Dolphins

My lovely husband Jonty took it upon himself to purchase a little old boat the day before Christmas. He has lovingly scrubbed it and nurtured it back into a usable vessel and this morning we ventured out in the still morning (7am) to have our first family outing in it. We went to Lyttelton Harbour and confidently prepared the boat and ourselves for the launch. I suggested to Jonty that he 'drove' the boat off the trailer which he was unsure of, being more measured and less 'rip shit and bust' than me. However, he did drive the boat off into the harbour without incident and I drove off to park the car. I jumped aboard off the jetty and away we went.
Nic was nervous and kept us under strict speed controls, or so he thought. I received a lesson on how to lower the motor, start the engine, reverse and flat out motoring. I loved it although my neck just can't handle it that well. ITtwas good to have a practice run before we head off on holiday. At least I know that pain killers will be a must for all journeys.Upon arrival back at the slipway I suggested that I back the trailer down the ramp and Jonty drove the boat onto the trailer. A challenge for both of us. I did get down the ramp in one hit and then we winched her on. We were proud as punch of our total team effort in such a smooth inaugural journey. We have both had plenty of experience with different boats but a new toy and slightly different roles could have proved tricky but I knew it wouldn't. We are a complementary team.

Two highlights for me was the landing on Quail Island, a place I am ashamed to say I have never been and having dolphins joining us as we tootled around the inner harbour being dwarfed by large ships.
I was talking to my friend Alex over a glass of bubbly the other night and saying how 'samey' the years seemed around this time as we go to our bach then camping at Totaranui every year. There are the usual visits to the market, picnics on the peninsula, making jam from the plums in the garden and other's strawberries and it all feels a bit like 'ground hog day'. She very wisely pointed out that the things that will punctuate the year and make a difference are likely to be our parents illnesses and aging as is happening to our friends. This made me think that the sameness was actually ok. And how this links to this post? Well, learning to drive a power boat and having dolphins visit for a chat and a few puffs are new and different things. Thus, sameness is ok and the differences are going to be small but lovely, and that is ok.