Today was gorgeous. Crisp, blue, chilly but the sun shone and now I know where all the Hills District suburbanites go on a Sunday . . down to the beach.
I went to Dee Why . . a beachside suburb just north of Sydney to meet an avid reader and sometimes commenter on the blog, Mary from Lancashire.
Mary and I have emailed a couple of times and she invited me to meet which I happily accepted. She was very naughty and would not let me pay for the beautifully cooked Atlantic Salmon on warm Salad Nicoise or the delicious Sauvignon Blanc and yet barely touched her double cooked crisp pork belly on Asian greens at Deck 23. That's us, just next to the black pillar just left of Centre (well not really but we were camera shy so that'll have to do!)
Being the driver, it saddened me to sip only a glass or two but Mary did me proud and polished off the rest. Good onya girl but you're a 'cork sniffer!' . . Had I not been driving, I'd have polished off two of those! Bottles that is!
It was lovely to meet her. She's a diminutive 5'3" Lancashire lass with a family of four who emigrated, went back then did what so many English people do, came back to Australia once again. She's missing friends in Perth where they first settled upon coming to Australia many years ago. I think people underestimate the size of this country and Perth may well as be the Moon if you live on the east coast. She has one son who chose to remain in England and is close to finishing his Medical degree. He's entrenched in a relationship there an unlikely to move back to Australia. Two other sons and a daughter are settled here and enjoying life in the sun.
I asked her why she doesn't blog because she's chatty and has plenty say, "I'm a two fingered typist and the words don't flow" was her answer. Shame, because I think she could write some inspirational stuff.
The main boulevard next to the ocean. Similar to many of it's kind with restaurants dotted along the corso, and beyond those Norfolk Pines . . .
Dee Why Beach . . one of Clare's favourites and clearly a favourite with surfers despite the chill.
If you don't have one of your own, you can hire one from the surf club or book in for lessons and these are what you'll use to learn the craft
Sometimes there's little left to do but wait for that seventh wave. I watched for about half an hour and it's true, the seventh wave is worthy of a ride.
He's had enough . . cold tootsies . . .
And the view from our table. Bless her, she asked especially for a waterfront view and that we had. Thank you Mary, it was wonderful. Next time, my shout and maybe on a slightly warmer day . . .
60 comments:
That certainly is a beautiful beach. Almost makes me want to dip my toes in the surf. So did you two hire a board and have a go?
Great photos Baino. That was winter weather? It looks far better that what we have as a so called summer!
Blogging meet-ups are fun, glad it went well.
In Hungary your license would have been taken. Here you have to make a choice: drink or drive. There is nothing like a bit drink a bit driving stuff. Here we have "zero tolerance". That's what I really hate in Western countries. They can't make a normal decisions. For example there are many people who can't stand alcohol and become drunk even if they drink "a bit". They cause an acident while they are driving but they might not be charged because their alcohol level may be lower than the threshold but it was high enough to cause an accident. Oh, I wish we haven't joined the EU.
And Hungarian police officers even fined Michael Schumacher the 7 times F1 World Champion when he was driving while he was phoning. Some people found it shameful but he deserved. Keep the law or get out!
If one day, I will be in the position that I can change things then my first think will be to get rid of this leniant kind of policy. I will build an iron empire (company, state, country)!! That's my dream!
Looks fantastic! Thank you for the pics!! Glad you had a great time :)
xoxo
Well River, frankly it's a city beach not as pretty as the north coast but the sea air was a nice change.
I can't complain actually GrannyMar. It was gorgeous in the sun. And Mary was gracious enough to book the table ahead and ask for a view, simply lovely.
Ropi very good point about zero tolerance and it wouldn't bother me a bit since I wouldn't have registered on a breathalyzer having had two glasses of wine (200ml) in four hours. Our drink driving laws are VERY strict. Provisional license holders (the first three years of driving) have zero tolerance. Mature drivers have a .05 alcohol level. I was completely sober.
