The past week, minced and served cold like a meatloaf of words

If you don't like meatloaf, imagine this as an impressionistic film montage, in black and white with some tasteful Norah Jones backing it up.

Spent all Friday copy editing something that actually needed a re-write. Written by a very nice lady who I couldn't bear to upset with this news. Why do people think that really long sentences are better than a couple of short sentences? And why does no-one ever use commas anymore?

I have just realised that the huge tub of Nutella on the counter at deli is real. It looks like about 5kg, and it has a $70 price tag.

Now I have realised that this post is going to be mostly about the Wooden Boat Festival. So - the black and white bit ends here really. Geez, I am a crap director. If you are going with the meatloaf metaphor, here is where you realise "Ah - this is mostly Budget Mince".

We went along to the Wooden Boat Festival yesterday. It coincides with the Royal Hobart Regatta and Navy Week, so things were about as boaty as they could be. As we arrived from a behind-the-stage direction, a lively funk-jazz combo was belting out tunes. The roadies behind the stage were all in crisp white. Gradually it dawned on me that they were naval personnel, not roadies, and in fact the musos on stage were in uniform as well. It was an Official Naval Tactical Response Funk-Jazz Combo. As we walked in they were tearing apart The Kinks’ You Really Got Me

Featuring electric bass and guitar, trumpet, trombone, rock drums and a number of singers, it was like a cross between Earth Wind & Fire, and the Battle of the Coral Sea. The fully naval girl singer (who was probably a Petty Officer or something) was leaving nothing in reserve - she was like Chrissie Amphlett meets Captain Stubing. As we licked our ice-creams, they kicked into Play That Funky Music, White Boy.

Meanwhile, a man with two kids walked past, moved aside a piece of the head-high security fence, and just walked out. His car was parked just outside (we had walked about 15 minutes from ours). While the boys sat by a bollard, he brought over an esky. From it he produced a glass preserving jar, and a fork. The kids looked uninterested. He proceeded to eat things from the jar. The first thing was green and drippy. The next thing was grey and squishy. The 3rd thing was white and ... OK, now I couldn't stand to watch. He seemed to have an assortment of wet, cold things in there.

Our own lunch consisted of Potato Tornados! These were new to us but may not be to you. I am told they were a big hit at the Falls Festival. A regular sized potato is popped into a doodad and then a handle is cranked - the doodad cuts it into a spiral. This is then threaded onto a stick and, of course, deep fried. The spiral is only 3 or 4mm thick, so it gets good and saturated in fat - probably slightly less than MacDonalds fries, but that's not saying much. They were delicious.

After that we went over to the far side of Sullivans Cove where the HMAS Parramatta was tied up. There were free tours so we toured it. I thought it was a patrol boat but it is (I think) a Fast Heavy Frigate. There were guns you could pick up and wave about! They were pretty heavy though. The kevlar vests were really heavy. None of these sailors were shaking tambourines - these guys were for real.

Apart from things I have related, we looked at 12,504 wooden boats. Wooden boats are nice. Some are very, very nice. I admire the skill involved in making a boat out of wood. I admire the capable, weatherbeaten, often bearded types who make and sail the boats. More than that, I cannot say.

Possibly inspired by yesterday, today Michael has made a boat skeleton out of magnets, and I have paddled the wave ski on Browns River for the first time this summer. We are working on the beards.