#3

Sunday April 16 2006

Your friend Kel, who is 14 as I am writing this today, bought himself an old Mazda ute for $250 a couple of weeks ago and is in the process of "doing it up". At present he is taking the old tray off and because you are really really good at drawing plans, he asked you to draw a rendition of his ideas on paper. This you did today and yes you are very talented. We went around there for a bbq tea and when you showed him your drawings, he was rapt.

You are staying overnight to help him out with some cleaning up underneath said ute tray, you packed the overalls which Ian gave you and wore your new white DC tshirt, you forgot your boxers to sleep in .... ... Do you remember what you said when I asked you what were you going to sleep in and you replied 'my brand new jeans', then I asked 'why not just your jocks' and you looked at me horrified and said 'Oh no, not at a friend's place". I didn't realise you were still sensitive like that, lol. I guess I'm only mum, the one who is sometimes pretty dumb, lol.

Now I will continue the story of your early beginnings where I left off yesterday. We sailed along the east coast of Tasmania, we were becalmed for two days in 43 degree heat, you should have seen the suntan we got, we both looked like black people from the reflection on the useless sails and the mirror sea. Such an enormous contrast to the wild conditions we experienced a few days earlier. We eventually caught some breezes and called in at Bicheno for an overnighter and the weather changed to squalls and a great sailing wind. We called in at a treasure of a place, Wineglass Bay. It looked like a tropical island beach with coral sands and beautiful blue water but the temperature was totally wrong .. way too cold.

In these beautiful surroundings we camped on the beach, drank a lot, hiked up to the lookout, fished, snorkelled and had a great time with other yachties and hikers. It was new year's eve 1988. It was also time for my period to show itself, still no sign and by now that funny little ache had disappeared. I said nothing to M or anything else but at 12pm. the change from 1988 to 1989 I silently said a little prayer that perhaps I had really conceived and that a new page in my book was about to turn over.

More soon, Love from mum XXXXXXX