Steve and I are on opposite ends of the time zone spectrum; his late night is my early morning. We usually are able to connect as I am dragging myself out of bed and he is crawling into his. But this week either he hasn’t been able to stay up late or I haven’t been…
A Feast for the Eyes
I love going to the market. I am not sure why I am drawn to these places wherever we go. Maybe it’s because fresh vegetables are scarce when we are at sea. Or because I love trying new foods. Maybe it’s because I like supporting local people. Maybe it’s because I can live without meat…
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Galley Notes: Let them eat Cake!
No matter which way you slice it, for me, birthdays are all about the cake. Cake did not make a regular appearance on the family menu when I was growing up. There were desserts, mostly seasonal, like strawberry rhubarb pie, blueberry grunt and apple crisp. There were raisin oatmeal cookies, to dunk in your tea…
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Galley Notes: What’s for dinner, Dhal?
I have promised these two recipes to a couple people so thought that I would share with everyone what has quickly become a regular staple in our menu since learning the tricks from a lovely Indian lady up the road a few months ago. Dhal and roti are two very simple things to cook but…
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"Nothing Without Labour"
This is the slogan painted on the primary school in the village of Viseisei down the road from the marina. When I take the early morning bus to town it doubles as the local school bus. For half the ride there is a crush of neatly uniformed little boys and girls piling into the seats…
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A Different Angle on Things
I woke up this morning feeling rested for what seems like the first time in over three weeks. The difference was noticeable not only to me but to Steve, whom I spoke to via Skype at 0630 this morning, after brushing my teeth but before making coffee. He said I sounded like I had pep…
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A Glass of Perspective
I went to happy hour this week at the marina bar. Arriving by myself I sat at the only empty chair at the bar and ended up having a couple very interesting conversations. Sitting on my left was Italian single-hander. We communicated completely in French as he spoke no English and beyond a few culinary…
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A Slice of Life
I feed people. I make loaves of bread as thank yous, I cook meals for single-handers about to depart on passages, I make jars of jam and can’t resist giving half of them away. I have even been known to buy baguettes at market at 5am and slip them into peoples cockpits as a wake…
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What’s in a Name?
I was suppose to be a Mary. Right up until my Mother was in the throws of labour at the hospital. If I was born a girl I was going to be named Mary. But then, when asked just before I made my appearance, my Mother declared that I would be called Heather. As if…
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Life is the Pits!
Not everything goes to plan, at least not in our world. We were out, sailing around the Mamanuca (pronounced MamanuTHa) and Yasawa islands here on the western side of Fiji, enjoying ourselves and the pretty little deserted island we were anchored at, when we got an email. Yep, thanks to our recent upgrade in technology…
