Beautiful Beaches

As you might know, one of my very happy places is the beach, especially walking along that magical line between the power and mystery of the ocean, and the deeply grounding feeling of solid earth and sand. Actually, anywhere where there is water to be played in is a very happy place for me. Here are some happy places for me in the first few weeks of staying in Woonona, NSW.

The top few photos were from “Magic Beach” which I think is a local name for a quiet section of McCauley’s Beach, near Woonona. A great place for little kids to swim. We had a first for me: BBQ on the beach followed by roasting marshmellows! Two photos are from the Blowhole in Kiama, down the coast a bit. It’s allegedly the largest blowhole in the world, but the swell wasn’t sufficient that day to produce the enormous towers of water for which it is famous. A Great Cormorant was spreading its wings on a rock overlooking the ocean side of the Blowhole, right where the water goes through the opening in the rock. The remaining photos are from Wollongong Harbour, including the Lighthouse.

At Fairy Creek on North Wollongong beach, we played a version of “Pooh Sticks,” and enjoyed watching a Pelican and other water birds look for an evening feed.

Joy in NSW

While in the process of helping Jon, Angela and Evie settle in physically and emotionally to their home in Australia, I made sure to have fun and to treasure the joy of being with them in NSW. Every day that I was not off doing some aspect of my ministry, I spent part of the day having an adventure with Evie, while Jon and Angela attended to the business of setting up a new life. Beach adventures, rock pool explorations, playground fun, swimming, playing with dolls, dancing.

While Jon and Angela were busy lodging his complicated application for a permanent resident visa, buying a car when decent used cars were hard to find, and finding a more permanent place to rent in a competitive market, we found plenty of ways to enjoy ourselves. Angela has several school friends who live nearby on the South Coast.

Walking on the beach, especially at that liminal space at the edge of the water as the waves meet the sand, is probably my favourite way to access joy and at the same time appreciate my grounded place in this amazing universe. As Rumi advises, “Listen to the Ocean.” I walked many miles/kilometres along the stretches of beaches north and south of Bulli, any time of day (and swam in the surf as well.)

And of course there were various fun celebrations in December! My birthday, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve with fireworks on Sydney Harbour (another bucket list item!)