Some areas along the drive south to Shoalhaven are so beautiful that I often think we do not do them justice when we try to write about them in blogs. One such area is Foxground. Foxground lies to the west of Rose Valley and is not far from Kiama and Gerrongong; one passes through Rose Valley on the Pacific Highway after you drive south down through the Kiama Bends. The road heads south into a valley with a very picturesque Jamberoo mountain range in the background. Foxground is always green and the valley floor is home to dairy farms and market gardens. I spent the day driving around the area and loved taking photos of so many natural areas of beauty; babbling brooks, logs covered in butterflies, mossy creek beds, glorious birdlife and much more. Even the scent of the area is fresh and clean.

When I drove around past some of the dairy farms I was surprised at just how green they were as well; the cows being fat and plentiful as a result. One of the locals that I stopped to talk to told me that the farms not only supplied milk but butter as well. Apparently in the early days back in the early to mid 1800s the butter was packed into wooden cases and loaded onto horse drawn carts to be taken to Kiama Harbour and sold. The milk depot used now days was built in 1917 and produce transported to Kiama by train.

I was fascinated by the name Foxground and asked about that as well. I imagined foxes roaming the area searching for food however; I was told that the area was initially a rainforest which was inhabited by flying foxes. It was a scenic valley filled with cedar trees and heavy vegetation until the locals decided to encourage the thousands of flying foxes to migrate elsewhere by dynamiting various spots. I cannot imagine what that would have done to the peaceful char acterof this quiet and secluded valley. In any case it must have been successful as soon after land grants were issued to farmers.

Now days the land is all cleared of its dense rainforest history. Some of the farms have extensive fruit orchards and vegetable gardens whilst the farmers are farming cattle for meat and dairy. I guess you could say that they are truly self-sufficient.

Additionally, it is such a beautiful area and so close to the beaches that I imagine they have an ideal life style. While J and I sat beside Broughton Creek having some lunch we watched a family of echidnas crossing a dirt trail. They must have an acute sense of hearing because the minute I attempted to pick up my camera the larger one curled into a ball, with its stout and legs tucked up under itself and its spines sticking out. It had wedged itself beneath a rock and then likewise the smaller echidnas did exactly the same. I was not game to move again in case I scared them off completely however we did not see them again. It was so peaceful that we could take in not just the sounds of the brook running gently, but also the conversing birds and frogs and the smells of warm eucalyptus, fresh air and earth. We shared a bottle of wine from nearby Silos Estate and had a lovely afternoon. Foxground is truly a lovely and restful spot to relax in; there should be more places like this.

Happy 25th Birthday Ms. K

Today was our beautiful K's birthday. I remember when she was born and now we are celebrating her 25th year....how quickly that time has passed. You were such a delightful baby, always happy just to be around us and I remember your first smile. We were visiting Grandma and Grandy when I stopped to tickly you under the chin; the hugest smile broke out across your face and your eyes danced with merriment. Here was this tiny six week old baby wrapping us around her finger with a simple smile.

As the years progressed that smile was always there and you still win people with the joy and warmth that radiates from you. Your thoughtfulness towards others is always backed by that engaging smile and Dad and I are truely proud that you have turned out to be the sort of person that you are.

Our wish for you on this birthday is that your life is fulfilling and that you are always happy and safe.

Our love always

Dad and Mum xx

Another Year..........

Yesterday was our 29th wedding anniversary. I laid in bed thinking about those years and realized just how much life had changed since J and I got married. The life we first envisioned was so different to what evolved yet amidst all of the highs and lows I still find myself loving my husband just as much now as the day we got married, even though our lives have turned out so differently. My husband us also my best friend and we still share great companionship after all these years. How lucky is that...lol.

As for our 29th anniversary, this year we heaed up to the Hunter Valley to experience "Sting" in concert and a visit to some of our favourite wineries. We had a lovely lunch at Il Cacciatore in Polkolbin and made a few stops to shoot some photos. This next few months will be very hectic with work yet we still like to spend weekends doing something special in keeping with our belief that life is too short to miss anything. I look forward to many more years doing something special with J.

