Sunday, February 3, 2008

The Hazy, Lazy, Crazy Days...

by Anna Campbell

I'm going to take a short break from peddling baritone porn (if anyone missed out on checking out this site which came up on the comments part of Kirsten's wonderful Internet blog yesterday, do yourself a favor). Instead, I've become a total beach!

I know most of the Banditas and a fair portion of the Bandita Buddies are shivering in the cold or at least miserable in drak weather. To be honest, our summer down here in Oz hasn't been that great either - very soggy indeed!

So I thought I'd torture...uh, INSPIRE you all with some pictures of Aussie beaches.

I adore the beach. We were a beach family. In spite of growing up in Cunnamulla, hundreds of miles inland, my dad was a very enthusiastic swimmer when he was young and volunteered as a lifesaver on one of the Gold Coast beaches in the years before he married Mum. If you don't know what a lifesaver is, here's a photo, girls! Be almost worth drowning for, wouldn't it? And you know, they give you the kiss of life!

Anyway, all our holidays when I was a kid involved water of some kind and usually the vast, blue, magnificent Pacific that wasn't very far from where we lived. Which was a pity for my mother who had also grown up miles inland and never learnt to swim and hated the sea with a passion. Just goes to show what people will do for love, huh? The annual beach holiday was nothing but torture for her!

Our most popular destination, partly because it was close to Redland Bay, was the Gold Coast. It's fairly glitzy (although less so back in the Dark Ages when I was a kid - we used to watch for the Viking longboats on the horizon!). I still have enormously fond memories of that magnificent strip of pristine sand and the wonderful sea - and they're still there in spite of all the tall buildings that now line the beach. This is a picture of the walk through the pandanuses and the casuarinas and the dunes to the shore - it's still like that in many places. You can see why I loved it!

This is a photo of famous Bondi Beach (not a patch on the Queensland beaches, in my humble opinion - a statement that can cause a riot in Sydney!). It's still a pretty nice stretch of sand and the beauty is it's right on the edge of Sydney so you can get there in half an hour on a bus from the city. A beach on your doorstep. Newcastle is even better - the beach is at the end of the main street of the CBD.

Perth too has beaches close to the city centre. I only recently fell in love with the beaches of Western Australia. They're on the Indian Ocean and they have a completely different feel to the east coast beaches I've visited. One of my favorites is on Rottnest Island which is a short ferry ride from the mainland. A treasured memory is a holiday I had there a few years ago - I just lolled in the perfect opalescent water all day. The ideal summer break! Check out this photo and you'll see what I mean.

I've also been lucky enough to visit the Barrier Reef a couple of times. Gorgeous place and gorgeous beaches. The last photo is an atmospheric view across to one of the hundreds of islands that fringe the coast along this great natural wonder. Because the water is flat on the Barrier Reef, a real treat is snorkeling. I've only done this once, on Green Island off Cairns. It's absolutely magical - a world of brilliant color and darting tropical fish and coral and silky, warm water. Seriously recommended as an unforgettable experience.

So in the depths of winter for so many of us, let's warm things up. What's your ideal summer holiday and why?

63 comments:

Denise Rossetti said...

Hullooo?????

Marg said...

You know, I started off in Perth where they have great beaches and good waves, then I moved to Adelaide where they have nice beaches but zero waves. Now, I am in Melbourne, and my part of Melbourne has really average beaches and no waves either! I really need a beach holiday!

Denise Rossetti said...

Oh boy, oh boy. I did it! I did it! Yay, me! Okaaaay, what should the GR and I do today? Hmmm. I've just fed my furry family and I'm about to go do my exercises (with ENORMOUS reluctance, believe me!).

Sooo, I think I'll puff and pant and the GR can perch on the back of a chair and giggle. Then we can have a champers and orange together.

*smile* I like that program, especially the last bit.

And Anna, my friend, I totally agree on Queensland beaches. Simply stunning. Though, when the kids were little, my idea of a blissful holiday was to stay home and read books! The packing and the traveling and the unpacking stressed me to the max.

Denise *skipping off wing in wing with the GR*

Fedora said...

Woooooo!!! Go, Denise! Yay--enjoy hanging out with the GR :)

Anna, wow--those beaches are completely gorgeous!!! I haven't been to Australia yet--boy, do I need to get over there!

