Rabbits on the Moon

Today I found out about Chang’e, the Chinese Goddess of the Moon. This can be a bit confusing though because she wasn’t so much a goddess OF the moon as a goddess stuck on the moon. Legend has it that she swallowed an immortality pill which was too strong and sent her to the moon, where she’s been ever since. As with all mythical goddesses, she is beautiful. I rather like that and might just dedicate my office to her.

Today Mum shouted me lunch at the King’s Beach Tavern. Interestingly, they have KBT written everywhere inside though heavens only knows what THAT stands for…mum. Anyway, we both had, what the KBT calls fettuccine carbonara. It was delicious and not too big as these meals tend to be. Lorna and Bob were with us and they had schnitzels which were HUGE!

The food was delicious, the beer cold and the company excellent. Bob told me the following story which dates from when he was working on a trawler, with apologies for any facts I may have invented because I forgot the original ones.

They (the crew) were sailing off Moreton island, about 30 nautical miles out to sea from Mount Tempest, the biggest sand hill on the planet. It was so big that sailors would use it to navigate by. About 30 nautical miles out, at a spot they called White Tempest, they were happily fishing in a heavy swell.

Then, suddenly, the seas started swelling a bit too much, making the trawler heave, up and down and side to side. The seasoned old salts thought nothing of it but one young lad suddenly turned a virulent shade of green and started throwing up over the side. And he didn’t stop throwing up. It was the worst case of throwing up ever seen in a trawler off Moreton island.

The captain decided they should probably return to the mainland but the swell was so big they had to hug the leeward side of the island rather than head direct for the shore diagonally. The poor green lad was not looking any better so they all decided to let him off on the island, hoping he’d feel a bit better before they headed home.

This was not a good idea. The young fellow decided a life at sea was definitely not for him. He was determined to go native and never leave the island. Moreton Island is around 186 square km and made of sand. It’s not somewhere any sane person would choose to live. The crew decided they had to get him back.

A big chase ensued (the storm and sea was still raging) and they finally brought him down, dragging him back to the boat, kicking and screaming. Someone had the foresight to bring along some rope. The only way they could get him back on the boat was to tie him up and lash him to the deck. Then they set off for the mainland.

He never went on a boat for the rest of his life and could never look at a fish without going pale…or so Bob reckons.

The Japanese and Koreans believe there is a jade rabbit on the moon making rice cakes. I rather like that idea though would prefer if it was making cheese.