SUNDAY 28 JULY     FORREST BEACH

The sky was still cloudy in the morning, so again there was that moody light on the sea.

It was not as windy today – a hopeful sign – so we were comfortable sitting outside for some of the time.

After breakfast, we took the walking path that goes from near the hotel, along behind the foreshore, to the lawned area near the surf lifesaving club, where the monthly markets were set up. Wandered around the rather small number of stalls. Bought a pineapple and some bananas. The neighbour from the rig that came in yesterday was selling massages at the market.

Took our purchases back to Bus, then walked Couey on the beach. We got as far as the southernmost group of houses – Cassady Beach. The water was high, the sand soft, and the walking hard work. The sea was still a bit rough. Couey began to play with the waves – following them out then dancing back away as they came in. She was a bit of a hazard to us as she bounded back away from them.

Back at Bus, I looked up the tide times, finally, and found we were definitely trying to walk at about high tide times. So, hopefully, the walking will get better, with time.

Below our site level is a large grassy hollow, behind the sandy low hills at the back of the beach. At one end of that was a set up of some large tents, and a couple of boats. We were amused to see, our first night here, that these tents were draped with coloured flashing lights. They had obviously been here for some time. Clearly, the minds of some people work differently to mine – it would never even enter my head to carry strings of flashing lights to decorate our camp. Guess that makes me pedestrian and unimaginative.

I packed John’s doona away under the bed too.

Read for a while, then got out my hardanger embroidery and tried to work out what I had intended to do, when I started it, nearly a year ago. Finally decided to make up a new pattern as I went. Thought I’d intended for it to be a place mat? Anyway, that was what it would eventually become.

For tea, made up a chicken stir fry, with Singapore noodles.

Since I’d put up the solar screens, the dog didn’t seem to want to sleep in my front seat at night, but stayed  sleeping on a mat by the door. Wonder why?