To be honest, I'm not much of a beach person in reality. I'm completely in love with the idea of beach vacations, but I really don't deal all that well with too much sun and heat. The sitting around with cool drinks and a stack of books and some of those lifesavers though... that I could totally do!

My ideal summer break right now would be a few unscheduled sunny days, where our family could go do some uncrowded fun things together, and then come home to laze around and eat and read and sleep :) Plus lots of ice cream, watermelon, and other yummy summer fruit...

Christine Wells said...

Hey, congrats, Denise! Don't go corrupting that innocent little rooster of ours, will you?

Anna, your post really captured the beauty of Aussie beaches (and the landscapes were great, too;) Such a pity it rained so much over Christmas.

Hi Marg! I think you must be due for a stint in Queensland, if that's the case.

Keira Soleore said...

O.

My.

GAWD.

Foggetabout the GR. That. Oooh. That. Me. Have.

Marg said...

You may well be right Christine!!

Denise Rossetti said...

Christine, my friend. Corrupt, anyone? Moi? Nah, not if they don't want to be corrupted. *grin*

I've heard things about the GR's escapades. Mango daiquiris, gladiators in those teeny tiny leather skirt thingies, cuddling under a blanket sipping a hot chocolate. What's at my place (me) pales in comparison.

OTOH, I'm writing some very kinky scenes right now. I might ask the GR to peck out a few words, from a roosterly perspective, you know...

Keira Soleore said...

Love me some beaches, especially if they come equipped with, er sport, er are decorated with, er...er...er.

Helen said...

Well done Denise have fun with him

Oh Anna yes I totally agree we have the most beautiful beaches I spent many of my teenage years at either Bondi or Newport in the north or Cronulla in the south. When we were children we used to go on holdiays to the Central Coast to Umina and The Entrance one of my sisters lives there now. When our children were young we took them down south to a place called Sussex Inlet and the area was wonderful trees to sit under and read my book while the kids were playing in the water. Of course our Lifesavers are the best.
Hubby and I have been to the Great Barrier Reef for a holiday and stayed on South Mole Island beautiful place the fish and the big turtles and beaches.
We have been on a cruise as well and visited Noumea Mystery Island Vanuatu Lifou and Laman bay in the Pacific beautiful places as well. We loved the cruise and would go again tomorrow if we could so much to do or nothing to do except read wonderful food and entertainment.
Great post Anna
Have Fun
Helen

Christine Wells said...

Now, now, Denise, play nice! If you start involving our little R in your stories we'll have to get P226 to de-program him pronto!

Keira--yet another reason to visit Australia. I have to say that you won't be disappointed with the real thing. Even with those silly little caps they wear, our lifesavers are hawt! And best of all you can stay with me at--wait for it--Dicky Beach. I kid you not, that is where we go for our beach holidays.

Helen said...

Keira most of our beaches are decorated that way and they truly are the best.
Have Fun
Helen

Anna Campbell said...

Hi gals! Just back from a day in the big smoke, aka Briz Vegas, and a bit wrecked so probably will play more tomorrow. Weren't those photos gorgeous? Keira, not just THAT photo. Christine, are there lifesavers on Dicky Beach? Poetic justice says there should be!

Denise, huge congrats on the GR. But please, don't corrupt him. We want him back in the lair, not performing illegal acts in some den of vice for hens!

Marg, I agree - Queensland sounds like where you need to be right now. Perth beaches are fantastic, aren't they? I loved Cottesloe the best, I think - although someone got eaten by a shark there in recent years, didn't they? One thing I love about WA beaches is you can sit and drink champagne and watch the sun set over the ocean. Here, you can watch the sun RISE over the ocean but it's not quite the same. Actually another beach out that way that I loved was Prevelly Park. It's like my ideal beach!

Seriously, guys, you HAVE to visit us!

Helen, what a great list of beaches. One of my favorites south of Sydney is Bawley Point. I had a week's holiday there a few years ago and it was just magic. We really are spoilt for coastal scenery in Oz, aren't we? Yes, Keira, we know what scenery you're thinking of, you wicked thing!

Actually, if Keira comes to Dicky Beach, will the rooster come to Ducky Beach?

Helen said...

