Have to say that the holiday hangover is persisting
no doubt helped along by the crushing realisation that in order to go back to the beach
we actually have to survive first term
and before that starts next week
I have to get uniforms, bags, stationery lists
and all the other sundry back to school rubbish sorted
But rather than letting all this get me down I am attempting to adjust my attitude
instead of focusing on the mountainous list of chores to be completed in the next week
I am focussing on this being the last back to school
EVER!!!!!
let's all here it for Phantom being a Senior....
Attempting an attitude adjustment also means that
rather than focusing on not being here at Coolum
not walking on this glorious beach
and not feeling those cooling sea breezes
I am going to focus on not having to avoid stepping on these bitey buggers
every afternoon on the incoming tide the bluebottles invaded the waves
making the walk along the beach fraught with all sorts of danger and stress
due to me being someone who manages to combine the attention span of a gnat
and the coordination of a stick
it is a miracle that I didn't stand on one
thank goodness for Phantom's eagle eyes
though she didn't have to push me out of the way of them
with quite as much enthusiasm as she displayed
So my solution to the not being at the beach blues
was to draw up the blue bottles as a reminder
that not all is perfect up there at Coolum
and while it isn't quite the same taking a stroll out to the pool in the afternoons
it also doesn't have the perils of stingers hiding out to grab your feet
Not quite sure I am quite fooling myself yet
but thinking it is worth a shot....xx
P.S ... turns out that Blue Bottles is the Australian term
they are known as Portuguese Man O War in other places
when I went and asked Phantom and Sinus if they knew the correct name
they both said everyone knows that
turns out everyone except me!!!...xx
My last two posts have been about the beach as well
here are the links...
20 comments:
Hi Tracey, love the pix of the beach. I'm working hard in therapy to get my hand/arm fully back. The hubster and I are heading to the gulf of
Mexico for the month of February and I can't wait. It is frigid here with wind chills in the negatives. Brrrrr!
xoxo
I'm not sure what Bluebottles are, (here they are big flies) but I'm thinking maybe jelly fish? Good luck with the school preparations!
I don't think the bluebottles would work at keeping me away...never swim at the beach anyways. I prefer to take in the scenery, the sounds, the smells...sigh Bugger! Now you have me wanting to go to the beach! lol
Awesome sketch, Trace! Yes, I have to do the school shopping at some point this week too.
Congrats to Phantom for being a Senior this year!
Have a great week ~ xx
Tracey, I just feel so bad for you that you are so "beachsick"(substitute for home). Maybe after this week and getting Phantom back to school you will be able to unwind and relax a little. Although some of this turmoil might be about Phantom being a senior and your little darling being all grown up and possibly going away to college. It will all be okay! Really!
Stopping by to say hi for the first time in 2013. Good luck with the attitude adjustment ;).
Stay inspired!
Hi Tracey,
If it helps, you could be here where it has rained and rained and can say rained for days. I'm just praying for a ray of sunshine and the day I can move to somewhere sunnier in the winter.
ps..At least Phantom saved you from having attitude and sore feet... :)
What are those bluebottles? Are they a sort of jelly fish? Hugs, Valerie
Wow, I've never seen this kind of jellyfish at all. Australia is so full of interesting and unusual wildlife. I've seen lots of jellyfish washed up on a beach in France, and it was quite an amazing sight. I don't swim in the sea these days, but am happy to just take in the scenary and look after the bags while the boys have a dip. :-)
Ha! I was a bit confused at first as well. Over here bluebottles are large flies! Hooray on Phantom being a senior.
Over here we have a breed of fly called a blue-bottle, but I only know these jelly-fish as Portuguese Man O War - and I am SO glad that we don't get them over here! They can kill you, can't they? Oh my goodness - what happens if you step on one? And are you still able to swim in the water?
It's a great idea to focus on the things you wont miss rather than the things you will. That's what I did when we came back from our holiday. I remembered how much i hated having sand in the bed and in my shoes! :0)
I love your drawing :0)
WOW, congrats to Phantom and YOU! We have a few months before I can say it's Emmie's last year...and then of course, we have one more behind her....
Love your blue bottles- and totally relate to your fear of stepping on them- very familiar feeling, that!
Enjoy the rest of your break!
xx
Stephanie
Over here in the land of sub-zero temperatures we call a certain type of fly a blue bottle. There's also a brand of gin that comes in a blue bottle...
Half-heartedly snowing here, so why don't you take a dip in your pool and think of us!
Yikes I have heard of Man of War ... barefoot on the beach takes on new meaning ... your blue sketches make them look NICE!
Happy January from freezing Virginia
oxo
Do the jelly fish mean you have to stay out of the water? We get a jellyfish at times here too. It's sting is annoying but not dangerous though when they are numerous we stay out.
Should I point out that when they finish school, they head off to university or some type of training school? A wholoe new set of routines!
I certainly understand your difficulty in getting back to "normal." The beach looks soooo beautiful and inviting! Especially after our recent cold snap! I'm sure February will be better for you!
Hugs, Cindy
Hi Tracey: Here is a website very small on those Blue Bottles, http://www.australianfauna.com/bluebottlejellyfish.phpI must say they look different from the ones I have seen. On the East coast in the South we have Jelly Fish and they look like transparent jelly filled balloon. First day at Cape Canerveral, the State Park near by, My son stepped on one. We use vinegar for the sting. Yes, there are all types of jelly fish on the East Coast. They are numerous in the Boston Harbor. I have never known anyone to be stung by Jelly fish on my Cold North Atlantic Beach.
Wonderful Blue, Beautiful Beaches.
PS after all these years of not needing to buy School Supplies, I have to buy Pencils and Paper in August to be ready for School. Thank goodness, Pencils.com brought back my favorite Blackwing 602.
Enjoy with Gusto! The last Year! Congratulations!
Sherrie Roberts
Ooooo ouch, just looking at them bring back painful memories! So beautiful... so deceitful in their beauty. Just to add another name to the pot: in Afrikaans we call them " blue bladders " or " blue bubbles":-)
I too would have to have an attitude adjustment if I had to leave the beach. But think of all of the wonderful memories you have of the perfect walks with Phantom and Sinus. (I am starting to feel like I know them) Have fun sharing Phantom's exciting senior year! I know you will have wonderful stories and paintings to share with us.
Nope, I had no idea what they were called... They look like blue jellyfish to me! Hah. Love the painting of them!
Sometimes I wonder if Australia is the most dangerous place in the world - what with spiders, jellyfish,sharks and crocs .... Yikes!
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