LONG JETTY TO CHITTAWAY BAY CYCLE - 29 FEBRUARY 2016

A sunny morning. Time for a bike ride.

I started at Long Jetty and cycled west following the bike path to Chittaway Bay.

There were a number of spots to stop and admire the different views of the lake.

There were also a number of birds wading in the shallows and roosting on the piers - pelicans, sea gulls, ibis, cormorants, ducks and plovers.

A pleasant 13.54 km ride.

Next, I drove to Terrigal Haven for a refreshing swim. I got to talking with a lady while floating in the water. She started by telling me that she likes to look at life positively. After that, she told me the problems with the world and her family.

LONG JETTY - CYCLE - 27 FEBRUARY 2016

Time to try the bike outdoors rather than the exercise bike.

A bit cautious to start but it was fun cycling along the flat bike path and saying hello to passers by.

I was feeling a little bit more confident so I veered off the path and rode along one of the jetties. it was nice hearing the clickety clack of the of the wooden slats as my bike drove over them.

At the end of the jetty was a group of young guys fishing. They drove up from Sydney in the early hours of the morning and had been fishing since 3am. no fish but a friendly bunch of guys.

Back on the path and I tackled a few of the small but steeper inclines along the path. once again no problems and I felt like I had made another achievement.

At the end of the ride, I was still feeling good so I had a few rounds of the short bike dirt track. No problems.

I had a great 8.85 km cycle with sore legs but feeling so good.

next stop was Toowoon Bay for a swim, short soft sand walk and a coffee.

Life is good. :)

TERILBAH ISLAND - TUGGERAH LAKE - KAYAK - 25 FEBRUARY 2016

A beautiful sunny morning with the temperature going up.



I launched near the fishing area just over The Entrance bridge at North Entrance.

There was little wind and it was a fun paddle. The kayak cut cleanly over the water causing small ripples, the sun reflected off the water in a twinkling effect, fish occasionally breeched the water, swirls of sand in the water indicated escaping fish or stingrays, the birds were slowly fossicking amongst the reeds in the shallows with black swans in the distance, the distant mountains were fog shrouded, everyone I passed was friendly and commented on what a great morning it was...

Back on shore, I drove to Toowoon Bay for a refreshing swim in the ocean and a cup of coffee.

A good morning :)

PEARL BEACH AND CROMMELIN NATIVE ARBORETUM - 22 FEBRUARY 2016

A golden sunrise at Pearl Beach this morning with a fog shrouded background of Box Head.

I started the morning in awe of the sunrise, then I walked the short track at Crommelin Native Arboretum.

I heard lots of birds calling in the trees but I didn't see any. I must have been the first on the track today as I walked into ten or so spider webs that had grown across the path. At the right angle and height the webs are virtually invisible.  It was a pleasant short walk. Just as I was nearing the exit of the reserve a wallaby darted across and back in front of the van. Nice!

Down the beach for a coffee and swim and sit around. The golden sunrise was finished but it still was very pretty with warm water and the sunlight twinkling across the surface of the ocean.

Oh, and there was a kookaburra hanging about.

A nice start to the day.

TERRIGAL - THE HAVEN - HIKE - 18 FEBRUARY 2016

A hike around Terrigal Haven.

There are lots of great view points on this walk to take in and admire the coastal scenery.

There was a bit of an ocean swell coming with a few guys out riding the high tide waves.

KINCUMBA MOUNTAIN - KANNING TRACK - HIKE - 17 FEBRUARY 2016

A cloudy morning with a peep of sunrise.



I ride around Kincumba Mountain a lot but when I originally started visiting the area I was mainly hiking. I'm not quite ready for a bike ride yet but I was very keen for a bush hike.

I chose the Kanning Track as it easy and has a lot to offer in a short hike.

Firstly, it was nice to meander along a track with natural bushland all around me. secondly, my walking speed was a bit slow and careful so I spent a lot of time looking at the smaller things - the texture of a tree's bark, the fronds of the ferns and rock shapes.

A few features of the walk was a large fallen tree at the beginning of the track. The root system of the base of the tree lined the edge of the path in a vertical direction.  Another large fallen tree on a sandstone rock platform looked like the base was sliced smoothly off the rock. Further along the track was a cave. Not very deep but deep enough to give easy protection from the elements.

A great hike.

THE ENTRANCE AND TOOWOON BAY - HIKE,SWIM - 16 FEBRUARY 2016

A beautiful sunny morning. I missed the sunrise but still it was shaping up for a glorious day.

 I drove to The Entrance and had a walk along the beach to the estuary of Tuggerah Lakes.

The tide was very low and going lower so there was a lot of exposed sand and rocks. It was nice observing the shape of the sand along the estuary banks, the light glinting off the exposed rocks as small waves crashed over them and the fishermen casting their lines as a silhouette to the morning's light.

While, looking at the watery scene before me a lady with her husband started talking to me. they asked me about taking photos and then switched topic to her brother who had died many years ago and loved walking along the shore of this beach. Maybe, I reminded her of her brother.

A nice short hike with great watery views.

TERRIGAL - HOME AND ABOUT- RECOVERY - 15 FEBRUARY 2016

Life has been about recovery and doing things one step at a time. On this note, I'll just update the last three weeks in a timeline.

1. managing the pain - done
2. dreaming of a good night's sleep - done
3. wondering if i'll ever be able to sit on a toilet seat again - done
4. trying to walk normally - done
5. able to sit - done
6. driving - done
7. swimming - done
8. short hikes - done

All thanks to my great physio and following the exercises.

Still, a long way to go. My adventures have toned down a lot but hey I'm out and about so life is good.

A few snippets while I was in early recovery...

A day or two after the hamstring disaster, I was feeling a little bit down but was cheered up by Ava the lorikeet. She sat there for ages guarding me and now and then turning her head in my direction to give me a tweet.

I woke early this morning and drove down to the Terrigal Haven for a walk on the rocks. I took a few photos - kayakers with a peeking of sunrise, shells on the rocks and crabs on the move. All was looking good. I was carefully walking with no problems then ... this is a story with an obvious and probably inevitable change of course... stepping on a black slippery patch of moss, then no traction, then no feet on the ground, then my ass planted firmly and painfully on the rock, then a full body wallop of pain. I sat there for awhile and waited for the pain to subside before starting any movement. Slowly, I rose and tenderly checked that I was okay. How good was that, I was okay, a little shocked but hey a boring walk turned into a fair story.