That is a wound I incurred yesterday. When I awoke this morning my body was in a state of advanced decrepitude, especially my abs (which I don’t even remember using yesterday) and the anonymous muscles just below and behind my armpits. It was a good day for a rest, so I didn’t waste time planning a lengthy walking tour of Newcastle and the surrounding suburbs.
Dad and I started the day with a walk to the maritime museum, which has newly opened on the redeveloped foreshore. Although small and a little bit rinky-dink, I found the attractions interesting and ended up learning a lot about Newcastle that I’m not sure I knew. For instance, it remains the world’s largest coal port, and one time was one of the world’s leading shipbuilding cities. So many ships sailed and steamed in and out of Newcastle that it even at one point had a reputation for shanghai-ing!
Here’s a shot for KLS, showing me consuming a delicious cheese + bacon roll:
And here is dad’s lunch. You can imagine me holding my Oporto chicken sandwich in one hand whilst taking this photo with the other!
After lunch we split up, with dad heading back home and me heading toward the beaches. It was beastly hot today, and I started thinking about this time (midday) that I may not have put enough sunblock on.
The beaches (I went to Newcastle and Nobby’s) were very popular, with a great many people of all ages enjoying the sand and surf.
The tide was very high, and Nobby’s beach had a great deal of seaweed in the midst of being washed up. The stench was quite strong!
While I was at Newcastle beach the surf lifesavers put a message over the PA. Apparently the helicopter had spotted a large school of fish just offshore, being trailed by dolphins and “one or two sharks”. So he sounded the shark alarm and called everyone in, and then sent out a few lifesavers on jet skis. I started chatting to a girl there who said she has come to the beach every weekend for a few years and never seen this happen! I was quite surprised by how quickly everyone – including the surfers – got out of the water. But then I suppose no-one wants to take a risk with a shark 🙂
This monstrosity was in the foreshore park:
That must be the world’s largest inflatable slide? I mean it towered over all the other attractions (including a mini ferris wheel) and required no less than 13 air pumps to keep it inflated. It was colossal! I loved it; it looked like fun to slide down!
This next shot shows something I always enjoy seeing: bad art on carnival rides:
Now I ask that you only briefly observe how terrible the Yugi is at right, and more or less ignore the shamelessly ripped off Grand Theft Auto girls. What makes the above so sublimely awful – even perhaps the best worst art I have ever seen – is that I strongly suspect the hideously deformed character to the right of the staircase is supposed to be Ash Ketchum (of Pokemon fame). I was actually laughing out loud when the above photo was taken.
I then walked down Hunter Street (which, to be honest, seems a little less derelict than I remembered) visiting 3 used book stores and finding an astonishing 5 gamebooks that I did not own (see link on right)! I was strangely happy about such a haul, and was able to ignore for a while the relentless oppressive heat beating down on me 🙂
That’s a stormwater drain. I’ve blogged about these before on previous trips because they hold a strong fascination for me. In fact I could probably manage an entire entry on them alone. So I shall leave it at that and move on.
About 4 hours after parting ways with dad I eventually stumbled back to their apartment. It was no small miracle that my sunblock not only lasted the entire day, but that I was also more or less complete in my coverage. Today was by far the greatest direct sun exposure of my stay, and yet I’m pleased to note (now, some hours later) that there is no evidence of sunburn. We’ll see if that has changed by morning…
Here’s a peek at what tonight’s entertainment was:
As she has with the other games played so far, mum won!
I will end today’s blog with a most mysterious pair of images:
What you are looking at is a very unusual item in the possession of my mum. It is a holy relic: a fragment of Saint Therese. More than that I cannot say, since the letter (from the Vatican) is in latin! I suspect either the flower is fashioned from clothing she once wore, or even perhaps the tiny dot in the center of the flower is some relic of her. If you can read latin, please translate in a comment.
According to Google Translate:
Fr. John of Jesus Mary,
The postulator of the General Grdinis Carm. Discalc.
To all who shall see this present letter we make the faith, and do bear witness, the authentic from the remains, which are kept with us, extraxisse a wooden pieces of the dust, mixed with the dust of the body, which the residue contained the box as the first funeral of St Teresa of the Child Jesus,. C., which in case from metal of a rounded form chrystallo fenced, for the color of silk thread of the Red and sealed with our seal of our set. In faith whereof, this letter, signed in our hand, we have given and the seal of the fenced.
Given at Rome, from the Offices of Generalitiis Caramel. Discalc., 1 on the 8th of 1950?