Those with low tolerance to alchohol would be charged with 'dangerous driving' if perceived as driving erratically and whether they are over the limit or not. My companion was walking to lunch (sober) and I drove her home so no danger was posed at any time.
These days, the erratic drivers I notice are those talking on their mobile phones.
Things are not so slack in the west (Well in Australia anyway) as you might think. Most of our car fatalities are caused by speed. The symptom I suppose of living in a very large country where country roads are impossible to police. I can't speak for your relationship with the EU. Actually, I don't think it's a good thing for a burgeoning nation such as Hungary.
Lovely post, it made me feel as if I was sat at one of those tables myself. And it looks so warm even though I know you are in the middle of winter over there. I see Ropi's point about zero tolerance but zero can be a difficult thing to define. If I had a few pints last night am I fit to drive today? There will still be alcohol in my bloodstream? But forget such things, just glad you had a great day.
Ropi ...some countries like to be a little more relaxed than others.
Baino ..I know Dee Why beach so so well...I grew up at Avalon ...and my daughter lived at Harbord and then Collaroy for many years..until she moved recently to the Central Coast.
Baino fantastic snaps and views! Oh how I long for a bit of cool air( the humidity is back... ). And I agree with Ropi. In the states the level is under .08. Once you hit that, you're busted. The cell phone thing is a whole other matter. Some states do have an out-right ban on them and many paramedics are siting them as the cause of more accidents, than the booze. A friend of mine almost got killed when his SUV was broad-sided by some-one nattering away on her mobile( straight through a stop sign ). Hell, I can't even talk to others in the car, whilst I'm driving. Everything can be a distraction...
I hope that I can meet more bloggers in the future, I enjoy it! I love your new layout with the pictures!
Great looking beach! Not much real wave action, eh? I photograph the local surfing community a lot, and this has been a tough year so far - not much to surf on!
Mary won't blog because she only types with two fingers? Aw, c'mon, that's no excuse! I run my blog, contribute to Just A Song, and write articles and photo essays on Gather.com, all with my two index fingers. If I can manage that, stumblebum that I am, it should be a breeze for anybody else!
Jenny and I liked Dee Why, less crowded and more natural than the better-known beaches. A cork-sniffer? Hadn't heard that one before. I think I'd qualify.
Why Do Your Winters Look Better Than My Summers!!!!?????
PS: The new full-width pictures are amazing! Glad you figured out how to do it.
Baino.... great pics and I'm enjoying your new look.
Always fun to have a change.
You are so right about how people under estimate the scale of Australia and living here in Perth really does feel like the most isolated city in the world... which supposedly it is.
xx Ribbon
Photos look great on your new template. Did you use a stretch? I'm trying that on my Empty Nest blog. I can't decide if I like it better but I think that's because my background is black and I'm wondering if it's too much black.
What a beautiful place for a day out, and I'm glad it was such a good one! Lunch sounds amazing.
I can sympathise with your friend's missing Perth. We're visiting West Virginia, and my sister lives in Oregon--I've never been that far in my life, (another few thousand miles west in addition to the 4,000 we've already come) but my mother-in-law keeps asking if I've seen my sister yet. *sigh*
Hello Mary!!
:-)
Burgeoning? Please, Hungary had been a great power a lot before Australia even became an erotic thought in the mind of Lil' James Cook.
lotsa fun and great pics, but you lot STILL drive and park on the wrong side of the bloody road! ;) lol
beautiful pictures. Say, I think I've never seen a surf board live!
I'd love to learn how to surf. That looks like a great beach!
I've got another 'blogger meeting' coming up in October, aren't they fun?
No cell phones, no texting while driving in California. Must be hands-free! People still do it though. The highway patrol is not always that concerned about speed, I've noticed. It's the erratic or dangerous drivers they tend to go after.
I want to go to there.
this is sweet.i like stories like this, baino. sounds and looks like a lovely day.
get ready to meet me, girl! it's all about time, place and circumstance.
:)
It was a lovely day Marianna.
