing news on the horizon for a while yet.  Since the last post we have had the usual gale pass through and then some fine, sometimes cloudy, sometimes sunny but still very cold weather.

The offer by Jaap and Marijke for another drive into the hills for a walk followed by a hot bath was taken up last Sunday and we visited a local dam.  We saw several birds, including the Dipper Bird which dips and dives into the almost freezing stream water, and came across these shiitake mushrooms growing on pine logs put there for that purpose.  They looked delicious but of course we did not take any.

 

Pam had already visited the same dam back in November and this picture, above left, taken in late autumn is very different from this one, above right, with snow on the roof.  Will we get to see it in the spring?

Jon has had a visit to the dentist to repair a tooth which broke off on Christmas Eve.  A temporary crown has been fitted and a permanent one will take its place on Wednesday.  We have been fortunate to be recommended to an excellent dentist who is also a keen yachtsman.  

We've also celebrated another birthday for Pam by having some friends aboard for dinner - Pam showing off her skill in preparing a local Hakata one-pot dish called mizutaki.  Mitani-san can take the credit for being a good teacher!

Mitani-san keeps watch over the bubbling pot (not exactly what the locals would use, but my SS stock pot did the job)

Good Day, Sunshine!

A sunny but cold day today got us off the boat and out on our bikes for a ride around the bay this morning - more snow is forecast for tomorrow.  

Probably our best view of a calm Hakata Bay yet with Nokonoshima Island.

Along the way are some of the remains of a wall built in 1276 to repel the invading Mongols - they had successfully landed in 1274 but when they invaded again in 1281 the invasion failed because of the 20-kilometre stone wall.  The wall shown here has now been strengthened and the top section reconstructed using the same materials as the original.

This copy of part of a scroll from the late 13th century shows one of the battle scenes at the wall.

Brisbane Floods

Gales, rain and snow seem a trifling matter to us at the moment as we are transfixed watching the internet while our home city of Brisbane is inundated by flood waters.  Flood levels greater than those recorded for over 100 years are pouring down the Brisbane River and associated rivers and streams.  It is a disastrous situation of monumental proportions with the death toll mounting and many more people missing.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected with the hope that the waters recede as quickly as they have risen.

Occasional Sunshine, Sometimes

Week one of the new year has already passed us by and during that time we have had a couple of days of fine weather where we have ventured off the boat.  With Jon still suffering from a cold we have been reluctant to go out into the strong, cold winds and occasional snow so have spent several days below decks keeping warm, doing inside jobs, reading or just taking it easy.



Sunday, the 2nd January was a fine day and we were picked up and taken to a nearby Japanese house for lunch where we were served some of the traditional new year foods.  This plate includes black beans, fish roe, tiny fish, grated daikon and another vegetable, and mashed sweet potato.

Venturing out yesterday morning we had our first experience of ice covering our decks, canvas and other boat fittings as well as on the pontoons.

We later went for a walk just locally in Odo Park.  Being a Saturday the place was full of families with lots of children playing games and also flying kites, like this big dragon kite.

 



Some smoke barely visible on top of this hill soon had the fire brigade in attendance...

and how many fire engines do you think it took?

... well, two large fire trucks, one command vehicle plus a small police car!!

We haven't mentioned these before, but wherever you go and whether along a lonely country road, a suburban or busy city street, these drink vending machines are never far away!!


They offer a variety of drinks and now winter is here, they even offer hot cans of coffee or tea...

... and something we can never imagine being possible in Australia - beer and sake!

Of course, the ubiquitous Coca Cola is never far away either!