Landlocked

One of the top reasons people love living in Canberra is that it is only two hours from the coast.  So, you can have the pleasure of living in a cozy valley safe from all the sharks and tsunamis and venture out to the beach for the weekends. Most Australians and foreigners feel that life is much nicer with an ocean nearby. I really enjoy the ocean and was excited to live next to it but really our little valley is pretty sweet. It is nice to be surrounded by bush and mountains and nature and we haven't yet fallen into a pit of "we have no ocean" blues. Nonetheless, we knew that if we are truly going to explore Canberra we couldn't miss out on on of the top reasons for living here.

This weekend we made the two hour drive out to the coast to Bateman's Bay. Our gentle rolling hills turned into higher thickly forested mountains. The nauseatingly winding roads slowly descended into a broader blue horizon dotted with sea birds and the potent salty smell of the ocean. And we went to a beach and what was most striking about the change in environment is that is was a shock. It was an overcast warm day. Yet, the steady ocean winds chilled us in a way that was humbling. And it was starting to drizzle. Our plans included frolicking in the waves all day and for the first half hour the mere thought of wearing a bathing suit sent shivers down our Canberrian spines. So we did what most families do and drew straws - or rather sea grass. I got the shortest one which made everyone laugh as I am usually the first to cower in the face of cold water. Luckily, the past few weeks of instability have hardened me to the hardships of Australian life. "I'm going in" I declared "who's with me?" Everyone averted their eyes from my determined gaze and Aurora and Sophia giggled beside me as I explained the plan and got into my bathing suit. In the end Aurora and Sophia decided they needed to be a part of the plan and we three bravely forged a path into the waves towards New Zealand. And when the water was lapping at our thighs we plunged into its depths (up to our bellies anyhow) and emerged victorious. And we obviously looked victorious as Jakob quickly removed his clothes in shame and submerged his lower half in the water.

The beach was lovely really. And we did spend much of our day lazing around in the sand, peeking in tide pools, watching surfers, and getting a dose of vitamin ocean.

Bit of sun

Human castle

Sunning