Come on in. The coffee machine is on and tea, coffee or hot chocolate are on offer. Perhaps in todays heat and humidity you’d prefer an iced water. Anyway come and sit by the pool, stick your feet in and cool down with whatever you’d like to drink.
Today I took BILL and SILS to Mudjimba to pick up a coffee machine that Roger wants to play with. He thinks he will be able to get it going (and he probably will) and he will replace ours which we spent a fortune repairing and then found it didn’t make great coffee anyway. After picking it up we went off to Mudjimba Beach. Today they were warning that it was dangerous to go swimming so we walked along the beach just taking in the salt spray.
© irene waters 2016
Despite the sea looking calm the risks were high as many undercurrents were present. SILS told me that we had had fourteen beach drownings since January. Many of these would be overseas tourists who are unaware of the dangers posed by the sea and not being aware that they must swim between the flags to be as safe as they can be. A big mistake a lot of people make is to go in the calm water where no waves are breaking. Big mistake. This is where the wash back out to sea is at its strongest.
Yesterday we had lunch in the hinterland. A lovely day and then drove home via the Glass House Mountains. These were named by Captain Cook in 1770 because from his viewing looking in from the sea they reminded him of glass houses in England. They are in reality volcanic plugs but they make for stunning viewing when you first see them.
© irene waters 2016
Apart from these two trips they have been happy catching the bus and exploring the area by push bike and walking. I have put my nose to the grindstone this week and really worked. At least 8 hours a day and sometimes more. Luckily the Australian Open tennis is on and SILS could watch it all day with just a bit of puzzling thrown in. Luckily BILL wants to see a bit of the countryside so they do get out.
With all this I haven’t done much blogging this week and I probably won’t for the next couple of weeks so my apologies if I don’t visit you as regularly as I should.
I had to laugh (probably should save it for Trent’s smile) but we could do with a smile everyday, couldn’t we. I have a toilet for Muffin which she uses when she is desperate to go. Most of the time she now goes to the garden which is some distance from the house or in the front yard but sometimes she is caught short and uses this toilet.
The other day I discovered BILL and SILS wiping their feet very carefully on the grass thinking it was there to clean their shoes before going inside. I can tell you the laugh I had was very therapeutic and I think they went off to wash their shoes.
It’s been lovely having you visit but I am heading off now to go dancing. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the thunderstorm predicted doesn’t come whilst I am doing the 40 minute drive to where I am going. How is the weather where you are? I know it was -9 in Germany the other day. Brrrr!
Thanks to Diana for hosting our coffee mornings. Have a good week.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Wiping their feet in the “toilet” is funny and smile worthy, but walking on the beach or seeing volcanic mountains are also smile worthy. I hope the coffee machine works out and that you have a great week.
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Yes he has already fixed the coffee machine. I discovered I went dancing on the wrong night but it was worth it as the sunset was just spectacular. Very smile worthy. Have a great week Trent.
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Your guests seem to be having a great time enjoying your part of the world and the company you keep with them. Muffin’s toilet is a pretty clever idea but a bit of a trip up for those not in the know. 😀
Our weather is cool but the drenching El Nino rains we were promised/threatened with for this winter only showed up for one torrential week. We’re back to needing water out here in California. On the other hand, I’m concerned for family back east in the path of the massive winter blizzard bearing down on them. If only the weather would mellow out everywhere – but that probably isn’t what we really want either. We humans are an indecisive lot, aren’t we?
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We are hearing of the blizzard here. Glad you aren’t in its path and hope your family keep warm.
Yes we can never be happy, just always wanting. 🙂
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It’s hot and humid here as well, so I’ll be off to wallow in the surf soon. We don’t get many overseas tourists here – too far off the beaten track – but when I see them at Bondi, the Gold Coast etc treating the sea as a still pond and the flags as a beach decoration, I’m a bit boggled. Particularly when a lot of them can’t swim. I’d have thought its sheer size and foreign-ness would give them pause for thought, but I guess they’re just more fearless than I am.
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Hope you cooled down Helen. Yes, I don’t know what it is. I think that perhaps they think they can swim in swimming pools and still water and not having seen surf before just don’t know of or realise the dangers of the surf. Perhaps it is just ignorance rather than fearlessness. I know my respect for the ocean increases as I get older and I know I wouldn’t be able to save myself perhaps as easily as I once would when I was a strong swimmer with oodles of stamina.
