FAMILY TIME

HIGHLIGHT IN MARCH was a visit from sunny, luke and etta.  beach time, home time, my first drive in the car with etta as passenger (eek, what a responsibility).   all went well though and we had some beach time together before sunny and luke returned from a bike ride.  time spent pouring tea to the fish in my pond, also serving tea to toys, making sandcastles (which etta punched down as soon as they were uncovered) Great to see them more often :0) 

I FOUND THIS FURRY JACKET in an op shop, i think she liked it :0)

 LOOKING AT THIS BLOG  is looking at a snapshot of what i've been doing, obviously a lot of emphasis on the swimming and the Salty Bitches community.  swimming every morning and practising the tips on my style has meant that i've improved so much over this time that i now consider myself a swimmer, rather than someone who can swim and loves to be in the water.  i can swim freestyle to the pole and back, two months ago i would have been backstroking, breast stroking and freestyling with a bit of a float in between because i was using more energy, not breathing so well and not moving forward so efficiently.  it's been exciting to feel the progress. wearing goggles and having my new neoprene swimcap have also helped enormously.  what a buzz!!

GAIL STAYED LAST NIGHT and together we swam to the pole in pristine conditions in the afternoon.  this morning we did the sunrise swim with the salties. we're both feeling pretty chuffed with our efforts :0)

morning sunrises are a big part of the experience

this was a crazy day of metre high waves, no swimming but lots of whoopin' and hollerin'   😄

the morning huddle round the table before and after swimming

dogs are a big part of our morning

    the spirit of tasmania is now a familiar sight on the horizon              coming and going back to geelong,  a welcome addition to the          waterfront

One of the Salties, (aaron) let me know about a spot on the shoreline where a group of swans can regularly be found.  I drove past the other day and there was a collection of water birds, also some corellas who looking as though they didn't know what to do at the beach - 'should we or shouldn't we?'  :-)

lovely to see the familiar heron here quite often



IN THE GARDEN this unfamiliar flower has emerged from strange bulbs that are close to the surface. the honeyeater has discovered them in the last few days

it's also great

to have blue wrens

and back in the

garden, i had a group

of about five, including

the blue male but

I didn't get a

pic of him

SWALLOWS have arrived in huge numbers

I DON'T SEE THE FULL MOON as often as i did in the clear sunraysia skies but it does rise over the bay, so when i see it 

it's usually pretty gorgeous

AUTUMN, MY FAVORITE SEASON

COOL WEATHER has set in, nice though.  low 20s, overcast skies,  swimming has been alternately in choppy seas where we mainly just rise and fall with the waves and gloriously still and clear when i've been able to practise my new swimming style which is noticeable improving my movement through the water   

And my new neoprene swimcap feels so warm and has a buoyancy that  supports my head when i'm floating.  all good.

I ATTENDED an interesting guided visit to the St Leonards Labyrinth, a brick lined path of concentric circles. Karen, a Uniting church minister, guided us through the way the use the labyrinth in a meditative way and afterwards i had a walk along the beach - first without, and then with the camera

YESTERDAY Gail and i swam with the Torquay Waders at 7.30. The water in the open sea is so different to the bayside swimming at Indented Head. we had a strong sideways undertow that had everyone laughing.  walking against that water was great exercise and the group of swimmers were very sunshiny and friendly

I STILL MISS THE RIVER but seeing these beautiful friends flying overhead is always an unexpected thrill - plenty of them here on the bellarine peninsula.

IT TOOK ABOUT SIX MONTHS for the first bird to venture into either of my birdbaths but now they all use them every day.  i wonder what it is that brings about the decision the this birdbath is OK ??