Misfits Mid Life Crisis Adventures in ………….. Mozambique.

Week 22, Saturday 15 to Friday 21 November 2014.

This week I have mainly been listening to…..   Sophie B Hawkins, Eminem, Kate Bush, Amy Winehouse,

And have been watching…. Fringe (Season 2 & 3), Atlantis (Season 2, eps 1), Knocked up, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

And reading…… Morrissey autobiography (again)

Saturday, my day off and a very hot day it was. I didn’t really leave the house apart from stand on the porch and watch the sea. I spent a lot of time looking out of the kitchen window at 2 cats asleep by next doors water tank. Jenny had mentioned a bird with red on it, today I saw it and have been informed by Tofo answer to Bill Oddie (the lovely Frida) it’s a male scarlet chested sunbird, I watched it for ages fluttering from flower to flower, its very much like a humming bird putting it’s long beak in to the flower. Apart from that i watched episode after episode of Fringe. I did get a lovely phone call from Michael one of the DMT’s who was drinking with a group of really nice people that we dived with this week asking if I wanted a drink, I should have gone, I didn’t. Today was an epic day of nothingness.

Sunday, was woken up at 1am by thunder and lightning, it was an impressive storm visually and audio wise. We were warned the weather could get worse from today. It’s rained pretty much all day.   The sea in the bay was bizarrely flat very flat meaning that the launch and landing were easy. The further we went the bigger the waves, it felt worse due to the wind and the rain. And it was the rain that was the real problem it hits your face like needles, the spray and the rain meant I was blind in one eye while rubbing the other to see (in fact buy the end of the day I noticed that the eye I had closed is a little infected the upper lid is a slightly swollen). 2 nice dives, one to a new site for me called “Table top”, it’s very flat but there are no tables. On the way to the site we were treated to a Humpback and calf, my first in 2 weeks and probably the last I will see this year, I hope I’m in Tofo when they return next year. I have such happy memories of wonderful encounters with Humpbacks and calf’s since June. The second dive was to “Mikes Cupboard”, highlight was a sea snake wriggling on the sea bed. I Skyped with both sisters this evening which was very nice (and watched episode 1 of new Atlantis…. Still a geek). On a sad not Suunto one of the new dive shop owners puppies passed away last night, very sad and upsetting, he brought a lot of love to the centre those few days he was there. His brother PADi is also not well, but clinging on, fingers crossed.

Monday, I woke up early and found that the internet dongle is not working again, it’s almost a month since it failed last time…… bugger. It worked perfectly well last night for skype and normal net stuff. Maybe the computer is rebelling after I made it show Atlantis eps 1 of new season… got to watch this technology (Skynet….. Terminator anyone????). It has rained all day, it’s windy and to be honest its chilly, yes I took my jacket as I didn’t want to look too out of place (it’s like at home in winter I carry a jacket but don’t wear it often coz I’m hot all the time), this is the most rain I have experienced here. We set up for an early morning dive, but it was soon called off due to the weather. As a result i carried on painting first the cupboard then a large map of the area on the wall. I mentioned last week that painting on walls is new to me but I really enjoy it, this map is artier then doing then the pre designed Logo as I could make changes and adjustments (who would really notice). I was working off a satellite picture of the area; one problem is I was limited to a few colours Yellow, Orange, Black, White and Turquoise. I will try to finish it tomorrow. On a wet weather day like this we should have games like in school (because you couldn’t go in the playground). Carlos my computer friend came round but after a couple of hours has failed this time to sort the dongle out, he has taken it away and will return tomorrow fingers crossed. TOFO Summer nature watch continues, I found a tiny scorpion in my bathroom just before I was going to take a shower, I took picture of it with a 500 met note for scale, I managed to get it tin a glass and tipped it outside.  More sad news today, PADi the puppy passed away last night, it would appear that both of them were already ill, it’s very sad and upsetting  I don’t think anymore could have been done, there were no signs that they were ill before they started to get weak towards the end of last week.

