Lake George, Beachport SA

We spent the best part of Sunday of the June long weekend at Lake George near Beachport. It was mums birthday, and she joined us for a barbeque lunch. Although it was cold, the sun was out which provided us with a beautiful day. Uncle George dropped in for a G'day as well.

The lake is salt water and is fed from a drain from the sea, when the drain is open. There are fish in the lake, known as Lake George mullet, and they are delicious!! We did have a go at fishing with rods, but the water in this part of the lake is not deep, so we weren't lucky this day. You can use nets on the lake if you have a permit.

The girls experienced their first kayaking adventure. Izzy is a real adventurer and went out with her dad. Summer went out with her sister later on, and did amazing after an unco start. 

The girls had a great day playing around the lake although I did bin their leggings at the end of the day and was grateful they wore rubber boots!

This section of the lake is about five kilometres out of Beachport on the Lake George road. There are toilets here, with a camp ground located nearby, which would make for a perfect camping getaway when the weather is good.

The birdlife is abundant, which is fantastic to see. The black Eurasian Coots are amazing the way they pitter patter along the surface of the water when they are startled. It is one of their identifying traits along with their white beaks. There were black swans there as well. It was good to see seagulls at the lake, in their natural habitat, hovering above the water, before diving down for small fish. It is refreshing after experiencing them scabbing for chips and food in town.

 

 

Spinach, mango and mint salad

I was in Beachport almost two weeks ago, delivering thank you letters to businesses who'd donated to our recent gym club super raffle. I don't get to Beachport a hell of a lot, but when I do I like to pop by and have a quick look out the front of the National Trust museum in the main drag.

They have a little stall with second hand books, plants, garden produce and a bit of bric a brac. Nothing too fancy, but worth a sticky beak. I found some Bromeliad plants and a cute little pocket size Christmas cook book. Lots of good little recipes in it, including a salad recipe. It basically called for tropical fruit, and what better tropical fruit at this time of year, than mangoes! When I think of mangoes, I immediately think of the juice running down my chin while I get every last bit off the pit in the middle.

While I was doing exactly that standing over the sink, I said, out loud, to myself, "Where's a teething baby when you need one!" They would LOVE that shit!

Back to the Christmas recipe book, and I would love to share the salad that I made from it. Perfect for Christmas lunch! It would go great with prawns and ham.

You will need:

• 60 gram bag of baby spinach
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced in half moons
• 2 sticks celery, sliced

Mix these ingredients together and then toss with a vinaigrette. You can make your own vinaigrette by mixing 

• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar, or any vinegar you have
• 3 teaspoons of olive oil, or vegetable oil
• salt and pepper

Finish the salad, by garnishing it with

• 1 sliced, or diced, mango
• a handful of mint leaves
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

I love the colours of this salad, so Christmassy!

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Water #fmy52weeksofmemories

My place in time #47 - I wish this place had never changed

This has not so much to do with actual water, but the lack of it.

We took the go-kart down to Lake George over the weekend. Loads and loads of flat space to ride it.

When I was a kid, my uncle, his name just happens to be George, had a shack on the edge of this lake. I remember it so well. It was simple and crude. A set of bunks and an old wood stove, a table and chairs, and that was it.

There was water lapping not far away, and I remember wading out into it. There used to be fish, so many fish.  

The shack is long gone, due to vandals, and so is the water. What remains is salty shell grit.

In the distance I could see what could be water. But no, a mirage. Even the tree line reflects into the mirage, just as it would do on water. Weird. No wonder so many thirsty wanderers have been fooled on their quest for water. 

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A much needed day, on Rivoli Bay

This post represents my life right now. There's walls I need to get around, there's ups and downs. I am a hell of a lot better in getting over them, than a year ago.

While being an obstacle we could do without, walls force us to problem solve. They make us stronger, more resilient. If not for those walls that sometimes get in the way, we can't learn or grow. Mostly they send us bat shit crazy.

My place in time #100 - any time of the day that describes how you feel with life

Life is also ebbs and tides. Some days we are up, and the next may be not so good. Whether your up or down, surfing the waves means you are living. Sometimes it's a struggle to stay on the surf board, and that's OK.

It doesn't hurt to admit you're having trouble, or ask for help. It just means you're human. Most of the people around you are in the same boat, some are better at making sure friends and family know. Be one of those people. I am not very good at it.

This day was a good one. The sunshine was warming. I was alone with my thoughts, no distractions.

It was the first week of the holidays. Mum had taken the girls for a drive, so I jumped in the car and drove in the opposite direction. I had found some old CDs the day before and belted them out on the way. So good for self morale, even if I had forgotten most of the words.

There were sounds of seagulls, vacationing families and a gentle breeze.

I strolled about camera in hand. I bought second hand books and homegrown lemons. I ate kiwi fruit and apples and tasted the fresh sea air. It was the kind of day I needed to get back to myself.

Today it's back to school for Izzy and who could believe Summer starts pre-entry kindy for half a day a week today too. I am a little too excited to be going grocery shopping on my own from now on, the first time in almost six years.

A memorial for W.L.E. Danswan and T.W. Todd, who lost their lives destroying a German mine in 1941. It exploded and made them the first casualties on Australian soil, due to enemy action, in WW2. In little old Beachport, who would have thunk it.

Looking from the surf beach to the township

The town centre's roundabout. I love it. I have photographed this cyclist sculpture before. It's had a revamp.

If this isn't called Turtle Rock, it should be!

My place in time #6 - construction
This is a common sight in Beachport at the moment. Old houses knocked down to make way for the new. With a view like the photo below, who could blame them!

 

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The best beach in the Limestone Coast

Driving this stretch of beach is just the best day out. 

We drove onto the beach at Southend. There were families everywhere parked along the first few kilometres of beach, swimming, fishing, boogie boarding and surfing.

We stopped along the way for a play. Brett sold his Land Rover. We were in his new fishing bus. It's a real shit box, but at least we have a four wheel drive we can take on drives like this.

It's about a 15 kilometre drive to Beachport along the beach, where we ate a fish and chip lunch. This time of year Beachport swells with tourists, and it was packed.