Yesterday I mailed a box of mostly biscuits and chocolate home. It was big and a bit heavy (11 lbs) and cost a small fortune to send but it should arrive in only a few days. Fingers crossed it does!
I then lazily walked up Hunter Street, a walk I do at least once every trip. This is one of the more nostalgic parts of these visits, but the truth is the endless development and restructuring of the Newcastle CBD from retail into expensive residential has rendered the street almost unrecognizable from my youth.
Every old haunt is now gone – even the buildings – and I’m not sure how many more times I’ll need to follow my old steps. I continued to the beach.
The day was lovely with people even sunbathing, which is remarkable since it’s winter in a few days. Seagulls were everywhere and swarming anyone that looked like they had some food.
The work on the Newcastle baths is (more or less) complete and it’s wonderful now, with a very retro look. I stood for a while amongst the gulls and watched the waves.
The brave guy in the above pic dove off the rocks and went under immediately. Look closely and you’ll see he’s wearing flippers but no goggles or snorkel. I watched for a while but didn’t see him come up, so I image he was diving to see the underwater life. Was he opening his eyes in seawater without goggles? I always hated that and the thought now makes me itch!
When I got back to mums I was ruined. I haven’t rested since arriving and maybe I’ve pushed myself a bit? I should probably take a day off.
The evening was very relaxing: a visit to Kirsten’s for dinner (sausage sandwiches!) and to see Juliet. Three friends of 40 years catching up with each other. It was wonderful 🙂