The Ordinary Things

Some may think all we do is loll around in ports, foreign cities or sailing to new destinations. However ordinary things too need to be done. We also need to keep our minds engaged.

Running out of clothes or using that towel for too long also needs a solution. Washing.

Pavlov was not given a washing machine. Imagine the power it would consume. I have met other cruisers with machines, but they usually don’t live full time on board or spend a lot of time in marinas. Our washing machine is two part. One part plastic cylinder the other part muscle: usually mine.

Wonder wash  given to us by Sarah in Orhanyie

Manual labour has its pluses. Mindfulness. I can immerse myself in the task and while away hours. It is also a healthy activity, particularly for my right arm. I used to try to turn the machine around so both arms were exercised but I gave up on that idea up.

Water is always of concern. At the moment we are at anchor and it is blowing so we wont be leaving this safe anchorage for a day or two probably. Keeping water available for drinking and cooking is vital. So washing wont be done for a while.

When done our safety lines provide nearly ample space for drying. I have only personally lost one t- shirt and one pair of pants in the time on board.  I think.

Yesterday I decided I would start to time timetable my time when at anchor, not going ashore investigating new places. Listening to a podcast of the Radio National Health Report at 3am last night on Alzeimers  reinforced this idea. Keeping the mind active when sailing or anchoring is not a problem. New things or solving problems is food for the brain. But there are times when we sit and sit, so organizing ones’s time is essential. You do get bored after a while.

 Reading is of course easy. I like real paper books so this is a problem in non English speaking countries. Fortunately we picked some up at Yacht Marine last year and a couple gave us some of their old books a while ago. I don’t like the e books. I think it’s the light, or something. But we have some of those, a 1000, if I really get into trouble.

Then there is music. I liked learning the guitar before we left Australia but they were too big for the boat so we took them back last year. I brought my Blues Harp which I try to play. And then I bought two drums: in Turkey then Greece.

These are fun to play. The bigger is loud. So I practise usually out on the deck while Steve plays guitar in the saloon. But then in Voulos I decided to buy a guitar again! Bright red! Trying to play it again has been great. Steve had been keeping my timing in check. Theory lessons also are part of the deal. 

As a child I liked to draw so Derwent pencils, of course, paper and crayons have been purchased. Drawing is also a mindful pursuit. Hours pass trying to get it just right. The crayons were forging the pencils a little harder. Fortunately I am an impressionist.

In November we go to Berlin for a month. So German lessons from the net also take up some space on my Nano. This takes determination. I did 4 years of German at school so this helps. We should be doing the same with Turkish and Greek. I did listen to some lessons, but that was hard work so a few key words we try to remember.

The internet when available has to be the best source of entertainment. The SMH, BBC news, emails, Abc podcasts, researching new ports or our other excursions into foreign lands like Israel, Rome and London. I love researching and the net is essential. Of course downloading TV series must not go unmentioned as it is our nightly entertainment, unless it is hot day and we also have Midday at the movies. We close the curtains, get out the cold drinks, or coffee and slide into our positions on the couch for an hour or two.

Today I am going to timetable myself, like back at school, to keep those brain cells healthy. Might do a spot of boat maintenance or cleaning too: forgot to mention those activities.