Well how is this for a small world Anna my Aunt and Uncle lived at Bawley Point in Malibu Drive right opposite both the beaches spent many a day at those beaches the men would go out in the boat fishing and the wonderful seaford BBQ's we had just the best lost my Uncle a few years ago but my Aunt still lives there but moved around the corner to a new house love it there.
Have Fun
Helen

pjpuppymom said...

That does it. Packing the bags. Calling the travel agent. *Must* visit oz!

pjpuppymom said...

My best friend's mum is from Australia and my friend has been there many times. Still has lots of relatives down there. One of these days I hope to make it. Sure looks like paradise to me!

My favorite summer vacation is our annual week at the beach. My family of the heart and I share a beach-side condo in Garden City, a small South Carolina beach town on the Atlantic. The kids and I hit the beach about 6am to hunt for shells then it's back to the condo for breakfast and to wake the parents. We all head to the beach about 8:30 and spend the entire day lazing about on the sand or in the water, playing bocci, building castles and reading. It's all about great food, total relaxation and fun. And books. Lots and lots of books.

Christine Wells said...

Yes, indeedy, there are lifesavers on Dicky Beach! They're usually sitting up in their tower mumbling into the microphone but occasionally they go out on their surf skis and so forth (looking hawt!)

PJ!! Great to see you here. Your beach holidays sound like bliss! Can't wait until my boys are a little older and we can do all that lazing and reading.

Gillian Layne said...

Congrats, Denise!!

My travels have been pretty limited, but our favorite beach is Sanibel and Captiva Islands off of Fort Myers, Florida. If you are shell-crazy and despise dressing up on your vacation, it's the place to be.

And not a roller-coaster to be found! ;)

Buffie said...

Anna, what beautiful beaches!!!! Absolutely gorgeous. I lived for 12 years in Florida (Fort Myers area) and was either at the beach, in the pool, or on our boat most of the time.

Gillian -- isn't Sanibel wonderful?!! I can remember going there quite a bit when I was child, and that was before it became a great destination.

Gillian Layne said...

Buffie, Sanibel rocks! Quiet (well, when we go it's the off season), laid-back, peaceful, everyone's friendly, the food is delicious....I just love it.

Anonymous said...

oooo, love the beaches, Anna!! It doesn't get too cold where I'm at, but it's been about 37 and rainy for weeks and I am DONE. Ready for some of that blue water and white sand.

my favorite holiday does involve water, but I'm torn between a gorgeous beach (yes, I must say yours look pretty amazing) and a lake. Love the lake, canoeing, fishing, and floating.

Gillian and Buffie, we're planning a trip to Sanibel right now! I've never been there before--we're going with my husband's family. Sounds like it's everything we're hoping for!

Gillian Layne said...

Oh my goodness, I'm SO jealous, Kirsten! You will love it!

Don't miss the Bubble Room (restaurant) and the Mucky Duck, I think, for amazing sunsets (go early) and the shell museum is awesome, if you like that kind of thing, and hey, one evening dh and I got a pizza and a bucket of coronas and just sat on the beach and ate. (sigh)

I'll quit now. You are going to have the BEST time :)

Anonymous said...

aw, thanks! 'course, it will be me, dh, our two kids, and assorted cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, so a quiet night together on the beach probably ain't gonna happen, but still!

here's the tough part, though. we've got to stay five days in orlando first and do the disney thing. awk. then we get to recover on Sanibel Island for five days. much more my speed. i can't wait to see the sunsets and collect the shells.

Anonymous said...

denise, I'm very impressed that you paused in the midst of writing those "naughty bits" (as Christine would say) to nab the GR and do your exercises. exemplary restraint, m'dear.

fedora, you should do a beach vacation in Oregon! It rarely gets too hot, and while it's sunny, it's always breeze and lovely on the beach. And you'll get clouds in the afternoon and mornings a lot. I adore it. The winters here can be a little trying, but the summers are incredible.

Anonymous said...

keira, do we need to send over someone to check up on you? Are you still breathing over there?

pjpuppymom said...

Gillian, I spent my honeymoon on Captiva. Love it there.

I lived in Sarasota for 12 years. When I was single I practically lived on Siesta Key Beach. The whitest, softest, most beautiful sand in the world, IMO. Oh, and Keira, I dated one of those gorgeous, blonde, buff lifeguards. Definitely worth the effort! (grin)

Deb Marlowe said...

