Reef Update

 The tide was high at 9:00am so we walked to the other end of the beach with the snorkel gear and swam across to the Dell artificial reef.  It has filled in with a lot of grass between the mounds. The fish also seem to like it as we can see small ones darting in and out of the holes. I do have some video taken on Debbie's phone and seems to be unfocused but I do not have a copy yet.  In the afternoon we drove to Bancoora which was very busy as it is everywhere at the moment. A coolish breeze died down later on. We have gotten unused to surf beaches.

snorkel table

Bancoora

Queenscliff Gathering

 We arrived at 11:15am where there were car parks available and the shady table was also unclaimed.  Being Friday the 5th and not between Christmas New Year probably makes a big difference, although the start of town had a big surf carnival with cars everywhere and down below was Thomas the Tank Engine day so that end would have been mayhem but we were nicely in the middle.  The Clancys arrived around Noon having got the ferry at 11:00am.  The park filled up around us with more big groups. The playground got a lot of action as did the cricket set but no time for finska.  Lunch was chicken in rolls spread around one permanent picnic table and two portable tables as well as a huge groundsheet and a couple of matresses.  On the way back to the ferry, a stop was made at the carnival for a ride on the roller coaster.  All the grandies had a good time of it. The beach was right there but that is raising it another level.

 

Summer Clean

 Our cleaner takes public holidays seriously so much so, that she does not come to work on such days.  Debbie has a bee in her bonnet and started some cleaning which has seen pantries cleaned out and only upto date packets are left. Her office has been reorganised with much old paperwork removed.  We have two recycle bins and they are jammed to the brim.  It is a good thing the Sun came out late yesterday as we spent two hours under the umbrella.  There were visitors from Ireland who brought this serious bat game that wacked a ball 50 metres fast.  Today we need the weather for a ferry rendezvous in Queenscliff.  Should Queenscliff now be renamed to Kingscliff?

selfie

Run Rabbit

 We have had this pesky rabbit living in the front area for the last month. At first it was small and fluffy and later a much bigger, flower eating and pooing rabbit.  Debbie was changing her view from cute to garden muncher to how to get rid of it. Traps, poison, ferrets.  What about kestrels, our friendly hovering death dealers. We found the rabbit headless this morning on our front patio. My theory is that a kestrel spotted it early this morning, out in the open and leaving the head behind, brought the meaty part under the shelter for breakfast. Jan, our neighbour in Williamstown, described how she saw a kestrel completely shred a rabbit in the Jawbone Reserve area. 

Epic Thunder Ride

 It was overcast but not rainy but also a mild 24° so we got the bikes out for another practise ride. There was a cafe not far off the rail trail in a new estate which would give us a 30km ride after the 44km the other day. It started to rain just as we got there however they have not reopened after the New Year start. We decided to push on to Point Lonsdale which was the old haunt from the Collendina days. The same beautiful people were sitting in the same chairs, each with the same phone out, each sipping the same decaf latté with purified goat milk.  Ah those were the days.  We had tea and coffee in takeaway mugs how uncouth. On the way back the rain got worse, much worse.  We rode into a storm front with thunder jolts and lightning bolts.  The rail trail was getting rivulets and mud and we were getting slower. By the time we got to the bypass bike trail the storm had passed but that concrete was slick with water.  The ride was 46km and way slower than previous.  We were soaked but the garage door would not open. I had previously broken the remote in a crash some months ago but with some electrical tape I got it to work again, however in my back pocket it got soaked so maybe some water had got in.  We uncovered the buried key in the garden bed and after 5 mins of fiddling our cold hands and fingers, the back door opened. It turns out breakers had tripped with the lightning bolts so the garage circuit was off.  Debbie got in the shower and I put all our bike clothes, including coats and gloves, into the wash. 

that line of bikes are the Breeze Retirement Village riding group

 

The Beautiful People

                                          

Rock Groyne 1

Sunny sky, no wind, high tide and clear water, tick,tick,tick,tick. On that basis I convinced Debbie to give it a go at 9:00am when the tide was high. This camera still foils me as now it is filming at twice normal and also when I wanted the ray and the fish we saw, it did not work properly. I think it ran down on power. We stuck close to the first groyne this time and a large stripey fish came out as well as a ray right at the beginning. We were looking for a sandy track thay you can see clearly from above but when you are at water level trying to find it is another matter.  We walked the baech as well with the rubbish bag.  It is quite clean considering New Years crowds which have been low due to poor weather. We picked up small plastics, rope pieces and butts.

The breeze was too cool yesterday

First snorkel this Summer

Always rubbish

                                                              

New Year's Swim

 Send out the old year with a ride and bring in the new with a swim. Actually we went to a street party which got Debbie out of her malaise for a bit.  We will just have one champagne we said. One of the neigbours got out his Didgeridoo and he Didgeridid. Debbie did her brother's crocodile dance from NT. It was about 11:30pm when we left which was just when some local skyrockets were being wizzed off. We were going to be in bed by midnight and made it only just.  The tides were high this morning at 8:00am but by the time we got up, had breakfast, I did not get in until 9:30am and you could see the water moving out. It was still deep enough to go groyne to groyne. I only saw 6 or so of the whiting that Daniel saw the other day but I was happy with that. At the very end there was this tail in my face. Yes follow along it, there's one fin, two fins, three fins. Don't mind me I'm having a snooze said the fiddler to the snorkeler. OK then.  

Blow me down Eddie 

Dance the Crocodile

                                                                          Fiddler Ray