FORRESTER BEACH - HIKE - 1 SEPTEMBER 2015

A warm sunny start to the first day of Spring.



The surf was wild and I drove to Forresters Beach for a hike.

The sun was over the horizon and it cast a long shadow of myself as I walked along the beach.

 

The surf was wild and it was crashing into the rocks and flowing along the rock platform. There was a lot of power to the waves and I walked until I had a high vantage point along the rocks. The largest waves caused the boulder I was sitting on to vibrant. Next to me was a sign 'boulders may fall'. I could feel why.

 

I gazed at the ocean and it's awesome power for ages. No boulders fell on me so it must be my lucky day.

 

The sky was a deep blue and was a vibrant background to overhanging boulders and bushes.

A few stand out features - water cascading over the rock platform edge giving a waterfall effect - The morning light sparkled across the ocean - Some waves formed into immense gnarly barrels - On the shore, small foam waves licked upwards across the sand.

A nice morning.

WAMBERAL LAGOON KAYAK - 28 AUGUST 2015

A beautiful morning with sun shining and a light breeze.

The lagoon at Wamberal was filled with water so I went for a short paddle around the lagoon.

 

The breeze was a bit chilly so I kept to the sheltered western and southern sides of the waterway.

There were a number of birds amongst and in the trees enjoying a break from the wind.

 

Today, I saw cormorants roosting in the trees and diving for fish under the water, ducks massing in the wind sheltered areas, swamp hens fossicking along the water's banks and cockatoos flying in chaotic formations across the morning sky.

 

The water was deep enough to paddle under the canopy of the trees. It was fun meandering around the sunken trunks and cruising through the water reeds.

A fun morning. :)

TERRIGAL HAVEN HIKE - 27 AUGUST 2015

A late afternoon walk around the Haven.

The view from the top of the hill was striking with the sun setting over Terrigal.

The ocean had lines of swell which crashed and sprayed over the rocks.

The coolness of the air sped up the walking pace.

good night sun ... selamat malam matahari :)

LAYCOCK THEATRE - MY LATIN HEART - 26 AUGUST 2015

A great night of music - My Latin Heart with baritone Jose Carbo, along with brilliant classical guitarists Slava and Leonard Grigoryan.

The Grigoryan's are so good - their hands fly up and down the guitar, play different parts in harmony - play with feeling.

Jose singing is brilliant - feeling and passion.

The link below is to one of their songs

https://youtu.be/s1rgtko4-fQ

My favourite song of the night was Oblivion'- it was so haunting! :)

NORTH AVOCA HIKE - 20 AUGUST 2015

A cold and sunny morning with a strong breeze.

Not feeling the best so I went for a short hike around the rocks at North Avoca.

 

It was cold in the shade and warm in the sun. The sun was peeking around the cliff face so the temperature was up and down.

 

It was such a pretty view over the rocks and along the sandy beach to Avoca. The surf was poor but crashed and flowed nicely over the rocks.

CENTRAL COAST - WAMBERAL LAGOON - BLACK SWANS - 17 AUGUST 2015

An early morning 5.27 km kayak at Wamberal Lagoon.

The lagoon was full so I was able to paddle in places that were usually dry land. Unfortunately, I got no videos as the go pro battery was flat and I didn't realize till near the end of the paddle.

 

Anyway, I took a few photos and I enjoyed paddled through the trees, between the trees and watching the wildlife.

 

A pair of Black Swans put on a good show and they allowed me to drift close to them. :)

CENTRAL COAST MTB - KINCUMBA MOUNTAIN - 8 AUGUST 2015

A sunny winter's morning. Not as cold this morning but I have new bike gloves with full fingers. Today my fingers didn't freeze.

in the videos, I did the whole of each track leaving out the service roads. The videos are longer than usual so be warned if you don't ride a bike you'll may find them boring. :)

 

It was a great ride. I went at it hard but with caution when warranted. I saw a trail on the service road that I never noticed before. I don't know who but someone made a trail that bended and twined across the ridge that went for ages - about 10 minutes. It was so good.

CENTRAL COAST KAYAK - COPACABANA LAGOON - 5 AUGUST 2015

Another sunny and cold morning kayak. This time at Copacabana Lagoon for 4.05km.

Should I wear my fingerless bike gloves? Nah. Wrong decision! Once again, I had to stop now and again to warm up my hands.

 

 

The sun was shining on the southern part of the lagoon but a wind was blowing across the southern side to compensate.

 

I had fun with the go pro trying different angles for shots. I put my small canon on a selfie stick to try some underwater scenes. I thought I was clever as my hands wouldn't touch the cold water. Alas some water got into the camera and it stopped working.

 

No worries as it started working again when the water dried out. Luckily, the lagoons are fresh water if it was salt the camera would be in the bin.

 

It was fun weaving in and out of the trees and through the reeds.



 

 

There were herons slowly treading through the shallows under the trees looking for food.

 



CENTRAL COAST MTB - PILES CREEK - 1 AUGUST 2015

Early morning 4.91 km MTB - bike ride - at Piles Creek in Brisbane Water National Park with an elevation range of 35m.

Another freezing morning. There was mist oozing off the creek and the sun was only just beginning to rise above the hilly terrain. Once again my hands were frozen.

There were a number of obstacles along the track - side slipping down the slope, rocks and overhanging trees. There were fast sections and others where caution was advised as I didn't want to break any bike parts.

The raised path was fun. It twists and turns over the swampy land.

The reflections were awesome. No wind and nothing to ripple the water surface.

My trusty bike having a rest at the camp area at the suspension bridge.

I wandered around the camp area - over the suspension bridge and rocks. The area is very mossy with a primal look to it. I expected the tree to say "Tree! I'm no tree! I am an Ent." A 'Lord of the Rings' quote.

CENTRAL COAST - NORTH AVOCA BEACH, BOUDDI NP (MTB), TERRIGAL BEACH - 31 JULY 2015

The sun just keeps on a shinin'

Checked the surf at North Avoca early - it looked okay but there was nothing else to ride for the next 20 minutes.

 

 

Drove to Bouddi National Park at the Maitland Bay Centre for a bike ride. The tracks there are so good. The tracks are narrow and varied with a few spots with obstacles. I rode for 5.58 km with 24 m elevation range.

The tracks were the driest I have ever seen them.

 

 

The afternoon was warm so we went down Terrigal Beach and sunbaked ...in winter?? yes it was warm enough and it seemed tempting to go for a swim. Only tempting :)