OMG. Anna, I've been longing to visit Australia since I was 12. Thanks for multiplying that wish exponentially! Ack!

First, I think somebody better head North to resuscitate Keira!

Suzanne Ferrell said...

Oh Anna, such glorious natural sites! Especially that first picture. :)

I have to confess that I really don't go on a summer vacation. Alas, that is the busiest time of year for me at work, so I usually only get time off to go to RWA National convention each summer. This year it's in San Francisco, so I plan to do a little sight seeing first!

I do however take time to go home to Ohio in the fall. I try to get time off in the peak weeks for color among the trees. I need that little bit of crip air in the mornings and the reds, yellows and golds on the trees after three or four months of 100+ heat in Texas!

Keira Soleore said...

Christine, ooh, thankee! It's summer in December, so perfect timing. You do realize that you, Helen, and Foanna are succeeding in your campaign, right? I mean, talk about the views!!! Lawks.

Foanna, my husband has scuba dived in the Cairns reefs. Lucky him!

Kirsten and Deb, my heart's thundering in my chest. But I'm trying valliantly not to faint here, because I *have* to go over to the Riskies and chat with Deb.

Lawks a mercy!

Keira Soleore said...

OK, Gillian, you absolutely have to tell me the story of "the dating life with a lifeguard." OMG. I don't think I could live through such an experience.

Foanna, if I go to Dicky Beach, the GR goes to Chicky Beach where there are female lifeguards (a la Pamela Anderson.) P226, are you reading this??

doglady said...

Way to go, Denise!! Don't let 'em fool you. That GR is quite a troublemaker! Good Lord, Anna, give a girl some warning! That lifeguard is worth my non-swimming self jumping into the Pacific, repeatedly!! Those beaches are AMAZING!! Absolutely gorgeous. Now, my idea of a summer vacation is to run down to Oz and go trolling for baritones and lifeguards with Anna C !! Who's with me??? How about it Keira?? I'll let you have the one in the photo if you'll help me catch, I mean find another one.

Actually I do love the beach. Sitting in a comfortable beach chair with a stack of books and a cooler full of Milo's tea is my idea of heaven. Stick my toes in the sand and don't leave until the sun goes down.

Seeing the Great Barrier Reef is on my list of things to do before I die. As is a trip to Australia.

Then again, my idea of a vacation is "any place but here as long as I don't have to work!"

A trip to the UK to tour all the great houses and museums I can cram into a vacation sounds perfect.

Seeing Salzburg and the surrounding area one more time.

I would love to go back to Maine to see Cadillac Mountain and Thunder Hole now that I am old enough to enjoy the sights. I was three and four when we lived there.

I'd love to go spelunking in some of the huge bat caves in the West - New Mexico and Arizona. I've done the ones in the South and it was fascinating. I know. Weird vacation idea, but I am a bit odd.

Eva S said...

Thanks Anna, wonderful pictures!! That was what I needed right now, I think I'll take one of photos and put it above my computor...
I'd love to travel to Australia, you have such gorgeous beaches, but it's rather far from here...

As for my ideal summer holiday is one or two weeks on a tiny island here in our archipelago. Just me and my husband, the sun and the seagulls...

Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy said...

WTG Denise! After all the alcohol and choccie goodies the GR could probably use a little exercise.

Speaking of GOODIES... Foanna, you just gave me enough eye-candy to induce a diabetic coma! MORE! MORE I TELL YOU! (Aunty snaps her crop)

I know what you mean about different oceans feeling different. The Pacific feels completely different from the Atlantic, and the Gulf feels different than both! There's a bar in Key West that has one side on the Atlantic and the other on the Gulf. :-)

LOVE the Gulf, and Sanibel Island is one GREAT destination, Kirsten, you're gonna LOVE it even if you do have to endure disney first. Florida beaches really are like no others. The sand is so fine like spun glass or like Sugar Beach outside Pensacola, refined sugar!

I've been to Oz (in 1999) and these pictures barely do the beaches justice they are so beautiful! I preferred the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast. Too many high rises on the latter. :-( Brought back ugly memories of the over-built areas of Myrtle Beach and Ft. Myers.

