Happy Mother's Day!

I know, Mother's Day does not come after Good Friday, but we've been super busy here - both with a two-week holiday and with regular life. So my plan is to tell you about what we did yesterday for Mother's Day, and then go back and fill you in until we're current, okay?

Families at the beach:

Rick, Sylvia, and I took the bus to Coogee Beach. It's one of the endpoints of a 6K (3+ miles) five-beach walk along the coastline of the south eastern suburbs of Sydney. We probably averaged about one hour per kilometer because we got at least our feet wet in three beaches, stopped for a picnic, and otherwise enjoyed the sights.

Here's Sylvia happy to be back to the beach.

Although the water looked calm, an announcement was made that there were flash rip tides, and anyone who was not a strong swimmer should not go past where their feet could touch the bottom.

Much of the trail is near bluffs.

Fallen rocks. 

Nonetheless, there are areas where you can go safely off the trail. 

Okay, those of you who are currently studying rocks: what kind are these?

A little further down the trail was this sign:

Oh, that Aussie bluntness.

The next beach after Coogee was Clovelly. This beach was a narrow inlet that had no waves, so the water was full of serious swimmers and the shore had many toddlers.

Sylvia stalked some fish.

Rick with his catch.

To get to the third beach, Bronte beach, we passed a cemetery:

This really give you a sense of the "trail" (really a sidewalk) -- how crowded it can be, and how the path runs along a stretch of wildness between the well-developed suburbs and the sea.

Some of the graves are quite old. Waverley cemetary was established in 1877.

Bronte Beach:

Isn't it gorgeous? I love how one part of the beach is protected by rocks, and another has wild surf.

We were greeted by this sign when we got to the beach:

Rick and I thought it was interesting that there is a code of etiquette rather similar to car traffic rules.

Sylvia after wading in the sheltered area.

A lifeguard in a jet ski pulling an orange body-board patrolled the water. He drove around to the various groups of surfers and swimmers to make sure they were all okay.

And the usual crowd:

I don't think I'll ever get tired of silver gulls. They are so elegant with their polka-dot feathers and orange-red legs.

The beach after Bronte was Tamarama:

We did not go swimming, but I did get my feet wet. 

As we approached the final beach, Bondi, we saw this:

It almost looks like a sculpture rather than rock, right?

Here's Sylvia and I with Bondi in the background:

That's the last of the evening light behind us. It really is autumn here, and is completely dark by 5:30 PM.

As you get closer to Bondi, you can see all the surfers:

From the distance, they reminded me of waterbugs on a pond. 

By the time we got to Bondi, we were all so hungry that we went directly to dinner at a place called Alice & Gertrude Cafe Bookshop.

 It's a used bookstore with chairs and tables throughout which you share with others and read, write, and eat - comfy cozy with delicious, simple food!

We then took another bus back home to end our Mother's Day adventure.

BTW - Mother's Day is every bit as big of a deal here as it is in the States with lots of advertising.