Tuesday, apart from dark clouds and lots of wind I started the day seeing one of next doors cats in there tree house by the water tank, laying on a corner all cuddled up attempting to keep dry and warm. I rushed to get the camera and guess what it had moved to the other side, it was obviously not really that comfortable after all. Had a text from the bosses to say that I (we) didn’t have to come in till 9 which was nice. When I got in I found out that we weren’t going to launch due to weather (though poor Nadia ended up in the pool all day… brrrr cold), so I did more painting made place name stencils for the map I must look up about stencils as paper ones are really not good, they flood and leak and absorbs the paint, after cutting out the words and painting and touching up it looks ok. My next project was to paint a Humpback on the front of the counter, however i got a little paint happy (carried away) due to the fumes I think, as I ended up doing Mantas, Devil Rays, Whale Shark, Dolphin and Turtles as well as the humpback, all the major marine life that people come to Tofo to see. In the evening I went to Martina again. BREAKING NATURE news, there seems to only be 2 nests now (there were 4 last week, but it was tough to see as it was dark). Martina made lovely food and then did my nails while we watched Knocked up. Due to the fact that the gel came off so quickly last week Martina really made sure that the nails were cooked (you put your fingers under a UV lamp) well. Went to bed with dragon fire coloured (red) nails, I’m a tramp….

Wednesday, the weather has cleared its sunny and we have white clouds again. On the way to the dive site we saw Humpback again, this MUST be the last of the season, still great to see, “never bored of a Humpback”. First dive to Giants and I saw a huge reef manta so happy, it turns out there was another but I didn’t see this as I was on the drop with a customer at the time. During the decent when I breathed in at one point I swallowed a mouthful of sea water, it’s as if my regulator sucked in the water as I breathed in, I was not worried as I breathed out straight away and purged my reg, also I could have used my alterative reg. If it happens again maybe I will need to do something. The second dive was to the mighty salon a shallow site, the lovely Anna a fellow DM lead and I borrowed a camera so I hope I got some nice shots, a gentle relaxed dive. Saw a hermit crab (I think it was) with yellow legs with spiky looking black hairs, very strange looking. During the afternoon while the others were on a rescue training dive I continued to painting with gloves (from when I dyed my hair) to protect my nails (I was under orders by Martina to use gloves). I did second coats on the silhouettes of marine life and the cupboard. Satu (one of the bosses) has asked me to paint another wall will think up idea’s. Tried to get cat food this evening but the only supermarket in town (it’s not in town its near) was closed, and I tried to get money out of the cashpoint at the petrol station nothing. I have managed to borrow some cat food from Chris it meant I got to see his kittens (all three are so sweet).   Michael a DMT has also had probs with money, were with the same bank so fingers crossed that I can draw some out in Inhambane, otherwise I have 500mets (£10.00) to my name. Sunday I did get my first payment for DM work (woo hoo) but that’s gone on getting the computer sorted and paying for net credit. So I do need to get money out…. Fingers crossed. BREAKING NEWS, Alice Cooper came back today, and hung about for a while being quite sociable, so good to see Alice back at Liquid.

Thursday, a beautiful morning walking to the shop, not too cold, not too hot just right. I was on shop all day today so I didn’t dive or Ocean Safari, but it did mean I got to carry on with the dive site maps. I haven’t done much about them the last couple of weeks due to the painting so today I spent working on them, there are 15 or more maps to be produced. Michael and I took the Green Dragon (the very old TOP Gear style African Land rover, nothing works on the dash and the driver door doesn’t close you have to use string or your elbow), I drove it to the petrol station to get deasil. Michael drove it back, so rickety and rusty but lots of fun (yesterday I drove my bosses automatic to collect one of his sons, 2^nd time driving an auto very nice) Good news I have money it must be something to do with the cash point at the petrol station and Jemima also has cat food thanks to the lovely Chis.

Friday, I have to admit the highlight was rubbing after sun in to Mike’s bald patch, lol. There were other highlights if I’m honest. Went on a double tank, a dolphin passed us on the way to the first dive site. At Manta reef we had a Turtle on the surface as we were kitting up for the drop, however nothing big seen on the dive. But at Simons Town a cheeky reef manta sneaked up on us, Johnny pulled my fin I turned around and there it was next to me a couple of metres away. Slowly everyone saw this quite small manta pass by so lovely. On the way back we came across 2 whale sharks, I actually only saw one (I missed the other as I faffed about getting in the water). I also had a small bout of sea sickness as we were coming back, first in a month or so. Lunch was chicken and chips at Rasta’s very nice but takes a long time to be prepared, worth it though. I closed up the dive shop all very quiet here in Tofo, but things will liven up later as people hit the Hotel. I’m due to Skype with my sister later which will be nice. Not sure when Jenny is back from SA might be over the weekend; I’ve eaten all her lasagna and the cheese cake she left…..oops.

End of what is a perfect Tofo week, Humpbacks (waving goodbye to them), Manta, Whale Sharks, Dolphins and Turtles, what other reason is there to come to Tofo…. The adventure continues….