Thursday, April 23, 2015

Windmills of the Mind?

Hello Dhaaarlings...

These large contraptions were spotted on our recent Seaside Sojourn...

It's a Wind Farm of course...
Built to satisfy the increasing demand for electricity to power the never ending growth of housing, business and electronic devices...


Some of the locals apparently kicked up such a "hoo har" that construction was delayed for many years as thousands and thousands of dollars went into lining the pockets of various lawyers...

Something to do with the environmental impact and the effects of building these structures on the habitat of local endangered wildlife namely... this little critter





I figure there isn't much hope for an endangered species if it's likely to go flying into something this big!

I'm quite sure that one of them flew directly into the windscreen of my car during the trip, it was the flash of orange and yellow feathers that caught my eye...

It distracted me from viewing the lovely windmill.

Friday, April 10, 2015

A Seaside Adventue... and I didn't even get a toe wet!

Hello Dhaaarlings...

The Empress and I have returned home safely from our seaside adventure without even getting a toe wet!

Sadly the weather was against us... Mostly cloudy and overcast with the occasional fleeting scrap of sunshine and very strong cold southerly winds every time we hit the beach.

Venus Bay

Cape Liptrap

Cape Liptrap Lighthouse

Walkerville Beach.
Sadly the beaches of my childhood have suffered from erosion over the almost 50 years since my last visit...


I'm quite sure that the rocks were much bigger and the sand a lot whiter


The rock pools remain pretty much the same...


And the flotsam and jetsam remain similar


Although I don't remember seeing him before


But he might have been there all those years ago and I just didn't notice as I ran past in haste, slopping water from my sand bucket full of crabs and starfish to show to Nanna back at camp...

We did however manage to visit with friends and neighbours that we had not seen for over 20 years since all moving away in different directions.
It was lovely catching up with them, their grown up families and and grand children which was just marvellous.
It was like we new them all already even though we'd only maintained phone conversations in all that time.
Lots of "Do you remember when..." and "What about "That" party we had..." 
There were many late nights of just sitting around and talking and sharing family stories and catching up on life.

The Empress was in her element... Well she has been known to "Talk the legs off an iron Pot" and good times were had by all  wandering the halls of friendship memory and loving reminiscence.





Friday, April 3, 2015

A Seaside Adventure....

Hello Dhaaarlings...

Princess...


And the Empress... 




Are off for a seaside adventure!
 It's the Easter long weekend and as We've not had a holiday for so long have decided that this is now the time...
The Empress has her baggage packed already and will be joining me on our sojourn...

I've not been to the seaside for probably over 10 years and have almost forgotten what it is like to dip ones stocking clad foot into the foamy brine...

I'm looking forward to having that salty fluid sprayed and sloshed upon my person once again...

I'm hoping to revisit some of the beaches of my childhood...
Miles and miles of white sand, rolling surf, rock-pools full of starfish and sea-squirts, unimaginably strange and wondrous critters that scuttled and darted or swam or squelched and slithered incredibly slowly or just lolled about... Even some that glowed in the dark turning, waves and the sand the vegetation the power poles and even the toilet block in the camping ground... into something I imagined was a glittering fairyland.

I remember seeing my first Blue Ringed octopus for real! In one of the rock-pools that we as kids would swim in when the tide was low. One of the park rangers had found it and had it out of the water and on the sand to show everyone what they looked like...

I remember how utterly disappointed I was at seeing its actual size! 
It was so tiny in comparison to it's deadly reputation
(Although it still can be quite deadly)
Read about them here

I remember walking along the beach with my grandmother to caves that were only accessible at low tide to hunt for
 green agate and for "pipi" shells to turn into necklaces strung together with dried grasses...

Hopefully we will find a spare bathing box





One must maintain some dignity and a modicum of decorum

Yet I am lead to believe that they are a little more "up market" these days...




And of course... 
We shall be hoping to spot one or two of these...



Bottoms Up!

And have a Happy and Safe Easter break...