April 26th 2009 - New passport

April 26th 2009

A weekend at home ..

This week was pretty hard on me. Tuesday and Wednesday we had pressure tests on board our vessels, which means working until 8 or 9 at night. The pressure tests are done this late to avoid having too many workers on board while we are testing the strength of the pipe lines using high pressure nitrogen. If something goes wrong, we surely don't want too many people around. In the beginning it took a little effort to convince the yard that a pressure test is a potential dangerous procedure and that everybody would be better off doing it after work-hours. But after we had an accident during a pressure test, they realized that we weren't joking. So now - in the name of safety - I am stuck with these long work-days!!

Thursday I had to go pick up my new passport at the Royal Danish Consulate in Busan. Paula came along to keep me company - as usual she fell asleep riding shotgun !! She wouldn't have survived many stagecoach trips in the old West!!! On the way back we stopped by at the Hyundai Department Store to have her new watch adjusted to her wrist. That woke her up - shone like a sun for days thereafter !! I think this is what is keeping her awake these last nights, although she says it must be something other than that !

So with three late days, I wasn't really looking forward to Friday's trip to Geoje. Especially as I hadn't slept very well and had awoken with a sore throat and heavy head. Paula lit a candle for her Buddha and asked for rain, so the inspection would be cancelled. Señor Buddha reacted swiftly ... just as I started the car, the phone started buzzing in my pocket: The inspection had been cancelled !!

Friday evening was spent at home with Paula and many cups of tea ! And so was Saturday. And Sunday! Well almost only, as we went over to Gokhan and Mari's place on Saturday night for Gin&Tonics and reindeer meat ! Colin was also there after having been in hiding ever since he returned from Singapore. He said he'd been working hard, but they all say that !! (... me included!). I should go easy on him here, as he brought Paula two packets of WASA crisp bread from Singapore. She just LOVES her WASA !!!

Tonight, Sunday, our Korean friends will come over for lasagna. They have never tried lasagna before and I am a little curious about how they will handle the logistics of eating the lasagna without chopsticks!

Oh, by the way .... Congratulations with the grandson, Val !!