Manly Munchies!

It was too nice to stay in.I wanted to see the sea. I’ve been here a week and not had a sniff of a beach! Will suggested a trip to Manly and it sounded right up my street!It took us about 40 minutes and then there it was, blue and green and flecked with white.Moreton Bay.There was quite a breeze blowing. It was a warm wind. I imagine it was very much like being blown with a hair dryer...but I have no experience of that.Will went off in search of fish and chips for lunch. Dulcie and I sat on a bench, shaded slightly by a Moreton Bay Pine and watched a lad flying his stunt kite. The wind seemed to pick up a bit and Dulcie moved downwind of me to the other side, sheltered by my commodious bulk!When Will came back with lunch we decided to drive on a bit further and find somewhere a bit more sheltered. We found a table by a playground that was surrounded by trees and it was much more sheltered.We had our lunch. Will and I both had barramundi and shared some calamari. Dulcie had whiting. They were all piled together in a bag with a mountain of chips.It turned out however that Will ended up eating the whiting and Dulcie, his barramundi. Well, they all looked the same.Just as in the UK, the sight of people eating fish and chips attracts feathered friends...only here it wasn’t seagulls.

The Australian White Ibis

Imagine the damage it could do to you with that beak! Heck! It could even peck out internal organs with a beak like that!I wandered off a little from the table, being very careful where I was putting my feet. It looked like ‘king brown’ country to me and you can’t be too careful when ‘king browns’ are about, well any ‘king snake for that matter.  I was quite ‘king nervous!I wandered down to the edge of a mangrove swamp...Snakes ville!Something black scuttled quickly away near my feet...I ‘king jumped! It was a black mud crab!It looked deadly to me and would probably give you a poisonous nip if given a chance.I took a picture of the bay...Ok, so the tide was out, but you can just see the sea! I hurried back to Will and Dulcie.Every day here is turning out to be a fight for survival...just like that!