Author: Carol Laird

With Mykee busy at the Hillsong Conference all week, we made our way back to the beach yesterday to spend a few nights at a backpacker’s hostel on the beach.  The weather isn’t hot by any means (a high of 17C with a steady ocean breeze and nights down to 7C) but we are just sitting, reading and relaxing by the beach with the sun in our face.  (and while Jamie read, I found some time to play in the sand with my GI Joe!).

 

Today we watched the surfers brave the waves and cold water when suddenly we noticed a helicopter circling.  Hhmmm…. Could there be a shark??  When we got back to the hostel, we inquired of the helicopter and were informed that while surfing, a surfer fell and hit his head on the rocks.  They were looking for his body.  This is a subtle reminder of the power of the ocean.

So we’ll head back to Mykee’s on Friday and then to the final Hillsong Conference session on Friday evening before drawing our time in Sydney to a close and heading north to Newcastle.

This afternoon we made our way down to the beach to experience Winter Magic @ Bondi Beach.  We decided we were going to go skating at the beach!  Mykee grabbed his own skates that he had brought back with him when he returned home this past Christmas, and we rented skates that were very similar to our ski boots.  The rink was about ¼ of the regular size rink with a capacity of 200 people!  The ice was filled with people of all skill levels eager to try the infamous winter activity – many who were standing up, and many who found themselves laying down on the ice often.  It was obviously a first opportunity for many.  If only they had the foresight to shove a pillow down their pants to protect their behind… (kind of like what one child of mine used to do).   We found ourselves dodging the ones laying on the ice and hoped and prayed we could get out of their way before gliding over a digit or two.  And the ice?  One can only describe the ice condition like a frozen lake that has had a layer of slush frozen to the surface…along with some nice ruts.  Not ideal – but memorable J

All in all, we did have a good time.  Really, how often will one be able to skate by the beach with the sound of the ocean in the background?