Monday, June 8th

I know that's the date because the computer tells me it is.  During the week we had quite a discussion about what day it was - Tuesday or Wednesday?  One of our neighbours here then told us it was Wednesday which is the middle of the weekend!  I like his thinking.

We have now been at Yardie for just over 3 weeks and life has resumed the leisurely pace that we have slipped into very easily over the last couple of years.  The weather has been great, around 30 degrees most days and nights a bit cooler.  We had some rain one night which didn't interrupt anything.  A few of the regulars aren't here this year for one reason or another, but there are still a lot of familiar faces from the last 2 years.

For those of you who are new to the blog, scroll down to the last post for last year for some details about the area around Yardie.  It is very beautiful, quite rugged and very peaceful.  The beaches stretch for miles with usually only a handful of people at any of the access points at any time. 

Sometimes we see things in the water that are maybe not so peaceful.

The fishermen amongst us estimated that this shark would have been more than 3 metres long, judging by the distance between the two fins.  And it was only about 80 metres out from the beach!  The next day we saw another shark, not as large as this one, at another beach only about 10 metres out.  We are very cautious now about dark shapes in the water when we are swimming.

This octopus managed to hook itself on Alan's line when he was fishing on the beach. Tugga was particularly interested, but we were able to get the octopus back into the water.

There has been lots of fishing. Alan has missed having his boat here, but he and Ray are very fortunate in being able to go out with Arnie, one of the regulars whom we have got to know over the past couple of years.  Arnie has a beautiful big boat and is usually looking for someone to go out with him.  

They fish out a long way past the reef in very deep water.  Some days they cover about 100 miles, out past the reef and south of here. The main catch has been Ruby Snapper, some of them up to about 22 kgs. 

Other catches include dolphin fish, tuna and varieties of cod.  

Ray even caught a black marlin which was returned to the ocean.  It seems like they bring in a lot of fish, but most of the people in the park can't get out for this kind of fishing so everything gets shared around.

Tugga is getting used to life in the park.  He does cause a bit of trouble barking when other dogs go past.  He would love to get off and play.

He loves going down to the beach where he can explore and run.  

Sometimes he finds another dog to have a play with.

And sometimes he just needs to have a rest from all the fun.

He's not too sure about the water yet.  It isn't like the dams at home - they don't have waves that come right over you sometimes!

The beaches are even beautiful when the clouds roll in sometimes late in the afternoon.

There has been plenty of time for relaxing and socialising.  The Strattons have been here all the time as well.

We also had some friends from home, Pat and Leigh visit for a few days.  They are on a big lap and still have a long way to go.  Leigh went out fishing, and we enjoyed having their company.  They were here for the traditional Friday prawns and beer.

And most days we spend some time at one of the spectacular beaches, fishing, swimming or just enjoying the pristine environment.

This has been a marathon getting this post done.  I have had to change the date 3 times!  Hope you enjoy some of what we have been up to here at Yardie.

Merrilyn x