Swim Plan b

I was heading off with Debbie for a ride when I felt my back tire was completely flat. I sent her on her way while I tried to sort this out as there was no spare in the seat pouch. These must be in the other bike currently at Willie. I got the wheel off and the tire out without any finger or elbow trouble. The hole was the tiniest pin prick that could be heard and felt on the cheek.  The under water trick confirmed it. I patched it and set the pressure at 60psi and an hour later it had lost none. So the test will be riding. In the meantime it happened to be high tide however the water clarity seemed good near the shore but deeper it got the greener and darker further out. I went in anyway and did get to find my first Banjo Ray this year. Hooray, they are still around but so are the Lion's Mane jellies.  I found an article which does warn of getting a welt that can last three days. Also the tendrils can simply breakoff but still give you a sting if you swam into a loose one floating around.  In the ocean these jellies can be a metre across but in this Bay I think the sting is less of a problem.

ParaGliders

We were entertained by paragliders buzzing this way and that and one lady landed on the beach in front of us then gathered up her silks and trudged all the way back up to do it all over again. Next time around we asked her why she wasn't landing up top. She does not have the skill set to negotiate the nearby trees. Her licence to fly is only six months old and needs more practise. There is a lot of gear including radio for ground to air comms. We saw her again up top where she showed us some videos she took thru her glasses while cruising along.  Cool stuff.

Lorne Exit

 We paid for the hotel cooked breakfast on the last day.  I would give it a bare pass. We have had many other better efforts but we are talking 4 star not 5.  We called into the SouthSide beach on the way back mindful that Debbie had a PBK meeting at 5pm.  We had lunch there on a good beach day being 25° and a mild breeze.  The beaches here are spectacular and the most famous is Bells next door.  There are new roads and roundabouts and the back blocks of Torquay are awash with housing estates, better there than the Bellarine. I have some videos to check in the next few days.

Jarosite Cliffs

washed up ash

Point Addis

Totti's Top Food

 It seems there are two Totti's open in Australia, one in Sydney and one in Lorne. It was a bit like cruise ship dining with the tables arranged so close that you had to say something to the couple next door but that says how busy it gets in order to fit people in. The highlight has to be the puffy bread. The couple next door came from Sydney and live near the other Totti's. They had the puffy bread, so we got the puffy bread. Looking around, everyone has the puffy bread. We shared one main which was ngocchetti (shell pasta) with asparagus. Give this one a try when in Lorne. 

he only has one job - Puffy Bread

stab and stand back

Swing Bridge

 We spent the afternoon having lunch on the beach which was salad rolls from the bakery. Very tasty not to forget a bottle of the bubbly stuff.  It was quite hot for the morning walk but things were getting a bit overcast so we decided to pack it up in favour of a walk to the far end where the swing bridge crosses the river.  There is a cafe here which may have suffered some flooding so it was not open but looks to have potential if they sell a wine for beach goers. We made our way back to our deck where this blog is being typed. The overcast has turned to spots of rain and that was not in the plan.  We have reserved a place at Tottis and have heard the meatballs are meaty.

are you open?

St George River

 The whole national park is closed here due to on going fires however there are coastal walks we have found that are still ok. Of course we could rerun the coasteering course from 20 yarv ago but this time we took the old tramway route to the St George River. It was 6km in total from the hotel room. There is some ups and downs with photos along the way about how the route was chiselled out from the rock. Now we are ready for a lie down.

St George

the tramway hauled logs out

Captain Hook

 We have explored the town a bit more but will not get caught out by todays non bike race. There a many clothing shops which we seem to wander into accidently and inside there they have stuff can buy.  The cinema has been spruced up and right next door is a bakery with the best looking rolls. We will be trying those today. The highlight though was the Lobster Roll. We have been watching the B2B channel and how they cook & catch their crayfish. Well we don't have a boat so this is the next best thing.

Bicycle Not

 Todays main focus was finding exactly where the Surf Coast Classic bike ride was starting in the main street of Lorne. Before that we went to the gym for 30 minutes of exercise. I went for the bike machine while Debbie used the rowing machine and the floor mat. We made our way across the road for a coffee and the waitress said we were at the right spot for the race to start. They mill around for 15 minutes and then shoot thru she said.. Thirty minutes later nothing was happening. We did a deep dive on the web site and the race had been cancelled due to fires in the area. Boo Hoo. We recovered by restocking a few supplies that we could consume across at the beach. We did a longer wealk towards the pier but stopped due to the stiffer breeze coming around the corner.  A different beach day but not cold and much fewer people.

breakfast balcony

10km on the machine

the old hotel

book reading on the beach

rock walking

Warm Evening

 The post prandial walk was all along the beach until we came up against the river.  Everyone had gone home by then so we had it to ourselves. The beach here is due East where the photo below is pointing. Screech - the cockatoos have found us on the balcony just now. I remember from the Anaconda race days we stayed here and those birds are a menace. Don't hang your  swimmers on the balcony.