Happy anniversary my darling

Two days after visiting Murray's Beach J and I headed off to explore Caves Beach, highly recommended to us by some of our customers at work. Caves Beach is a 400 meter walk from the parking area but the walk was well worth it. We walked down through acres of coastal tea trees In amongst the teaa trees we spotted so many birds that I was in awe of the area, some crimsom rosellas,, parrots, kookaburras , wattle birds and currawongs. I stopped to read on a sign that the area protects several endangered species such as sea eagles and bristle birds. however, we did not see any but I had my trusty camera handy just in case.

The views are beautiful and we passed some mangroves and swamps along the way and before we knew it Caves Beach was right in front of me. It is a spectacular area with Jervis Bay's signature sugar white sand beach overlooked by the most amazing sandstone rockfaces. At the bottom of these cliffs are some curious caves that really lead to no where but while exploring them I could see freah water trickling down them.

The beach must be a haven for surfers as quite a lot of locals were either coming or going while we were there. The waves did not seem all that large however they remarked to me that most days one could catch a huge wave on Caves Beach. I thought that the surf was gorgeous huge or not.

We swam there for several hours when a man whistled me and pointed out about 30 meters behind where I was swimming and there swimming through the waves was a "black" shadow approx. 1.5 meters long.

It swam at leisure across the from point to point (the length of Caves Beach) and then turned and comme3nced swimming back again.

Of course I did not need to be told to swim in closer to the beach lol but most of the surfers headed back out as soon as the shark was out of range.

Once it turned and swam back they came in the then headed back out again. And so the afternoon continued lol. I am guessing that a shark would not go hungry with all of the fish there so it really was not hunting for a hunman feed.

Anyway, as usual before J and I knes it, it was time to head home.

We began the walk back to the car and disturbed a flock of yellow-tailed black cockatoos and some loorikeets who were busy shapening their beaks on a log alongside the walking path.

We did agree that Booderee National Park is a treasure trove of beautiful beaches and bays all kept lovely by those who use it and by the marine life there. Once again my beliefs that there are not enough marine parks along our coastline was reinforced.

The next morning over beakfast the boys told us about an area called summercloud Bay, so guess where we will be heading after working this week lol.

Murray's Beach.......

If paradise could be found down here in Jervis Bay it certainly must be at Murray's Beach. Yesterday afternoon straight from work J and I ventured along further into Booderie National Park to have a look at some of the various beaches and walking trails. We stopped briefly at a spot called Green Patch but decided to move on. A few kms further along in the most southern part of the bay was a turn off to Murray's Beach and what a beautiful spot it was. The area is not particularly isolated even though it is at the furthest most point of JB rd. and we felt as though we had driven for ages. The water was so clear one could see the bottom even at some very deep spots. The sands were so white that the sun was reflecting off it and opposite Murray's Beach was the beautiful Bowen Island. The beaches all around here all display some very beautiful arches, caves and greenery. It was fortunate that I had my trusty camera with me. J and I were in awe of the glorious coastal wilderness here to the point that we will have to revisit the area in cooler months to explore some of the walking tracks whose names piqued my interest; Bristol Point, Scottish Rocks and Summercloud Bay.
There is a lot to be said for preserving our marine areas by declaring them to be Marine Parks. The marine life is protected which in turn keeps the area cleaner, the water clearer and the environment so much more beautiful. Murray Beach is right in the middle of the Jervis Bay Marine Park and the benefits certainly show. Ahead in the distance I spied some kayakers enjoying the shelter of the bay around Bowen Island. They maneuvered their kayaks briskly along the water with a light breeze at their backs. The water there is the most beautiful blue in colour and the sands are almost sugar white. I would have to say that Murray's Beach would rank amongst my favourite top ten beaches in the world. The boys at work suggested today to J and myself, that if we enjoyed Murray's Beach then we should definitely go to Caves Beach which is located around the other side of the peninsula. They were very impressed with it so that will be on our list for another afternoon after work.