I love the beach, even though I seldom venture into the water. Here on the West Coast the water is TOO DARNED COLD! Yes, even in sunny California. Kirsten, my fave along the Oregon coast is Cannon Beach. The town is cute-sey too, kinda like Carmel-by-the-sea here. Anyway, for me to venture into the water requires the nice warm bathtub temps. found in Southern Florida or Hawaii (which has some black sand beaches that are incredible).

Helen, Vanuatu is supposed to be one of the NEW HOT VACATION DESTINATIONS. Just so you know that you're ahead of the curve. :-) Sadly, we were unable to go out to the Great Barrier Reef (due to windy weather) when we were in Oz. We were at the very southern tip of it. Of course, this just means we need to GO BACK! However, considering it is 14 hours in the air from LA to Sydney, and having just endured 10+ hours from SF to Paris, it may take awhile for me to pluck up my will-power. (must look for more piccies of Aussie Lifesavers!)

AC
who was just checking our Romance Bandits email and therefore got identified as Jo-Mama!

Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy said...

Oh good! I did get blogger to identify me correctly.

Obviously Jo-Mama and I have been spending too much time together if Blogger thinks we are the same person. HAHAHAHAHA!

AC

Cassondra said...

If I could, I'd have a beach house somewhere warm and sunny--I'd go there for two weeks in November, two in December, and FOUR in January....

The older I get, the more I need sunny and warm. As pretty as my state is in general, there's not much to speak for Kentucky in the middle of winter. Drab and gray and either extremely cold or generally WET and soggy. And not much snow to make it pretty.

BUT we're less than a week or two away from crocus blooming time, which is always the hope in the midst of the gray.

I want beaches. Regularly. With nothing to do but stay there until I get tired of it and want to come home.

I sit in the edge of the surf and try to catch seashells like a kid. People think I'm crazy. I never get tired of it.

Oh, and Fo, one of my life goals is to dive on that reef. Instead of diving in black water looking for drowning victims, I wanna dive where there's pink fish.

Suzanne Ferrell said...

When my children were small, we took them to Duck Island on the Outerbanks for a week's vacation with my dh's entire family. The beach house we rented was just down the boardwalk from the beach. The Atlantic was beautiful, the beach wasn't too crowded and we could sit on the deck and watch the dophins out on the ocean!

Our second beach vacation took place on the Atlantic in a place called Sebastian Bay, in Florida. The kids were a little older and we stayed with a friend and his girlfriend. Lots of sand, sun and grilled foods!

I'd love to go to either place again, but with just my kids and their partners...and oh yeah, the grandbaby!

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, guys, Deb Marlowe who is a regular visitor has done a really great interview over on the Risky Regencies today. If you get a chance, check it out:

http://riskyregencies.blogspot.com/

She's giving away a signed copy of her new release SCANDALOUS LORD, REBELLIOUS MISS too!

jo robertson said...

Whooopppeee, Denise!

Anna, what gorgeous beach pictures. I adore the beach, the sun, the sand. Hmmmm, my favorite place.

And AC, the northern California beaches are different from the southern Cal. We're mired in winter rain here. Winter in northern CA means rain, rain, wind, and more rain.

Thanks for the pick-me-up, Anna!

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, Helen, how amazing about Bawley Point although I've been told it's been quite built up since I was last there ten years or so ago. It was just too pretty to escape being discovered, I think.

PJ, that's the thing about a real beach holiday, isn't it? Somehow you just relax in a way you don't anywhere else. I wonder if it's partly the sound of the sea.

Anna Campbell said...

Um, do you think Bawley Point is anywhere near Dicky Beach? Groan!

Anna Campbell said...

Gillian, those places in Florida sound lovely. This will make you laugh - do you know where I found some of the nicest beaches I've ever seen? The Hebrides off Scotland! Not sure I'd want to do too much swimming but the sand is pure white and goes forever and the water is a gorgeous opal colour when the weather is nice. One day I'll do a blog and scan in the photos - when I came home to Australia everybody thought I'd been to Greece instead of Scotland!

Buffie, Florida is starting to sound better by the minute. Maybe one day there will be an RWA conference there. I'm hanging out for Hawaii myself - not least because it's a cheap airfare from Oz!

Anna Campbell said...

