Day 270: Filtered light.

  On the countdown and only one day left of twenty ten.  So what are your New Year Resolutions going to be?  Or you have reached that stage in your life that you know that you are going to break them, so might as well try for those ‘life-style’ changes throughout the year – and give that a go.  No matter what tomorrow brings, today was a wonderful day spent with a childhood friend and her children at Little Beach.  Little Beach is a favourite with families in the Port, because of the shallow waters, birdlife, fish.  But most importantly it is nice and shallow for kids and the parks surrounding are great.  I always loved these great big trees when I was kid and to have a picnic here now makes it even better.  The afternoon light was filtering through these giants making a beautiful end to a wonderful day.

Day 269 - Mothers Kiss

  Got a special ride in the buggy today, around the golf course of Nelson Bay viewing the hundreds of kangaroos lying around on the course.  The golf balls don’t seem to worry them at all, as players tee off from the holes, and they seem to be well and truly long term residents’.  Golf and I don’t seem to agree with each other.  It is the thought of ruining a perfect walk chasing a little white ball that seems to put me off.  Trust me I would be chasing that little white ball a lot.  Maybe that should be the new exercise regime for the New Year – food for thought.  Regardless of whether you play or not, seeing so many kangaroos in the wild and so quiet you can get close to, is a pretty cool sight.  This mother and child caught my eye, and there were a lot of families out sampling the greens.  I guess it is this time of year when we should be showing each other the love that this one won out!

Day 268: Rock Wash.

 With grey skies still covering the Port, the swell was up still, a great time to go to Barry Point on the coast and watch the waves batter the coast.  It could have almost past for a winter day, today, instead of summer.  Ok so I have come to the conclusion that I truly am a northern whimp and anything that is less than 25 degrees C, is jumper and jeans weather.  Pity I took that jumper out to fit in the Christmas pressies.  Well had to get my priorities right.  Although I just love sitting on the rocks and watching the waves crash over regardless of the weather.  There is something about the chaos of the waves smashing on the shore that seems soothing to the soul.  It has always been a beautiful sound to listen too, or send you too sleep instead of counting sheep.  Barry Point is also a great place to keep in mind for whale season when they migrate north and south, to spot from the shore.  A spectacular sight that would be well and truly worth sitting on the rocks for, if you can’t make the boat ride out.

Day 267: Flying High.

 It wasn’t exactly beach weather today, the clouds came over a little grey, the sun shining every now and again.  The great thing is when it is like this you can go for a long walk on the beach, hoping it doesn’t rain.  Mind you the water temperature was about the same as yesterday, so I guess just being a northern wimp.  The winds bought up the seas, so kite surfers and catamarans where out on Fingal Bay and the Sand Spit.  We watched this catamaran go across the spit towards Box Beach on the other side to mix it up with the surfers and kite surfers.  Then come back across the spit and head towards the corner of Fingal Bay, where the still waters lie.  Before they got there, this is where they came a little unstuck in the bigger waves, falling on their side and stayed there for a while until the surf patrol came and helped them.   Flying high on the surf for all today, it appears they had a lot of fun; it was very amusing watching them.

Day 266: Zenith Beach – Port Stephens NSW.

 There are some breath-taking beaches in Port Stephens. Some are safe for swimming; others really just admire the beauty of them. Zenith is one of those beaches. The first of the ocean side beaches of the Port, it snakes around the coast from Tomaree headland. Unfortunately, it is one of the unpatrolled beaches of the Port and some people still seem to think it is ok to swim here and met with the worse possible demise. When the surf is massive it crashes on the rocks with the full force of Mother Nature, and the undertows are massive. It is raw beauty, gorgeous to sit on the beach and watch. It is definitely worth a visit if you are in this area. Just make sure you pick one of the other patrol beaches for a swim.

Day 265: Merry Christmas.

 Well the big day is finally here, and Santa has been flying all night. It appears he did find time this morning to relax on Shoal Bay beach looking out the headlands of Tomaree and Yaccaba. I guess for somebody that has been so busy he deserves a little time out, before he gets going to deliver to the rest of the world. Thank goodness for time zones and great planning by his elves. Also super fast reindeers that seem to get him around the world in a flash. Wherever you are today, I hope you have had a wonderful day spent with love ones, had a great meal that your belly is so full all you want to do is sleep - Merry Christmas to all.

Day 264: Seagulls = beach.

 Whether they annoy you or you love feeding them when you were a kid, seagulls are survivors. Today they were hanging out at Fingal Bay. An ocean beach of Port Stephens but at the same time it is still a little protected from the bigger swells of the ocean with Final Head straight ahead and Barry Point to the left. The seagulls where out having their afternoon bath and feed in the storm drain that leads down to the ocean. Maybe not too sure on the nutritional value of it all but, they seemed to be having a fine time. I can remember as a kid having fish and chips on the beach; guarding the chips because the seagulls thought they were great. Maybe I should have let them have more then so they didn’t creep up on the thighs now!

Day 263: Night on the Port.

Hey not quite what you think. It isn’t port as in the drink! After being in airports all afternoon and most of the night, finally arrived in Port Stephens, NSW. It definitely is a different atmosphere travelling at Christmas time. Lots of people in strange hats, reindeer ears flashing, and face painting. People happy about going home; meeting up with family and friends, others sad about leaving behind someone, or missing a plane. Airports are great people watching places. Can’t say how great it was coming around the bend and seeing the moon just disappear behind the clouds between the headlands was a very welcome sight, after a long, long day. Port Stephens has to be one of many beautiful spots in Australia, and it definitely is on my favourites list. It will be great to show you around over the next few days.

Merry Christmas

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and hope that in 2011 all your dreams come true. 

 I'll be on the road from Thursday 23 Dec 2010 until Friday 7 Jan 2011.  Visiting more great locations, so new places for A Year through the Lens for you. 

Travel safe over the festive season.

Kind regards Michele :)

Day 262: Almost here

.  With only three sleeps to go until Santa arrives I bet there are a few excited little kids in the world that are being extra good.   At the Lakes, even though fresh lake is down on water level at the moment.  The water lilies are out in full force.  With the levels down, I think the lilies are feeling a little ‘exposed’ at the moment.  Their beautiful long stems that let them float to the surface are out for all to see.  I guess it gives you a little bit of a different perspective on the water dweller.  I’d say after the next couple of days the water levels will be right up there with a monsoonal trough (lots and lots of rain expected) sitting on top of us.  You could say there is just a ‘little’ bit of water falling from the sky at the moment.  The positive spin, once again don’t have to water the plants in the garden, just might have to rescue them from floating down the street.  So if you are in the Cairns region over the next couple of days, travel safe.

Day 261: Farmers heartache.

 At the moment Australia is experiencing some extreme weather for summer.  At this time of year it is usually hot all around, humidity levels changing depending on whether you are at the top or bottom of Oz.  Now there is snow on the Alps, when there usually isn’t, floods in WA, NSW, QLD, Vic, and tropical low sitting off the coast here (potential ‘gentle sea breeze’).  It is amazing.  So with all this the famers who just had enough rain to end the drought now have too much.  The sugar cane farmers have had too much rain here so the rest of the sugar cane can’t be harvested as the fields are too boggy to get the machines in.  They can’t seem to get a break, I hope they get one soon.  Because without them, we would definitely go a little hungry!