Bobbing along...

On this rainiest of rainy days, I'm desperately trying NOT to get cabin fever and claw my eyes out. We were lucky to get our Coastreking Training in a few days ago and walked from Spit to Manly, a short walk at roughly 10 kilometers.

When I lived in London, February was always the worst month. The joke amongst us was that by Feb, you'd be ready to poke your eyes out. So off to Spain or Italy or Greece you went...

Travelling remains a different sort Down Under. A weekend away is much more local. As in get in the car and drive to the Blue Mountains. Like I said, different, not better or worse, just different.

So, I digress. Instead, we are lucky enough to have the ocean in our reach. Which is worth all the weekends in Spain, Italy, Greece or beyond.

So this has been my Friday night quite happily spent the past two weeks...

This was after an early evening storm following a 46 degree (115 for you Fahrenheiters) day.Swimming in the ocean when there's lightening over the abyss is a unique experience. The only other time I've truly seen a stormy sea is in Aruba during a most impressive lighting storm over Venezuela.

Now, don't let all this waxing lyrical about rambling waves cover up the truth: swimming in the ocean is a skill. And it's hard. And you're likely to lose your swimming gear at least once if you're a newbie.

All of this on top of trying not to lose a contact, get used to the salt water in your various facial orfi (orfices?),  and not get completely hammered by the waves. Like I said: skill. And rules. Swimming in between the flags is pretty basic, but the nuances that come with the 'surfers code' (which, yes, is very real) I have yet to make out. MacBoyfriend is ever so patiently teaching me the difference between a rip, swell and a wave. It's more complicated than it sounds, especially to this Chicago native that grew up on the much tamer beaches of Lake Michigan.

But when you do catch a wave, even if it's only a few feet, you realise why the Aussies love their body surfing. Because it's fun. It's even great as a spectator-sport. Watching the waves and the surfers / swimmers in them is incredibly relaxing.

I usually last about 15 MAYBE 20 minutes before I have to retreat to the sidelines, usually chocking on sea water and with only one contact.

But it's not so bad there either.