Kirsten, I've just finished reading Connie Brockway's wonderful Skinny Dipping which is all about lake holidays. I think they're a US tradition that didn't really come over here. The annual beach holiday is certainly a huge thing in Australia! Looking forward to hearing about Sanibel - Gillian makes it sound idyllic. Kirsten, I'd love to come to Oregon one day. That whole North Pacific Coast just looks so beautiful. I love a stormy beach too!

Hey, Deb, come on over! You'd be most welcome and we love a woman with a great sense of humor like you!

Anna Campbell said...

Suz, so looking forward to catching up in San Fran. Actually having lived in England, one of the things I miss now I live in subtropical Queensland is that there's very little variation between the seasons.

Keira, lawks indeed! ;-)

And yeah, PJ (or was it Gillian?), I want the lifeguard dating story too!

Anna Campbell said...

Pam, love your list of things you want to do! Hope you make ALL of them! Yeah, reading and a beach holiday absolutely seem to go together, don't they?

Eva, the archipelago between Sweden and Finland is gorgeous, isn't it? Although very different to the Oz beaches I've mentioned! Love that Nordic landscape, especially if I have either a warm coat or a warm man! And hey, don't be a wimp! The flight's not THAT long!

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, AC, you know I live on the Sunshine Coast, right? Although we've had such a soggy summer, they're thinking of changing the name to the Damp Destination. It's beautiful too! How interesting about standing between two oceans. I did this in the far south of Western Australia at Augusta - on one side was the Indian Ocean (the Rottnest picture gives you an idea of this) and on the other was the Southern Ocean. I swear they were completely different. The Indian ocean, even this far south still had a touch of nirvana about it. The Southern Ocean looked like it wanted to kill us - it comes straight up from Antarctica. It's freezing, it's rough, it's gray. A really memorable moment.

Anna Campbell said...

Cassondra, the snorkelling thing was absolutely magic. All for the price of hiring a mask and a snorkel and some flippers. And this was close in shore too - I'm sure there's places where you'd see even more if you went out to the outer reef in a boat. Hope you make it one day!

Suz, those beach holidays sound lovely! There's just something about the sea, isn't it?

Jo, glad you loved the pictures. Honestly, I needed one too. We really have had such a wet summer. Ask Madame CW who tried to have a holiday with the family and it just poured the whole time.

Fedora said...

Kirsten, thanks for the suggestion! We'll have to check the OR beaches out! (Not too far away, either :))

Eva S said...

You're right Anna, it's only about 15.000 km between us, maybe I some day come over...

Anna Campbell said...

Eva, the one thing I will say is it's a long way and Oz is BIG so popping over for a quick visit is probably not the best way to do it. Hope you do make it one day!

Anna Campbell said...

Hey, I'm doing double duty today! I'm also talking about Valentine's Day and romance over at Nicola Marsh's site and you could win a signed copy of the gorgeous Australian version of Untouched (trade paperback, donchaknow?) and some cover flats. You have to enter by clicking on a link - it's not a comment contest although comments would be very welcome.

http://www.nicolamarsh.blogspot.com/

Nancy said...

Denise snags the GR! Way to go, Denise!

Marg, I love your icon. My son was mad Playmobil when he was little.

Helen, I've always wanted to see Malibu.

I love the beach. We go for a few days in the summer, which is about as much time as we have. We also visit relatives in Colorado every year. The beach is hot, but the Rocky Mountains are cool and pleasant. When I was growing up, my family went to the beach for a week every year. My father grew up in Manila and served in the Navy, and I think he passed his love of the ocean.

I've always wanted to see Australia, and these beaches are a huge lure. If I can just get some independently wealthy family to adopt me, I can make it there! *g*

Fun post, Anna!

Anna Campbell said...

Thanks, Nancy. Sounded like we all needed some lovely coastal sunny scenery to cheer us up! I'd love to see the Rockies one day. Definitely on my list of things to do before I die!

Anonymous said...

Hey everyone, I think we may need to do a little intervention and get Anna off the blogs and back to writing. How many blogs can she do over one weekend? Lawd, Anna, you must be exhausted!

Linda said...

You had your Viking longboats and I was watching the sailing ships of Queen Isabella...

