My parents have finally returned from their sailing world tour, a good two years after they set off. I was beginning to think they might have opted out of the landlubber life, but no – they’re back now, and they’ve dropped anchor in Canberra.
That’s all well and good – I’m pleased to see them and everything – but they seem to have developed a taste for tropical climates and appear to be a tad challenged by the local winter. It doesn’t help that they got rid of all their warm clothes a few months back when they were hanging out up north over summer. They’re now getting around in thin spray jackets that are completely unsuitable for keeping warm.
The unit they’ve moved into, fortunately, features a pretty sweet ducted heating system. Canberra is finally starting to turn on the really cold weather, and I don’t know where they’d be without indoor climate control. I’ve told dad that I’m taking them both shopping for bedding on the weekend, but in the meantime, they’re cranking the heat 24/7.
Why can’t they go shopping for bedding themselves, you ask? They’re capable of sailing around the world, so surely they’re able to take on a shopping centre, right? Well, apparently they need me to go with them because otherwise they won’t be able to control their newfound desire for luxury homewares.
I wonder if I’ll have to explain other things to them, like how to book a heater service. Canberra hardly has a shortage of companies that do this so, again, you’d think it wouldn’t be a problem. But it seems that living on the high seas for a couple of years does strange things to a person’s ability to run basic errands.
I’m sure they’ll pick it all up again pretty quickly. After all, it was mum who finally convinced me that my reverse cycle air con was responsible for my hayfever symptoms, and that I needed to get it serviced annually. They know what’s what.