Deceptive isn't it Alan. It was about 19 degrees which is pretty chilly for us. Supposedly it takes as many hours per glass consumed for you to metabolise alchohol. Women metabolise it slower than men.
Sarah it's changed a lot. The whole neighbourhood has been spruced up. I tend to go further north to Avalon usually.
Subby I'm never happy. I'll be whining about the heat in 3 months time! Using your phone in the car is illegal here unless it's a 'hands free' and yes causes all sorts of problems on the road.
Thanks Otin. I made the text a little larger so it should be easier to read on smaller screens.
Well Roy that was her excuse. Who am I to argue. Maybe shes short on time as well.
Nick it was quite nice but I must admit, as beaches go, I prefer the ones outside the city limits. It was pretty crowded even for a winters day, I can imagine it's very busy in the summer.
Tony . . because they are! Winter is traditionally our 'dry' period so usually sunny cool days and cold nights.
I haven't been to Perth since I was a child Ribbon. . .it's cheaper to fly to Thailand unless you catch the red eye!
No Cali, just changed the margins and the size of the pics as they're uploaded. Just a little html tweeking. I can send you Kim's instructions if you like.
It's a big country Suze. I hope you do get to see your sister though. You're half way there, maybe you could meet in the middle?
Ropi don't be so defensive. I wasn't talking about your history. I meant burgeoning as a EU entity.
Haha . . so we do Wuffa, so we do.
Plenty of them down here Ebs. Actually I saw a sign "$99 Men's Steamers" I think it means wetsuit!
Have a go Megs, you're near a beach surely. I have a friend who's taking a four day class in Ireland this week brrrr! Yep same deal with mobile phones here but policing it is hard.
I'll show you better when you get here Annie.
OK, so you are going to have to let me know how you got your wider girth and larger photos - I want!
Okay, I'll take the instructions.
Ok DBM and Cali send me your email addresses. I have the instructions on word docs. Mines in my profile.
I want water. All I can see ob my horizon is cornfields.
hey honey, how did you get your pictures so BIG?
xo!
sorry just getting around. been offline the last 24 hour, but in a good wya. the pics are as lovely as your company it seems. beautiful day. was here as well, enjoyed it a bit much, kissed by the sun and all...going to be a bit painful to sleep...
loving the new layout btw. smiles.
WOW! Someone is becoming a dab hand with the ol' photos. Makes me wonder why so many Aussies go so far afield to surf overseas when they have such great surf and sand on their doorsteps
Whoaa! Great photos. Now I don't have to use a magnifying glass. Haha!
What stunning shots, Baino, and what a beautiful place! Sounds like you had a fab day out - shame about having to be the driver...
Hic...? :-)
I second third and fourth what everyone says--amazing pictures and format! Wow.
I am less brave about meeting up with fellow bloggers--I like to keep on the down low ; )
Although I did have one meet-up and it was really very lovely.
The photos are lovely - and you're right the two beaches do look similar!!!
Glad you had a good time!!
Wow amazing pic!Glad you had a nice sunday!It's great to meet people in person!Hope you have a nice monday too!See ya :)
refreshing
I am not defensive, I am just defending the fame of my country with eliminating even the bugs of anything which has even smaller than microscopic chance to harm the fame of Hungary. Thank God you are not a Slovak because then I must have acted as Ropinator, because then I would just protect the fame of Hungary 24/7.
Oh, I am glad that my Iron Empire thoughts caught the attention some of your readers.
It all looks so beautiful.
Endless supply of champagne waiting for you. You know where I live.
love you.
Renee xoxox
Tsup*!* Tsup*!* Has the look of the quieter beaches of the Gold Coast ... thanks to Ropi I just got a laugh with my breakfast ... Australia, Captain Cook's wet dream ROFL*!*
Nothing wrong with cornfields Willow. I love my rural outlook as well.
html and a clever clogs kid!
Ooh nooo . ..aloe vera gel will do it.
Born to travel. Like the Irish I guess Quickie.
