Surf, Santa, Satin and a Sunset…

Surf: I headed out with our Year 5 and Year 6 kids from Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School on Monday to Dee Why Beach, just north of Sydney, about an hour from the house drive (1-15). As you can see the waves (3,5 and 6) were pretty rough. I guess if you are going to learn about water safety a rough sea day might be ideal for teaching! You can also see the humidity. We've continued a streak of warm, moist days. Nothing real hot (though it got to 98 degrees on Friday) for long stretches. Mostly in the lower 80's with high humidity which makes it uncomfortably muggy. I hate humidity, especially as the church is not air conditioned. If you look at the sky in these pictures (see 2,3 or 5, 6) you can see how humid it is as it's not clear blue.

In this photo (4) you can barely see the pool built beside the ocean (with sea water in it) at the end of the jutting land mass. Photo 5 is of our kids learning how to "dolphin dive" over the waves. Photo 7 is a panorama of the whole beach. I don't think it's one of the prettiest beaches, but being at a beach is always nice no matter what kind it is! Along the walkway that skirts the water are these wonderful paintings (8-11).

Past the pool, I came across a huge flock of sea gulls just being lazy on the rocks (12). Beyond them was this huge cliff with houses built along the top (13-15). You can see a person in the foreground to give you a sense of scale (13).

Santa: On Saturday morning we had "Christmas at the Shrine" (16-20). It's a fund raiser for our Shrine of the Holy Innocents. Everything was decked out for Christmas (even though we're in Advent) and folks came to buy treats, eat "fairy floss" (what Aussies call cotton candy) and meet Santa Claus (20). The guy is a real professional! Thankfully the highs were forecast at 79 for the day. (That's after the 98 of Friday!)

Here's some photos of Agapanthus Egyptialis that are going crazy at this time of year (21-24). There's a saying around here among the kiddies that goes something like: "When the agapanthus bloom, Christmas is coming real soon!" Cute!

Satin: I also officiated a wedding Saturday afternoon. I normally don't want to do weddings during a season like Advent, in which we really shouldn't be celebrating. But pastorally I really had to for teh good of the family. It's a long story, but I allowed it for this bride and groom. The photos are taken from the reception that happened in the night at a place called the "Mediterranean House," near Sydney (25-29). Look at the tall centrepieces (25). And how many roses would you guess were in this spray (26; a detail of one, 27)? Here's the wedding cake (28) and the bride and groom (29).

Sunset: With the high humidity, we had some nice sunsets this week. Here's pictures from one (30-33).