There is a never ending line at the icecream shop. $2.50 for two scoops is a bargain in anyone’s language. Colin and I share one each day – whoever stands in the line gets to choose the flavours.
Sand flies are a mongrel and they particularly like Colin and Johanna. Colin has more than twenty bites, and that’s just on the bottom of his legs. They are infuriatingly itchy. We are stocking up on stingose.
The South West Rocks County Club Sunday lunch special wasn’t particularly special. What can you expect for $13.80 buffet. It was not the limited and conservative range of food that disappointed (we were expecting that) it was the poor quality. Johanna had her first taste of Baked Custard/Bread and Butter Pudding (some debate over which it was) and was not impressed.
Wind direction and currents are important at beaches (not just for surfing, I’ve already been told that) but because certain directions bring sea lice which sting.
Speaking of currents, they also affect sea temperature. The water can be a beautiful 23 degrees here and 45 minutes South at Crescent Head it can be a chilly 18 degrees. Johanna and I donned full wetsuits and rode our bogey boards down the swift flowing creek to the sea. Colin had a very disappointing attempt at surfing at the iconic beach. Never mind he’ll be back with his surf buddy (Zac) next week to conquer a wave.
An iconic moment at an iconic beach (Crescent Head)
Grassy banks sloping onto beaches are the best, you can get off the sand, find some shade and wile away many a lazy afternoon (punctuated by an icecream of course) We would know, Horseshoe Bay has become our second home this week. The only drawback for Colin (and a big one at that) is that it doesn’t have rideable waves.
Summer, yurting and fish go together beautifully. Unfortunately not the kind that we have managed to catch, only the kind purchased from a shop. We are eating lots of fish and loving it. (Pink Ling with Thai style dressing tonight)
Canoes can be skilfully guided in the mangroves and paddles can be used to push away from trees. We found that out this morning when we hired a canoe and took it out on the local creek.
$1 coins are valuable; you need four of them to do a load of washing. Patience is also a valuable commodity when you are waiting for a machine to become free. We figured out it is better to do a load of washing in the evening and then your clothes are almost dry by the morning and you can avoid the long queue, machines at a premium and limited space on the clothes line necessitating some creative hanging.
Almost three weeks into our month away and we are all feeling pretty ‘chilled’. We move at a slow pace, take the day as it comes, decide as we go, make the most of each moment….