Oh Ces, you love your magnifying glass, you know you do!
Actually AV, it's nowhere near the most beautiful. This is a city beach. They're so much nicer outside the city.
I love meeting bloggers. Haven't been disappointed yet Leah
Were yours taken in Wales Kate? I always imagine British beaches to be so pebbly although I holidayed in Oxwych bay in South wales as a child. Very similar to our coastline.
Candie, If I have nothing on each Sunday, I'm out and about with the camera. I love it!
Thanks Sandie
Ropi I think it admirable that you are so proud of your nation. And so you should be. I'm equally proud of mine. I urge you though, to keep an open mind. Other nations, philosophies, politics and nationalities also have much to offer. Don't let the Ropinator loose just yet!
Renee everything looks lovely when the sun shines. Not so nice today when it's wet and grey.
*Tsup*! Bimbimbie. Too smart for his own good that kid! Yeh, it's nice enough but I still prefer the Northern NSW Coast and the Sunshine Coast.
ahhhhh I'm focusing on those words crisp, blue and CHILLY!!
the bigger format pics look GREAT!!!
thanks for the holiday! and letting us hang with you guys....
namaste!
Lovely story and your new look is absolutely sumptuous...as is your banner. Your spirit seems fresher and renewed. Someday I hope to figure out how to do that on my blog. All of your work was worth it.
It might have been cold but there were people LYING on the beach in their bathers, weren't there..... or am I still hungover?
Looks like a great day, with good company! That last waterfront view reminds me of a beach in NZ, on the east coast north of Auckland. Aah, the nostalgia!
I miss NZ. I've never been to Australia, and my OH would never consent to live there in a zillion years, because he's seen first hand the size of the spiders you keep there, but I'd love to visit...
Thanks to you Kim, you're code is quite popular, I've shared it with three others this week! You're my inspiration! Now if my pics can look as good as yours I'll be a happy camper!
Thanks Rhonda, I think my spirit is recovering nicely. It will soar if I get a permanent job soon!
Kath it was pretty sheltered on the beach. Weren't too many in the water without a wetsuit tho. Except kids of course because they don't develop nerve endings until puberty! Haha . .chocolate hangover . .love it!
Sadly I've never been to NZ Jay but intend to, probably sooner rather than later. I have a good friend over there and haven't visited him since he moved there. Oh you'd love our bugs!
That looks EXACTLY like Penguin...
It's uncanny...
How Am I a linguist? I don't like languages and I do not intend to make word jokes.
not Wales but Norfolk on the East Coast - usually very chilly - much like the rest of England
Miley it does not. There's no big Penguin!
Sorry Ropi . it was indeed a play on words.
Well Kate, I've never been to Norfolk. Looks lovely.
It's really amazing to think of Perth as being practically the Moon to people who live in the eastern part of Australia, but then I look at the geography and think how there's a large amount of really hostile territory separating the two coasts of Australia. It's not like here in the US, where a drive across the country isn't that big a deal--although still not a good idea after even one glass of wine.
Dear Helen, I don't believe you have any flaws at all.
Isn't it funny how I say whatever and always have but the deepest felt things, I hoped would disappear without being said.
Love you.
Renee xoxo
Makes me want to, I don't know, visit there. Hoping the job comes out with you on top!
Definitely the best thing about blogging - getting to meet so many wonderful people :-)
Years ago I went to Sydney and visited Bondi Beach, those photos made me wish I was there - Austraila has the best beaches ever! Hands down.
Oh, I see your title got you a few extra hits, there Baino.
I absolutely love the new look of your blog and your photos are fantastic in this scope.
I'd love to meet some of my blog-friends. I don't think I'll ever get to Oz though.
Kat
I would give anything to be sitting on that beach right now. Beautiful pics. Thanks for posting!
Hi Baino, I spent my early childhood enjoying DY beach, we lived a 5 minute walk around the corner from it. I have not lived there for many years, however, my family celebrates a Christmas meal together there annually. Your photos are very nice.
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