Lorne Not so Hot

 We made it to Lorne with various road closures like thru Deans Marsh, so had to detour around those with various fires burning further West. It was all calm in Lorne and we are revisiting a hotel we used some 20 yar ago when the Anaconda adventuring was all the go. The Mantra is the same hotel we used back then and this room has a great balcony with sea views. We spent the afternoon across at the beach in sublime conditions. Along the way we saw three world tour teams going for training rides, as the Surf Coat Classic races are starting here tomorrow. 

we opened a champagne on the beach but they didn't stop for us

Hot Aussie day

 Last years Aussie Day effort was so good we decided to repeat it almost exactly. It was probably an hour longer but that was an improvement as we had a long snooze under a tree at the other end of the ride at Rippleside beach. We also parked higher in the gardens area to see a much better yacht race vantage up there. We did not linger too long and rolled into Geelong to stop at the yacht Club for lunch. There was also the wandering among the yachts to pick out which one we would get at a later date. Ha. Back on the bikes we stopped again at the tall ships pier. There was a crazy boat there made out of plastic pipes and this guy bobs his way across all the oceans of the world. Eventually we got to Rippleside for a good two hour rest and swim before riding back to the main Geelong pool and our last traveller high on the hill overlooking all the action. As we got back home the neighbours sent a message that they have left eggs and apricots for looking after their bins. Hooray!

Dinghys?

We could try this one

the pipe boat

racing 

Distant Tassie Boat

fruity eggs

Bicycle Coast

 Now that the word is in about the cessation of treatment maybe the next phase in recovery can begin like building up some strength to be able to lift some of those grandies with out pulling a muscle. I am still having elbow trouble but heavier items aren't my problem, it's the pincer movements that send pain like pulling zippers. We got the bikes out for a leisurely 15km and suffered some abuse at 10am on a Sunday morning because we were in the way. I got back in time to mow some lawns, apply some fake tan and take a trip to the library. I checked out the children's section. They have computer games as well as other toys and looks like they are set up for story telling with a circular set of cushions. All good to know for the next grandie extravagandie.

St Marks

We have a touch of sophistication in the heart of Drysdale now with the opening of a wine bar.  There are numerous places to do this sort of thing but they are all wineries requiring a country drive, however this is right in town.  The decor consists of many photos from the owners parents and grand parents who started the Hoyts cinema chain. I thought the best one was a photo with Shirley Temple in 1937.  Friday night there was a run on the wines and being a long weekend could not get a delivery however we snagged the last bottle of champagne.  We also got a grazing platter which kept three of us well fed for $25 each.  This is a good option for an hour or so to get a drink without sitting in the pub over the road.

Just a few family photos with the likes of Doris Day, Glen Ford and Robert Wagner.

Aussie Weekend

 Yes we thought we would fly the flag and we have plenty of celebration to do with anniversaries coming around again.  It seems the Great OR is open again which will help us next week. We got the flag up last year and the non standard pole we are using seems to work quite well. It was also a hot day so after the morning cleanup which was mostly loads and loads of washing of sheets and towels we made it across to the beach for a two hour relax, including a 30 minute snooze. How retiring. 

HeaveHo to the Pembro

Yes it was a sudden end to the medical schedule that had been set one yar ago.  The immunotherapy did its job with the first three doses however the side effects are now adding up with the continued use of the Pembro. So the Medicos have consulted and that is that, no more medicine, except for a course of steroids to tackle the wide ranging side effects. Now it is a five year monitoring period of scans and tests. We have restored our week in Darwin to get the ball rolling.  Now what else did we put on hold.

Gull Bus

I have lost count of the number of times we have used this bus.  The packing has been done almost, and a few more distractions are needed to finish off, like some indoor bike riding then going to the local park and coffee shop. In the meantime the PB meetings and projects are continuing and this afternoon there are PB presentations for some new software. So the grandies will catch their plane and we will get to Willie all in time for an unscheduled Alfred visit tomorrow. Phew! 

Rock Pools Not

If you mention an activity to under 5's and build it up a bit then you had better come thru. So we headed over to St leonard's and timed it for the low tide at midday. Except the low tide was one of those higher ones eg the rock pools never emerged. We were there waiting nicely, the breeze was slightly cool but not for impervious kids.  Soon we were backtracking using science and atmospherics to lunar disturbances in order to explain the non appearance of rock pools. So in the end we dug two huge pools, that is Laura did most of the digging. One pool was before lunch and another even bigger pool was after lunch and both were swept away by the tides. This would have to be the longest grandie beach session yet, at least three hours. Now for the clean up.

Why did Pa clean the beach?  ....... because the seaweed.

Dolphin Beach

 Sounds like a waterpark I have been to however I can asure you it is just across the road and good timing when you have grandies there who have not seen dolphins before. One of these days I will have the snorkel in hand. In the meantime the new sinkies were a hit in the shallows and there was not a jelly to be seen, or felt.  It must have been at least 30 mins of water play retrieving those sinkies off the sea floor. 

Chores Galores

 Yes we have another list of tasks that all need doing with at least two volunteers.  Why did we take the banana to the doctor? ....... because he wasn't peeling well.  We seem to be tossing out bananas lately as they are ripening quicker than we can eat them.  So get grandies to make banana bread. Simples! Also messy.  We did have all the ingredients and they got to lick the bowl. While it was cooking the pool needed attention.  Firstly scoop out some leaves, empty out the water, wipe it all down and refill.  Now with grandies helping these steps need to be spelled out.  It was good timing too, since the banana bread was ready after the pool had filled and they were ready for a sit down.  Now to work out this afternoon's activity.

A Picnic in the Park

Back to Queenscliff we go to the same park and the same table but different cousins. This time we came with the lunch of chicken rolls, salad, sandwiches, hot buns, watermelon, grapes, blueberries, squeegy drinks and icy poles.  Most of the play action was on the outdoor gym equipment although the playground came into it later along with the climbing tree. We finished off on the beach for 90 mins before a quick packup to get the cousins onto the ferry.  All in time for me to get back for a five minute doctor call to get a long standing prescription renewed. There must be another way for this but so far chemists just can't give it to me.