Day 22 - Willow Tree

Ha.  I didn't realize until I uploaded the photo that I got Oliver in the picture.  Not so well framed I guess.  It was hard because he was moving all over and throwing me off balance on the slope on which I stood.  Plus, this is private property and I felt a bit like I was trespassing so I was trying to hurry... but that didn't stop me from letting Oliver have a swim in the pond after I took the picture.  The poor guy was hot and thirsty (it was a long walk and it's hot and humid here again today) and he practically dragged me into the pond with him as he rushed for the water.  

the daily swim 21

I count 100 strokes out and 100 strokes back. There are boys on each other's shoulders trying to wrestle one another into the water. A man floating belly down on an airbed. A young couple splashing and diving on one another. In the bay a double masted yacht I'd like to climb aboard. The Alpes Maritimes are covered in mist. It is strange being on my own here. There is a moveable frontier between alone and lonely. Sometimes they seem so very far apart, other times they wrap around each other. I'm not sure what I am at the moment. I think that the continuing wave of guests and negotiating the sale of the house (and thinking about the move back to the UK ahead) are combining to make me wobble.

Seaside Strolling

The week began languidly as Uiver enjoyed a day off for some bizarre reason associated with bank holliday. I worked diligently throughout the morning and then we both went bushwalking in the nearby National Park.

We walked a cross-country track for a short few k's, seeing rosellas, green type parrots and cockatoos. Eventually we arrived at a lookout which showed The Heads, the entranceway to Botany Bay where da man Captain Cook sailed in to occupy Australia in April 1770. So there was a bit of colonial history to add to the nature walk.

We explored another area of the National Park further south with views over Cronulla towards the Royal National Park, "the Nasho". On approach, we saw whales! Two! They were spouting, though I saw them first and one was breaching the surface. It was exciting. They are plentiful during the winter. A chart outside the visitor centre showed the number of whales (humpback and many other kinds) spotted off the nearby coast. Also spotted were umpteen seals and dolphins.

The walk along that part of the coast was energising and salty from all the coastal winds but we couldn't find the walking path very easily. It's easier to find in "The Nasho". An adventurous day was had by all, whales included.