A few days away.

Although its the school holidays, we decided to have a few days away from home and joined Becky and family in Hawks Nest. Our good friends Wendy and Rob had lent them their holiday house.

The Myall River frontage in Tea Gardens.

 

 

Holidays and ice cream go together.

 

  Good one.

Johan's favourite, Jimmy's Beach at Hawks Nest.

Looking across the bay to Nelson Bay.

A very noisy green tree frog that came to visit.

He seemed to like Grahams red shirt.

The main beach at Hawks Nest. Very busy as usual !

They must have had a team of Japanese contractors in to rake the beach.

  A few fishermen .......

 
...... and a few swimmers. Not too busy for the middle of the school holidays. 

 

The boys had a great time in the water.

 I bet that photo will be on next years calendar.

Beckys had enough.

Alex doing his impression of The Angel of the North.

Ben bowing down to his brother.

 

Driving across the bridge between Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest, I thought my eyes were playing tricks so went back for another look.

Beautiful Pelicans roosting on top of the light poles.

 

 I think they were enjoying the view up river to Tea Gardens.
 

 

 I think he became camera shy.

The Weather

What a strange start to the year as far as the weather goes. Its probably the same each year but one tends to forget. The country has been ravaged by storms, fires and heavy rain causing flooding. We didn't get much flooding except for a few local roads cut off. The river has been up and down a few times also but nothing to be concerned about. It is raining very heavily as I write, with lots of thunder. Its of course one of our hottest times of the year and with the combination of sun and rain, the grass has been growing like crazy. I'm sure I can see it growing!

Temperatures have been in their usual low 40'sC but there seems to be a lot more of such days. These temperatures we can cope with as long as they drop at night so we can get a good nights sleep. We can sleep with the air conditioning on at night but every time it cuts in or out we are aware of it happening. The biggest temperature difference we have had so far is a 41C day and a 13C night. I remember years ago people saying to me that I shouldn't feel the cold having grown up the northern hemisphere but its not the cold temperature that we feel, its more the high fluctuations between the highs and lows.

 

Its been that hot that even the bees are coming to the bird water bowls to drink. It obviously happens all the time but we have never been aware of so many as this year.