Beach Babies

At last I managed to remember to put the memory card back in the camera. As a result I've been able to record a lovely day on the beach at Dee Why. Dee Why is where the children go to school, and where we will soon be moving into another (temporary) flat. It's also where our friends Paul and Lydia live.
I think Dee Why will turn out to be my favourite beach. It's got a rock swimming pool (most beaches have these - they tend to be on the end of the bay and are enclosed swimming pools filled and flushed through by the sea - no sharks there) and local people tell us that quite a big octopus lives in the end drain, but we've had a good look for him with no luck! I'm sticking to my idea that this is a bit of an urban myth....Dee Why also has lots of lovely restaurants, cafes and other places to buy snacks - sushi bars, noodle bars, juice and smoothie bars. Anything you want you can get there, and then you can eat it on the beach. Today there was live music at the back of the beach where the restaurants are, which was rather jolly. Further along the beach it is just sand dunes, which I rather prefer.
The children enjoyed themselves trying out their new boogie boards. We had a bit of a dodgy moment at the beginning when I waded out to Andrew to berate him for taking them out too far (but when I got there I realised they were on a sandbar and the water was only going up to their knees) and then I decided to read my book facing away from the sea to save my sanity and my marriage. This seemed to work better and I think Andrew has forgiven me now.
I'm not sure where this anxiety about the children has come from. People who know me well will know that in general I am not prone to this sort of thing. I was trying to explain to Andrew as part of my defence that in a (totally irrational) way I think I am especially concerned about not letting anything happen to the children while we are this far away from home. Am I making sense? I fear not.....hopefully, eventually I will calm down.
Despite a neurotic mother though, you can see that George and Anna had a wonderful time. It's absurd to think that it is virtually winter here. However, you can kind of tell in the evenings. Whereas at home if it was 27 degrees during the day we would expect a warm and long evening, here it is pretty much dark by 5.30pm and the temperature drops quite suddenly around 4.30pm. I know this because if I am out I have a coughing fit! The sea is at its warmest though - the sun has been heating it up since about November and the water temperature is around 24 degrees.
I've bought a book about how to deal with stings and bites out here. It's concerning to discover just how many things are out to get you here! There isn't an environment that doesn't have it's dangers and some of them are pretty gruesome. We are kind of relieved that Great White Sharks don't really like eating humans and after they have tasted you they will usually spit you out. Small mercies. However, if you should bump into a box jellyfish you will experience excrutiating pain of a sort it is impossible to describe - George is currently reading Bill Bryson's 'Down Under', which tells of a swimmer in Queensland who has an encounter with one, and is still screaming uncontrollably after he was unconscious and had been administered with morphine. Eurgh. Apparently there is antivenom....Then of course there are the snakes, the spiders, the ants.....some of these creatures carry enough venom to kill 10 men with one sting or bite, which seems to be something of an overkill. It's surprising that mankind has actually managed to conquer this country! I am to the mall tomorrow to buy a first aid kit.....


PS The children keep on checking their blogs and are always disappointed if they don't have any comments. So if you feel you can, why not say hi to them? You'll make their day.