Tropical Downpours

SATURDAY, 23 JULY 2016

The tide is in!

Egrets enjoying a paddle

Posing

Posing also

No water in the Lagoon

Bullock Whip

Fire Whips

We have experienced a very wet and soggy week, with solid, tropical downpours from Sunday night to Thursday night.  In such weather, with a permanent moat around our concrete slab and mildew growing on some of the curtains, there is little one can do except stay dry in a shopping centre.  We spent one morning at the DFO, where someone managed to add another three “necessary” shirts to his collection!  We then joined James and Maureen at Cazaly’s for lunch and managed to bring some $1 coins home for the washing machine piggy bank.

On Friday, the skies cleared and the washing Olympics commenced – I made the mad dash shortly before 7.00 am, coming in a close second.  How nice to see the sun and have the washing dry by lunchtime.  We did set out for a longed for walk along the creek, however the path was too slippery with water, mud and leaves for safety, so we headed to the boardwalk at the Esplanade instead.  With the heat and humidity rising rapidly, the long walk very quickly became a long, slow walk; a stop for an ice cream was an absolute necessity.  We also had a look at the Lagoon, which was closed this week for three weeks’ maintenance – the middle of the tourist season but the locals don’t use it in winter, evidently.  It was even necessary to turn the air conditioner on this afternoon and order a desk fan for the awning – Cat has really been suffering this week.

Last night, we were treated to another sausage sizzle, complete with all the trimming, by the park’s owners, and then enjoyed a whip cracking show by Nathan Griggs.  This Territorian kept us entertained with his commentary and whip cracking exploits for nearly an hour, concluding his show with fire whips.

Saturday dawned with much chillier temperatures (18 degrees) and clear skies.  It doesn’t take long for the temperature to rise …