For Bridie Beagle, a car ride is almost as good as a walk as one of her favourite things. She particularly likes car rides, so she was raring to go on the trip back to Sydney from Somersby.
She liked the smells of the bush.
And going around corners.
She wasn’t too happy when we closed her window on the freeway.
And so was ecstatic when we came back into Sydney.
Even the traffic and skyscrapers didn’t faze her, as long as her window was open.
Ah, to be a beagle…
I did see a bit of autumn colour on the Central Coast, courtesy of a short drive up to the hinterland village of Somersby. There were a few trees turning by the roadside that warranted a few shots.
It has been a strange autumn and even though it’s still warm enough to wear shorts and t-shirt during the middle of the day, I dearly want to be able to break out the winter coats soon. I’ll just have to look at more of these photos and dream on.
Somersby was also a prime spot for Gymea lilies. Unfortunately, it seemed to be the end of the flowering season, but I found one that still had its bloom. At four or so metres tall, they’re truly spectacular flowers.
There were plenty of dogs and their owners enjoying the beach in the off-leash area.
We saw dogs off all shapes and sizes – fluffy terriers.
Playful retrievers.
Obedient labradors.
Our beagle enjoyed the smells, the digs, and the socialising.
All in all, a lovely afternoon out.
Little did we know that this weather was to stick around for another month – perhaps even longer!
The rain eventually cleared, and the temperature warmed up once again. When we went down to the beach, we weren’t too surprised to find it a bit busier than usual, although I suppose it was nothing compared to somewhere more touristy, like Terrigal. I loaded up old OM-2 film camera to capture the scenes.
The swell was up due to the storms, so there were lots of eager surfers heading to the water.
Surfers of all ages and genders, I was glad to see.
We were invited by a Central Coast friend to fish off his boat on Brisbane Waters during Easter. It was a calm, cloudy day. I particularly liked the calm bit as I get seasick pretty easily.
We anchored off the village of Davistown, which was supposed to be a good spot. I was a complete fishing novice, but Hubby and his mate L were pretty serious about getting a catch, with a tackle box filled with lures and sinkers, and three types of bait at the ready for every eventuality.
I did get my first catch – a bream – but it was so small that we had to throw it back. In the end, it was L’s son that got the biggest catch that session.
The rest of the time was spent fighting the seaweed that got caught on the line and prevented any significant fish from taking the bait. It didn’t matter to me that we didn’t get anything as there was still the reflections and delicate light to capture.
Hubby and L did get their fish in the end. They had another go at night, and they got a bumper catch – some six eatable fish.
The first half of Holy Week was marked by rain – lots of it. Funnily enough, I found it a good time to practise my photography.
So much rain fell on our little Central Coast house that even our drains overflowed. I liked being able to see the droplets fall in these shots.
There were also plenty of non-native flowers in bloom. These violets brought plenty of colour to our front steps.
And our rose bushes were in good knick.
Out the back in the shady portion of the garden, the bromeliads made their mark.
We spent much of Easter-Anzac weeks on the Central Coast. Our garden was looking great, with lots of autumn flowers in bloom.
The grevilleas were fabulous.
And it was flowering time for the banksias too.
The native birds were loving the bottle brushes.
But it was the King Protea that took centre stage.
The batch of hot cross buns this year was more luxurious than before, with craisins and dark choc chips and lots of spices. Beats a store-bought bun any day.
The avenue looked rather like a scene from ‘Sleepy Hollow’ with the mist becoming thicker.
But the presence of orange leaves meant it wasn’t all gloom.
It was getting dark very quickly now – the path lights are all alight.
At the top was a reminder of the season to come – Easter Sunday was only a week or so away on my visit.
That’s the end of our wander around the Abbey. Next time we will be exploring sunnier climes.
Static and Silence 