Evie Party Time

 Nothing like having two parties for your birthday, one in Queensland and one in Victoria. It has cooled off today but we did get 90 mins on the beach yesterday after the party girl flew in and made the drive down here.  Today its all systems go. I have assembled the new spit roaster and James is loading the spear with meat. This will be a mid arvo lunch.  I have made the bed next door, got the other spare beds out and also blown up a matress. there are probably too many beds. We have handed out a few presents including games like, snap cards and snakes and ladders as well as a dress and hair brush. I can hear kiddies in the distance.

Tassie Wave

 Some time back one of the neighbours said she got washed off her paddle board when she got hit by the Tassie Wave. Plenty of people wave to the Tassie boat as it goes passed but you might get a wave back as well. I have never seen this until today.  I did think it was travelling faster this morning maybe trying to make up time. As every other time I have not seen a wave. Also with the other big cargo ships I have not seen a wave although they seem to move much slower.  I do remember in Venice a strict very slow boat speed was enforced as the waves were causing faster erosion of the buildings.  After the waves settled I went in only to find they had stirred all the sea floor detritus up to the surface. 

Spear root reaches to the water. Salt water might kill it off?

Leap into Tarra

 Yes it's leap day which also means it is the occasional extra last day of Summer.  We went with our neighbour Jill to the Tarra restaurant which is situated in the recently built ferry terminal in Queenscliff. Not to be confused with that other recently built Tassie ferry terminal.  Ferries seem to be thriving lately as the Portarlington ferry area is getting a rebuild as well as the pier.  The lunch at Tarra was very tasty and I recommend  giving it a try.  The prices were similar if not less than some pubs I have seen.  The best views are had upstairs in the passenger lounge.  They have designed this like an airport lounge with a gangway leading off the top floor directly to the ferry lounge. So walkons don't have to dodge cars on the ramp to get aboard. 

note the wafers served in a log of wood

Upstairs lounge 

Asher sounds it out

 It doesn't take long to get the kiddies into reading mode at school. It has been 30 odd years or so since I paid attention to the school habits of prep grade. Asher is reading short sentences already with the picture there to show the scene being described.  Somewhere along the line she might make a comment on this blog.  In the meantime it was a Blink 10 9 8 concert lastnight but we did get 7 hours sleep which is a bit more than Debbie's PB schedule allows lately.  After mowing lawns early at Williamstown (sorry neighbours)  We have made it back to the Springs just in time to get organised for a luncheon in Queenstown.  The clouds have rolled in but it is still getting towards 30° so far.

this is going on the fridge but maybe on the blog is better

reading no problemo

water play

Short Swim

 We are off for a night of Grandie sitting later today so there was time for a swim across the way.  The earlier the better this week for tide heights, however as I have found this year, a combination of surface floaties and low angled Sun does not make for the best illumination. There was some good fish action, with rays and a very large fish that I disturbed from it's rock groyne shelter.  They disappear quickly into the dark grass masses. Back on shore there is the running saga of the leftover shoes. I have been watching these for four days now. They look reasonably good shoes with socks still tucked in them.  There is one couple who are in the habit of doing exactly that, leave socks tucked into shoes and go submerge themselves completely clothed then put shoes back on and continue jogging.  Anyway she was there this morning and knew nothing about them.  I will give them another couple of days then in the bin.

absolute calm

Ultimate rubbish leavings

 We went across to the beach yesterday around 3ish after a good quota of PB work had been completed.  There was a boat load of party goers coming in and out on rides etc. It wasn't too bad as at least there were no jetskis involved. We had a pleasant two hours and left them to it.  Our cleaner was here this morning and in order to get out of her way I went across to the beach even though the tide was a bit low.  There were two ladies there who wanted to know all about the area, so after 15 minutes of being tour guide, I spied the huge box left by yesterdays boatload. The two ladies were appalled and wanted to take the box full, up to the top immediately. I talked them out of it while I walked to the other end and back.  They had just got to the top when I caught up to them with the box load of rubbish.  Now they know where I live. 

someone else's problem - eight bottles and cups plus half finished fish and chips

Short Beach Ride

 Took advantage of the sunshine to do a short ride along to the next beach area. This is the jetty road boat ramps and boat harbour. It got a huge upgrade in the last few years with extra boat ramps and a fishing pier to boot.  There was a lady on the high tops where I stopped my bike and she says "I have lived in Port Arlington all my life yet I have never been to this spot. Is that a retirement village just there?" I said "All of Clifton Springs is a retirement village."  Yesterday after all the PB work was ticked off we went across to our beach around 3:00pm.  This time we got to our rock seat to admire my handiwork of the morning clearing out some of the blade runner intrusions.  There are still more under there. 

see two distant grass shoots surfacing

old pier new pier