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I can’t help but laugh at the mental image of your guests wiping their feet in Muffin’s potty box! Imagine Muffin’s thoughts on the matter! She has probably been scolded when a human steps in her poo inside the house and now they are rubbing their feet in it! Confused puppy! 😀
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Yes it gave me a smile. Luckily this is only her wee toilet and she saves the other for proper grass four times a day regular as clockwork. I can tell you I wouldn’t have been laughing if the humans had brought her excreta in and walked it all over the house. I can’t bear to think about it. 🙂
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That’s just too funny! A great memory was made
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Your guests using Muffin potty brought on a smile 😆 So many drownings I am surprise that more don’t checked out new areas first.
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Yes you would think they would. It is so bad they now show with the welcome to Australia movie on the plane warning about the surf and swimming in Australia and tips on what they should do.
Glad to give you a smile. XD
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Oh Irene, I so look forward to sharing morning coffee with you (or afternoon tea, I don’t mind!). I always come away smiling with a joyful, happy skip to my step 🙂 So proud of you with all the work you’re doing, wow, 8 hours a day? That’s amazing, and with company too! I had to laugh out loud at the grass wiping feet story…. yikes! But I tell you what, you put the heebie jeebies up me with your warnings about the sea, I had no idea! I would be the one heading straight for the calm waters if not for those warning flags. I’m not a confident or strong swimmer at the best of times. That is a lot of drownings since January, soooo scary. So glad you are having time to get out and about and enjoy your gorgeous outdoors. As for the Glass Mountains, I remember you posting about them before, and wondered then as I do now what kind of glass houses Captain Cook had seen back in England – they must have been massive, and certainly don’t exist any longer, so far I know! I hope next week proves as productive as the last, and I’ll catch up with you soon my friend 🙂 ❤
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I love having you join me Sherri. Morning Coffee is one post I will try and keep doing whilst I have my deadline to meet. Glad I’ve warned you then in case you do ever attempt surfing in Australia. Yes I think Capt Cook must have had some vision of home that was exaggerated from being at sea for so long. I’ve worked well all week. Twenty pages to go so I’m hopeful although pages 50 – 60 took me over two weeks to do so we’ll see. It will be good to be back to normal.
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I’m so glad Irene, it’s a great way for you to let us know what’s going on in your life and for us to share back with you, mug in hand 🙂 You’re doing so well Irene, keep at it, not long now! I’m so proud of you… Big hugs 🙂 ❤
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Big hugs back Sherri. Not there yet but I will be.
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You will Irene…you will 🙂 ❤
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Glad that you go dancing. Could you say more? I have just finished a post about my short foray into Argentine tango, which I am no longer able to do. I love your coffee morning visits. Thanks for inviting me!
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Lovely to have you drop in for a coffee. A couple of years ago I was introduced to the Argentine Stroll which I just love. My main area of dancing these days is what we call New Vogue, a form of sequence dancing and easier as you get older. My passion though is and probably always will be modern ballroom such as waltz, quickstep and foxtrot and Latin American. I have written about it https://irenewaters19.com/2013/11/13/ballroom-dancing/
I’ll look forward to reading your post as soon as I have my editing completed. I just have to get it in next week. Thanks for dropping by.
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Your walk on the beach sounds heavenly. We are busy digging out from under a blizzard here. We had about a foot of snow and the wind created drifts that are much higher! I will live vicariously through your warm weather!😊
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Glad I’ve given you a bit of warmth. We heard about the blizzard here. Sounds too cold for me.
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Too cold for me too!😬
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How was your dancing expedition? What kind of dancing do you do?
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Dancing was good except that I went on the wrong night. Although I still got dances this was a dance where most people turned up with their partner and being a single woman meant that there weren’t too many free men and none of my regular crowd were there who are happy to share their partners around or don’t have a partner to start with. Still it was fun. Ballroom is my love. https://irenewaters19.com/2013/11/13/ballroom-dancing/
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There must be something to the danger of calm-looking ocean. That’s what I remember of the clam digger drowning, that the waves were not crashing or choppy, but deceptively calm. 14 drownings is a striking number for less than one month. The volcanic plugs are fascinating! I bet your family is glad they don’t have to deal with below zero temps. It’s supposed to rain more on our snow. Not sure what will come of that. At least we aren’t frigid or sweltering. Thanks for the coffee break!
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Thanks for dropping by Charli. Yes beware of calm seas.I think the family are more than happy to be missing -9 centigrade temps although the humidity has just kicked in here and they are struggling a bit with our heat.
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Hi Irene. I’ve been playing catch up a bit today on my reading. Kids went back to school on Thursday so it’s been a hectic week and I’m taking things easy today. Recharging. We had a huge storm yesterday. No hail but the rain truly dropped out of the sky and of course, it was right on school pick up…the first time I’m, picking our son up from High School so all unfamiliar as well. I made it but was still feeling a bit shell-shocked last night.
Good luck with your writing!
xx Rowena
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