Tomorrow - depending on whether or not you regard the sun's position in
regard to the equator as important? - is the first day of Spring.  Today was
perfect Spring weather for the Diving Historical (Hysterical?) Societies
annual, "let's make certain that all of this old gear really works"
gathering at the RAN's Diving School at HMAS PENGUIN, in Middle Harbour.

Today, I forwent the pleasures of diving with twin-hose regs, or 'breathers,
and let other people do all of the hard work by dressing me in a canvas
suit, lead boots, corselet and then jamming a Chinese helmet on my head so
that I could go for a dive.  Despite all of my insistence on the importance
of planning, we all overlooked a vitally important detail in the grand
scheme of things, i.e. ensuring that the ladder is first made firmly secure
to the jetty!!!  :-)

I was helped onto the top rung and, with both hands firmly grasping its
sides, prepared to descend.  The ladder beat me to it!  Weighted down with
about 180 lbs, my water entry failed to qualify for the daintiest of the
day!  Fortunately we were only in about 4-metres of water and once I'd
disentangled the lines and extricated my boots from the ladder's rungs, I
went walk-about!  The comms system chose to pack up the ghost!  No problems,
I thought, I'll just resort to line signals.  I tugged on the umbilicals.
The tender obviously wasn't au fait with the code.  Every time I gave a pull
on the lines he payed out more hose.  :-)))

Nevertheless, it was a great day spent in good company with thirty or forty
people who, between them, have enough comedy material to fill an
encyclopedia! :-)

And because somebody saw fit, (while I was sitting waiting for my attendants
to secure the helmet in place) to put the galvanised bucket used for holding
all of the breastplate bolts, over my head, I have a great picture, the
caption of which will probably go something like, "In the good old days,
when I were down an 'undred feet or more ..."  :-))))

Strike