Scampiferous

Another lovely morning. The waterfront was quiet and I watched a couple of young anglers pull in a few.

Further around the inlet, I saw a bloke hop off his pony and tie it up on the foreshore before wandering off in the direction of the moored boats – seemed a perfectly reasonable method for getting around these parts…

Another beach day, a total of 16 friends all congregating once again at Betka Beach. Tashi discovered she could stand up on my floating boogie board and was soon zooming along with the current down the river to the sea. She stood, arms outstretched and a steady look of concentration that attracted admiring glances from all those she passed along the way.  A surfer chick in the making, I think!

We decided to make a fish’n'chip run for the kids late in the afternoon, but just as they sat to eat, the sky opened up and cool rain sent us scurrying to the cars and back to camp. A bit soggy and sandy, the meal was just the ticket for the tired wee ones.

Indra and I joined the Hermans for dinner at the golf club, leaving the kids in the capable hands of our camping buddies. We recalled the night many years ago that we spent a noisy New Year’s Eve at the club. Much quieter tonight, save for the thrum of the backup generator as the power was out in the whole town. I guess it’s a fairly common occurance, I’ve noticed a lot of generators around the place. The food was good, and the beer still cold, but the place seems to be a bit tired and run down. We decided to walk through the bush back to Warwick’s place, the night having turned out balmy and peaceful. It was Fiona’s birthday, so bubbly, cake and sparklers were all broken out and we spent a lovely couple of hours eating, drinking and telling tales.