My favorite sumemr hols used to travelling about Europe. Now that I'm old and not enamored of walking upright anymore, prone being my favorite past time, I adore beach vacations. My two favorites - at the mo - are the beaches of Nice and Hawaii. Hawaii, especially, has the wonderful combination of balmy breezes, massive Mai Tai's, shave ice and jumbo shrimp from the shrimp trucks on the side of the stretches of road. I just love to relax and to me that's sleeping in with the ocean breeze coming in through the window, plopping myself on the beach, having drinks under a banyan tree and watching the waves and reading. Lots of sleeping. And watching for the Pinta and the Santa Maria. --Linda in Sunny California!

Keira Soleore said...

Foanna wrote, "So in the depths of winter for so many of us, let's warm things up. What's your ideal summer holiday and why?

That was brilliant! You must've been channeling Albert Camus there. "Au milieu de l'hiver, j'ai decouvert en moi un invincible ete. (In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.)

Oceans and beaches where the waves break are incredibly happy places for me. Something deep inside me thrills to see that vast stretch of blue-green and the white sands.

Anna Campbell said...

Keira, we really are separated twins! That was exactly the quote I was thinking of but I couldn't remember who said it. I gave it to someone on a poster once with this beautiful picture of sun glinting on melting ice (hey, it was the '70s, what can I say?). Isn't it the most gorgeous sentiment? And very un-Camus who was a miserable old sod from everything I see about him! ;-)

Kirsten, you're not wrong about the blogging. Something's gotta give. And the RNTV invasion was such a huge event for us all too. Thank you so much to everyone who came over to talk to us! Wasn't it a hoot? I'm delighted to say that the rest of February is much quieter for me in cyberspace and I might actually be able to do something about curing my virginal heroine's status - snork!

Hiya Linda! You wouldn't be super cool Linda I met over alcohol (how else?) on my first night in Dallas, would you? Hope you got to see the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. I kept hoping the Vikings would kidnap me but they kept going for women they could pick up without hurting their backs. They don't make Vikings like they used to! Erik the Delicate Rose Pink I think my latest pillaging visitor was!

Caren Crane said...

Oh, Fo, I love the beach!

But first, who let the Rossetti woman take off with the GR?! All she needs is a cock who types. Oh, the puns, the puns! =:-0

I do love the beach, especially in the fall and winter. Our favorite is Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We usually go in June, but have also been the fall. Gorgeous sand, relatively uncrowded and NO claptrap touristy stuff right on the beach. I love it!

Joan said...

Well, that Aussie boy would be worth swallowing a gallon of water for!!!! Rescue me! Rescue me!

But he'd have to lose the hat.

(Do they really wear hats?)

I spent a week at St. George Island Flordia las May when my goddaughter got married. 5 days of just laying around on the beach or the pool. Being of Irish ancestry my fair skin does not love the sun but it sure was relaxing being with friends, digging my feet in the warm sand and watching the waves....

Until I found out there were sand fleas in the sand. Itch, scratch, claw 34 bites on just my legs.....

Anna Campbell said...

Posh, I really hope I get to see some of these beaches in the Carolinas one day. They sound spectacular. Oh, man, you HAD to say the C word to Denise, didn't you? We'll never heard the end of it!

Joan, yes, indeedy, they do wear the hats! I suspect it's a safety thing so they're readily seen when they're in the water doing a rescue. Hey, you don't want him to drown before he saves you, do you?

Joan said...

Well, no but......if he needs to be seen how will we get to know each other?

Seriously, they could wear a bit of p266's glow stick behind their ears...so as not to distract me yet reassure them they could be seen.....

Anna Campbell said...

JT, you've been hanging out with the gladiators too long ;-) Laughed at the idea of all these big manly lifesavers dabbing a bit of colour behind their ears like perfume before they grab their wrap and their handbag and go out for the evening!

Anna Campbell said...

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your beach memories and feelings. Hope this brightened up a soggy day in the Southern Hemisphere or warmed up a cold one in the Northern Hemisphere! Keep on swimming!

Keziah Hill said...

For some reason my laptop won't download the pics. Nevermind. I used to have Chrissy Holidays at Noraville, not far from The Entrance. I'm really showing my age when I say we used to catch a train to Wyong (or was it Woy Woy?) and then catch a STEAM TRAIN to The Entrance (I think). I remember getting soot on my dress. It was blissful. We used to stay in a house that had the whole beach as the back yard. Now it's worth millions probably.