Some storm pics.....

A few photos taken during the May storms down at Ulladulla. The sheer power and force of the ocean is amazing. It sweeps and turns without notice and the waves can become huge all at once.

Happy Father's Day!!!!!!!!!

It has been one week since Father’s Day here in Australia. J and I have never encouraged a materialistic celebration of Mothers and Fathers Day but rather we have made it a time where our little family comes together to share some quality time over a meal, sometimes a picnic or even an evening out. I have always looked forward to these times and will continue to in the future.











This year we had Sunday lunch together and played cards in the afternoon, spent hours talking, laughing and planning. My son’s lovely girlfriend came as did my daughter’s wonderful young man. I sat back and viewed J while he enjoyed himself. He really is a good Dad, he is so full of love and compassion; a man who sees his glass as being half full rather than half empty. J has always had so much time for those around him, especially our children and their partners. I have always considered myself to be an extremely lucky woman to have found in him not only the love of my life but the person whom I am predestined to spend the rest of my life with. J keeps me grounded and reminds me of where we have come from and just how lucky we are.









He has always been remarkably encouraging, caring and fun loving to all of us throughout the years and to see the close relationship that he has with our children is a testament to that support. When you think about it, in the end all we will leave our children that is of any real value, are the memories and the love we gave to them during our lifetime.










So Father’s Day is really something very special in our home, it is a time to say thanks to Dad in a way he loves best, that is, having fun and enjoying quality time with him.
Happy Father’s Day J x

With the Greatest of Ease.......

Well I bet you can guess where we spent Saturday afternoon...yes thats right...we visited Stanwell Tops, just as the Hang gliders were setting up for a wonderful afternoon flying through the air with the greatest of ease. They were so graceful and made hang gliding look so easy. J and I sat back on the grass enjoying afternoon tea and watched many of them warming up and preparing to take off, or in their case....jumping off the side of the mountain. After several hours some heavy dark clouds rolled in from the south which made it time to head home.

Wind in the Willows

Sunday was a very windy day. The sounds of gusts blowing up began in the late afternoon of Saturday and all during the night it whipped up a fury to the point of it keeping us awake. By Sunday morning the noise continued to grow and it had the fearsome sound of immense fury crushing anything that got in it’s way. One could imagine an invisible force ripping through the national park and stripping the trees and ground of anything that could move….thank goodness that J and I were inside. Every now and then we could feel the vibrations all the way up through our arm chairs whilst we watched DVDs. However, it was not until Monday morning that we realized the full effects of those winds.

J and I arrived at work 5:30am. All along Jervis Bay rd. the debris was evident; like the wreckage of a plane strew for kilometers; the remains of trees lay everywhere. Entries and roadways through Jervis Bay National Park and Boodeeroo National Park were a mess. I watched in awe the enormous trees that must have survived decades and decades yet in one single evening, had been overturned and in some parts, completely snapped in two. Their huge roots exposed after many decades of keeping that tree upright. We simply could not fathom how powerful the winds had been. Upon entry into Cresswell my heart went out to those who tender so caringly, the grounds of the base. The golf course was laden with huge branches, shrubs and rubbish everywhere. The gardens were now devoid of their beautiful flowers and were replaced with bark and leaves in enormous quantities. Kangaroos carefully moved amongst the ruins and like us, seemed confused about the mess. The gusts had reached 115 kilometers-an-hour at times and the destructive winds left their mark everywhere. Our shop is in a protected area and thus, received no damage from the storm but the historic old boatshed down on the docks was destroyed, rafters and all. Many of the residents lost power and will not have it reconnected until Thursday. It would seem that mother nature was indeed upset about something. We watched as gardeners, personnel and volunteers organized the green rubbish into piles ready for the trucks to pick up.

Today was a beautiful day, the birds have returned and order has slowly returned as well. Many are still without power in their homes however, I guess if one compares the imposition of no power to those who are homeless in New Zealand due to earth quakes or those who are trying to save their homes from floods in Victoria, these winds are not so bad.