Fractal Blog

The weather forecast for today predicted a cold, sunny, windy day, and the surf forecast foretold surf up to seven feet. Naturally I couldn't resist such a spectacle. Dee Why beach faces a bit further South than Manly and hence gets bigger surf. So that's where I went today.

Only very good surfers were in the water. I don't think they had time to be cold. I, on the other hand, had plenty of time to get chilled, and did.

The Northern end of Dee Why beach ends at some cliffs, causing impressively curling waves. No surfers were at that end, sensibly.

Another nicely-curling wave. I was very glad I wasn't in these!

I realise that this has been a very watery blog so far. If you think this is excessive; I have in fact got 119 pictures of impressive surf. So this is only a selection. However, have a seagull as well.

Today's excursion to the beach was only accompanied by my pocket camera. But who can resist this enticing glare of sunlight on a mid-winter afternoon?

I had mostly planned to sit somewhere in the sun (with hat and sunscreen) with a book but one never knows what one might see. Today's surprise was a heron. It was not at all bothered by all the people walking past and taking photographs. I caught it having just picked up a worm. The worm was still wiggling.

Last but not least, an arty shot of the crown of a very tall tree along the path to Shelly Beach.

The sunny and warm winter weather continues unabated, so today I decided to make a determined effort to escape World Youth Day activities by going further afield. Dee Why is a Sydney suburb just North of Manly, a little further out, but said to have a lovely surf beach. Well, judge for yourself!

I just caught the rainbow in the spray from the curling wave as the jetski thundered past.

I'd heard of kneeboards but hadn't ever actually seen one before today. Like paddle-surfing it seems to be neither fish nor fowl but apparently they have competitions and everything.

This is Dee Why Lagoon. The beach separates it from the Tasman Sea. Sometimes the council open the lagoon to prevent flooding, as it is a wildlife reserve. The beach is bordered by dunes and low shrubs; reminded me of Devon a bit.

I walked all the way up to the North end of the beach, to Long Reef, an Aquatic Reserve. From the top, looking over the adjacent golf course, I could see Collaroy Beach, the next beach along. I wonder how many golf balls go missing in an average game?

Manly, seen from Dee Why.

Sydney CBD, peeking over the top of the hills, seen from Long Reef Reserve.

If you don't live in Sydney you probably don't know that today is Super Holy Thursday. I'm told today is the highlight of World Youth Day 2008 (a gathering of young Catholics from around the world, held in Sydney this year), as the pope will celebrate Mass or something. Well, Sydney is (to paraphrase a local newspaper) aspiring to be a world-class city and not some provincial backwater, hence is delighted to host such a large convention. Up to half a million visitors are in the city, not helped by the fact that it's also the school holidays. Now, add half a million to a city the size of, say, London, and you'll notice (if you don't believe me, wait for the Olympics to come your way). But London's normal population is eight million. Sydney's is barely four million. Result? Utter chaos.

This picture shows the crowds already lining the quay in front of the Opera House, a full three hours ahead of the expected arrival of the pope, by ferry. No, not the normal ferry, a specially chartered line of boats. All normal ferries were banned from the harbour while the pope was on it. It really is a very big harbour and should have enough room for more than the thirteen boats accompanying the pope. Anyway, the reason I was there three hours early was to escape the crowds by going to Manly. Some chance.

The Manly ferry was packed, of course. The last few days have been utterly lovely weather-wise, so I have been going to Manly a lot. In fact, the weather could easily be mistaken for a warm mid-summer day in England. T-shirts and sunscreen were the order of the day. Perhaps the pope called in some favours? Still, the weather worked for everyone equally, including the crew of this skiff, who no doubt enjoyed the windier conditions today.

This picture greeted me in Manly: My favourite sunspot above the Bower Break is being used by a group of WYD attendees. Fortunately Manly is not short of nice spots next to water so I just found myself another one.

Obviously my trusty long lens was with me all the time, and I was lucky in photographic opportunities. This is the first time I've seen three cormorants together enjoying the sun on the same rock.

I caught this seagull barely skimming the water.