Very-Lovely, Always (Green): 2010

This time next week I will be on the other side of the world, though much rests in the hands of sporadic ash clouds and any closed border to nasty foreigner policies of Davey C and the Cleggmeister. Before I go overseas, alas for just a brief visit (unless, rather fortuitously the ash cloud re-emerges when I am over there), it is important to me to get a double shot of Australianness. Australia may not have a wonderfully quirky electoral system or the miracle that is Cornish Clotted Cream, but boy does it have some very big plusses. The South Coast in May, for instance, where blue skies beam down on yellow sands and green forests, all very shortsable but with reduced risk of red skin.



Most of the South Coast is pretty darn fine, so it doesn’t matter too much which road you take off the Princes Highway. While Canberra suffers from its lack of waterfront joie de vivre, the South Coast provides salvation, this beach – Depot Beach – being two hours from my door. Two hours – pretty much the same as some bogan from Western Sydney would take to crawl through dreary suburbs to reach an overcrowded beach with expensive parking. Eat my shorts Sydney!! (and I was wearing shorts).

So, what happened at the beach... well, I walked along it, and then along some more, and then across some rocks and through a pebbly bit. All the time making remarks like ‘oh how lovely’ and and ‘what a great day’ and rather self-congratulatory on my decision to head to the coast. That tired me a little, so I sat down for a while on some nice grass at Pebbly Beach, ate some leftover pizza, and continued through the mighty spotted gums and ferns. This led me to another little beach, which was also oh so lovely, where I shared views with the Rosellas and generally felt rather good. And then I walked back again, via another brief stop to get some bare feet in toes and test the water (not too bad, wasn’t running out shrieking like a girl anyway).











It doesn’t sound much, but it took a fair few hours, what with all the ambling and taking pictures, the stops for little rests here and there, the clambering over pebbles and through grains of sand. Plus I think it was about 12kms or so! Distance enough to justify fish and chips? Why, of course. Not only is it important to dose myself up on Australia before I leave it for a little while, but my stomach needs to prepare for what Mum will do to it! Luckily, just a little back down the road, Batemans Bay provides the required measures of fish, chips and dusky calm waterside views. Thank you Australia, see you again soon xxx