96. All that frolics is not necessarily for following

COSTA DA CAPARICA - LISBON - PORTUGAL

Brian and Sheena paddling

After a massive hunt* for the Disco keys I gave up and used the spares - always deadly. Plugged in the Disco and everything worked, bar the brake lights which I have yet to tackle as the fault is in the Disco and the high level stop light which needs bulbs - tomorrows job.

Today was warm, lovely in fact, so a trip to the beach was in order and very glad we did. Children (ours and Mary) frolicking in the surf induced me to shed kit and gamble merrily into the first six inches of water, then stride manfully (in my opinion, not observers) up to my knees then, with flapping hands and gulps, up to my waist when I dived through the next wave. To be fair, I didn't actually get a head-freeze but it did diminish my resolve to continue for long (definition of long - about a minute). It crossed my mind - if this is the Gulf Stream that keeps the UK from freezing, two thousand kilometres north, then the UK must be a bloody cold place if this water warms it!

The little local supermarket has two freezers of fish, little chicken and no beef. On the storekeepers advice I bought frozen fish steaks for both families and ignored his advice to fry and baked them in the Giantavan. Wow, firm, fantastic and only ten euro. Will be repeating.

Our local, on a December Wednesday

* Turned up tonight in Fyfes bed