Adjusting

The famous Castle Hill with its famous saint graffiti.

Cute street art on a local backpackers hostel front.

It has been a week now since we moved into the marina here in Townsville. So far I've loved the convenience of being able to simply step off the boat and be on land - ready to go out and about without having to fuss with the dinghy. Showers are still a novelty, as is having a laundry close by and unlimited power. Ironically, we have installed more energy efficient LED lights just when we have more power to use! It has been fun exploring this town and finding cool places. I didn't realise that Castle Hill (the only major hill in the area) had a stickman saint painted on it until a chat with my Dad - since then, every time I look up, I see the stickman! It is a local icon that a bunch of bored uni students painted as a prank back in the 60s. Not everyone loves 'The Saint' but it's kind of an interesting feature nonetheless (read more about it here http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2008/09/27/16482_news.html)

Rene at The Rockpool - my first attempt at a panoramic shot... not quite horizontal!

I feel complete again now that I have a replacement waterproof digi camera - I've really struggled while it went away to warranty heaven. I had to pay a little more to get the replacement as the warranty didn't cover everything but I'm super relieved to be snap-happy again!

The last photo my old Olympus 1030 took back in Whitsundays.

First pic with my new Olympus uTough 8010 here in Townsville.

I've been tackling the mould that seemed to find its way into almost everything - especially anything leather (like my handbag!). I've also been tackling the heat of this tropical town! I'm quite worried as it is as hot now as it gets in Brisbane in the middle of summer... and it's only October!!! eeek! I trekked out to Bunnings (public transport here is an experience I wouldn't recommend) and bought a little fan - it has been going non-stop and still I'm sweating like crazy! Hopefully I'll gradually adjust and won't notice it as the temperatures and humidity rise and rise....

Rene has been working full-time and I've been full-time with other projects and things. It's amazing how much there is on my 'to do' list each day. I had a moment of depression last night when we returned from the night markets - after a bit of soul-searching I realised that it's because all I've done all week is work on the boat! I need to do stuff that I enjoy too - not just all chores and housework. There is always more work to do on the boat - always. I need to find ways to enjoy my life here now that we're not really cruising anymore. It will help when we make some friends here too... so I'm looking into ways of meeting like-minded Townsvillians (if they exist?)....!

Rene playing on The Strand... he's such a monkeyrager...

Well... enough procrastinating... it's time for me to attempt to sew a cover for our aft cabin hatch and then maybe get creative on my computer!

I wonder how much supply work (if any) I'll get next week when school returns for term 4?