Rise and Shine

Some serenity for your weekend.

Picture this: You are the only one around. The sun is rising over the horizon and there is a mist above the breakers. The shadows are still long and you can feel a warm breeze over your skin. The only sound is the crash and fizz of ocean as it meets beach... and the wind in your ears. You stretch up high on tiptoes with your fingers reaching for the sky and your bare toes scrunching into the wet sand ...and take you take a deep, cleansing breath.

What a way to start the day.

I need to gar-gull.

I got a shock when I first came to Australia. The seagulls all sounded like they had a cold. Unfortunately my Field Guide to Australian Birds by Pizzey and Knight doesn't describe the call of the gull I was used to hearing in England so you'll have to make do with my attempt to put it into words: it is a high pitched "co-loy co-loy co-loy co-loy!". The book does have a fair bit about the Silver Gull which is what I reckon this photo is of.

   "Voice: "short, harsh, gutteral 'korr' or 'keow'; longer, harsh descending 'karrr-karrr-karrr'."  

 ....in other words like they have something stuck in their throats. Anyway, reading into it a bit, I see that there are several different types of gull in Australia with different voice descriptions. At the risk of going into it far too much:

Pacific Gull: shouted 'ow! ow!; muffled 'auk, auk' gruff chuckles; whining stutters
Kelp Gull: yelping or laughing 'yo-yo-yo-yo' (I think that might be the one I know from England)
Black Headed Gull : high-pitched harsh screams in quick succession: 'kreeooo' or 'kraaahr'
Black Tailed Gull: plaintive mewing
Franklin's Gull: shrill 'kuk-kuk-kuk'; also nasal 'kear, kear'
Laughing Gull: strident laugh or variety of low chuckles
Sabine's Gull: harsh grating and tern-like 'k-year'
Lesser Black-Backed Gull: similar to Kelp Gull.

There now. More than you will ever need to know about the various calls of Australian Gulls.

Sunrise Beach a bit after sunrise

We won a competition for a weekend up at Sunrise Beach on the Sunshine Coast which is about a 90 minute drive from where we live in Brisbane if you take the scenic route and stop for ice cream. The beach is long with tumbling surf and fine golden sand... great for walking or saluting the sun first thing.

Showing Dad what she saw in the rockpool

 

...It was some soft coral that looked like it was breathing!

Shelly Beach, Caloundra

Summertime Blues

December the 1st marked the first day of Summer here in Brisbane. It hasn't stopped raining since then and today is no exception. So this one, taken back in May, is for those Brisbane residents who may have forgotten what a blue sky looks like. And for my family back in London who are probably a bit more cheesed off with their weather right now than I am with mine.

Caloundra, Sunshine Coast