Australia celebrates
What better way to celebrate the last day of summer holidays and Australia Day than a trip to the beach! We went to Cottage Bay, across the harbour from Manly, to enjoy a day on Shelley Beach. A great family beach, but one for snorkeling and swimming since it is sheltered from the surf by a headland. Swimming beaches tend to attract skimpy swimwear; surfing beaches, board shorts and rash tops with high necks and sleeves. I felt a little foolish with my boardies/rashie, but this Nonnie body needs sun protection. We have our own humpie, or sun shelter, now. Very popular on the hot days when it is so important to stay out of the sun. Sharks were spotted the next day off the headland to the right of the beach. I think the rise in shark spottings is due to reduced fish farther out in the ocean, so the sharks have to come closer to shore to find food.
Nearby wild
It's never far from a wild place on the northern beaches. I met my room
mate the other night, a very large grasshopper. I didn't mind the critter, only the thought of the size of predator
who would like to dine on it while I slept. Grasshopper is now liberated to the great outdoors. In the continuing spider events, the other night a large furry brown specimen was spotted on the outside of the flyscreen on a bedroom window. The creepy part was the way the ends of her legs poked through the flyscreen to the inside. I walk to the mall on a shady path through the wetlands. where birds, lizards and who knows what else rustle around as I stride by. It's a shock to emerge from the shadowy track onto the glare of the parking lot for K Mart.
mate the other night, a very large grasshopper. I didn't mind the critter, only the thought of the size of predator
who would like to dine on it while I slept. Grasshopper is now liberated to the great outdoors. In the continuing spider events, the other night a large furry brown specimen was spotted on the outside of the flyscreen on a bedroom window. The creepy part was the way the ends of her legs poked through the flyscreen to the inside. I walk to the mall on a shady path through the wetlands. where birds, lizards and who knows what else rustle around as I stride by. It's a shock to emerge from the shadowy track onto the glare of the parking lot for K Mart.Full-on summer
It is the northern equivalent of late July right now, smack in the middle of the antepodean summer. After the last rain, lots more things are popping into bloom, so that early morning and ju
st at dusk, the breeze carries the most delightful scents. We have three frangi pangi blooming on the south side of the house now; in Hawaii, they are called plumaria and feature in leis. The poinsettia is the size of a small tree, and may bloom later in the summer when daylight ends earlier. The neighbor's mock orange is a riot of sweet perfume and a tree right beside our walk is related to the tempramental china doll potted plant we coddle in the Northern Hemisphere. It has a peppery rainforest smell that is unique and I dearly love. The bristly red bottle brush blooms don't last long because the birds are keen on their nectar. From my bedroom window I can see the huge plate-sized blooms on the big magnolia tree; these grow well in Oregon, though they must be a different variety to survive the heat here.
st at dusk, the breeze carries the most delightful scents. We have three frangi pangi blooming on the south side of the house now; in Hawaii, they are called plumaria and feature in leis. The poinsettia is the size of a small tree, and may bloom later in the summer when daylight ends earlier. The neighbor's mock orange is a riot of sweet perfume and a tree right beside our walk is related to the tempramental china doll potted plant we coddle in the Northern Hemisphere. It has a peppery rainforest smell that is unique and I dearly love. The bristly red bottle brush blooms don't last long because the birds are keen on their nectar. From my bedroom window I can see the huge plate-sized blooms on the big magnolia tree; these grow well in Oregon, though they must be a different variety to survive the heat here.School, at last
T
he first day of school has come and gone at last. Abby has heaps of new friends and Jack is doing well in Year Three too. All schools, public or private, require uniforms; there are many more private schools than in the US, mostly with around 300-400 students each. It's fun to watch them all, hatted and lugging backpacks, off to their different schools. Outside our school, Sacred Heart, there is a "drop, kiss and leave" zone, so parents can tip their offspring out at the ker
b. It's reasonably effective (that's Jack's teacher helping), but not nearly as organized as Mrs Whitford's well-oiled machine at O'Hara or Buena Vista's three-lane scheme! After school reward on a hot summer day can be an ice cream in Mona Vale, or a romp at a bay on Pittwater, Winnererremy Bay, with a great climbing tree out of water at low tide, easy swimming and a flying fox in the play area. For the parents, on the way back from school drop off zone is a great plant nursery with tea room. Tracy was wondering just how many insects one of those carnivourous plants could consume. Not as many as one of our little resident lizards, I'll wager.
he first day of school has come and gone at last. Abby has heaps of new friends and Jack is doing well in Year Three too. All schools, public or private, require uniforms; there are many more private schools than in the US, mostly with around 300-400 students each. It's fun to watch them all, hatted and lugging backpacks, off to their different schools. Outside our school, Sacred Heart, there is a "drop, kiss and leave" zone, so parents can tip their offspring out at the ker
b. It's reasonably effective (that's Jack's teacher helping), but not nearly as organized as Mrs Whitford's well-oiled machine at O'Hara or Buena Vista's three-lane scheme! After school reward on a hot summer day can be an ice cream in Mona Vale, or a romp at a bay on Pittwater, Winnererremy Bay, with a great climbing tree out of water at low tide, easy swimming and a flying fox in the play area. For the parents, on the way back from school drop off zone is a great plant nursery with tea room. Tracy was wondering just how many insects one of those carnivourous plants could consume. Not as many as one of our little resident lizards, I'll wager.
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