Today was a rest from railway tourism. We set about our chores, boat cleaning and laundrey. All the time we have been here we have seen no sign of the advertised laundrey room, neither was it marked on our site map. It seemed prudent to go unburdened to the marina office to ask for directions. On our way there we spotted a small flock of green parrots bathing in a puddle, left by the sprinkler system.

They looked very young, all fluffed up preening. I had not brought the camera, but John was able to take a couple of shots with his phone, before they darted off, up to the top of the palm trees with flashes of fluorescent wing. There they cawed about us in protest. Now we keep an eye out for them, and though they are well camouflaged in the palm trees, where we realise they have sprawling grass nests. They are so noisy we usually spot them.

The laundrette turned out to be about as far away from the boat as possible in this huge marina. We marched past the ranks of restaurant callers with our dirty washing big bags, one or two still tried to persuade us to stop for a drink all the same. We walked all the way round, across the car park on the other side and finally to the laundrey room, filled three big machines and went to the diving bar next door for a coffee. Divers like very strong coffee. Buzzing, we decided to use up some of our accumulating shrapnel on the tumble dryers, thus enabling the boat cleaning to commence straight away on our return. I went to transfer the goods and John ordered us lunch and we sat amongst the old guys eating salad and small fried fish.