Horseshoe Bay

Langdale Ferry docking

I went to the office Thursday, and it’s a good thing I did, because I realised in the morning that it’s a long weekend and Friday’s ferry situation would be horrendous. As it was, Thursday was a hell of a lot busier than I’d ever expected. I’d missed the 8:04 bus, and thought I might be able to get a co-op car if I was really, really lucky. I managed to find one in the West End that was available for the entire day, but it wasn’t due back until 9:00am. The ferry I was supposed to take left Horseshoe Bay at 9:30, so only if the car was returned before 9:00 would I be able to make it, and even then it would definitely require speeding.

8:50: In the alley, waiting impatiently for the car at its empty parking spot.
8:57: Getting anxious. I phone the car co-op to inform them the car still wasn’t back.
9:00: Phone the office, leave a message, telling them that I was trying to get a co-op car, but it would take a miracle to make the ferry.
9:07: Red Ford Focus wagon finally cruises up the alley. The guy apologises, and I try to hurry him up. I call the co-op to tell them I want the car the entire day, ’till 11pm.

I zoomed off to to Horseshoe Bay, but the traffic was typical of a long weekend — heavy and filled with vehicles laden down with bikes and all manner of weekend gear. It made for slow going, especially because there are probably more of the less-experienced drivers and tourists out there, hogging the fast lane and looking at the scenery. When I arrived at Horseshoe Bay terminal, the lady at the toll booth said there is a possibility I might be able to catch the 9:30 ferry, but it wasn’t looking good…

The ferry queues were incredible, but I was hopeful, since the ferry was still docked. The lane beside me was moving quickly, but mine was at a total standstill, so hope faded… finally, the ferry pulled away HALF AN HOUR late, so that meant the next ferry would be half an hour late, too: 11:45. Since I’ve been doing this Sunshine Coast run for five years (wow), I’m a specialist in time-killing. As long as I have my phone, a fully-charged battery, and my Jabba earphone for comfort and noise reduction, I’m all set.

The first person I reached was Jorgen, who was at the (*pun alert*) tail end of his cat-sitting stint in Copenhagen. His daughter and son-in-law have two cats who amuse each other and sleep all day, so it was a piece of cake in comparison to his gig looking after Miss Hortense — high-maintenance kitty princess. We discussed his progress on trying to capture a night photo of the neon Carlsberg sign, visible from the balcony of his daughter’s apartment. My favourite photos are night shots, so I have experimented with settings and household items that stand in for tripods.

My ferry was approaching, so I took some photos while it was pulling in. Egads, have I turned into a ferry-spotter???

Made a couple more phone calls on the ferry — several attempts to reach Claire in Orléans (south of Paris), but I couldn’t reach her on her mobile, and I confused her mother when I tried to ring Claire at home… I managed to get through to Manu in Paris, and we had a nice long chat while I watched boats and islands go by in Jervis Inlet. Seems we’re both in need of some venting about the state of our lives. Manu wants to move to Vancouver, and he’s overworked at his current job. We only had time to hang out in Paris together for the afternoon a few months ago, before I had to race to catch the train to Etaples to meet Jerome, but I had this feeling of familiarity right after I met him. I hope he does make it here, so we can hang out more often, but — truth be told — if he stays in Paris I won’t complain about visiting him there!!

This is the current state of the multiplex.

I call it the multiplex because the building is multi-purpose — this photo shows the front of the office, facing the ocean. The tall section is a clocktower, as the first owner originally intended, before he died (yes, rather morbid — he built this house for his two daughters, then died when it was not much more than a frame). The clock itself is made especially for this tower, but it cost thousands, so Kevin decided to give it a miss… we joked that we would paint a clock face ourselves and somebody would have to manually turn the hour and minute hands!

I saw the downstairs suite for the first time, and it’s HUGE. It’s a fully self-contained suite that would be suitable to rent out as holiday accommodation, but it’s large enough to be an in-law suite, as well. In Australia I remember them being called granny suites.

Thing is, most lower-floor suites don’t have a view like this.

It has its own entrance, a large kitchen (that’s the size of my living room), and floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that face the ocean.

The house will take some time (and money) to complete, but it’s an exciting project to watch unfold. I know Carol and Kevin are ready to tear their hair out over the complications, but in a few years, once they’re settled in and can enjoy the fruits of their labour, they will be glad they made the choice to buy this house. It’s gorgeous.