We're Stomping on the Beach

Howdy yawl. Well I hope everybody had a lovely Christmas without too much stress.
We've arrived home & I've finally shaken the sand out of my gusset and settled back into 'normal' life.
We arrived at Fraser Island last Saturday. By the time we got to the house at Orchid Beach & unpacked & had a cuppa I was itchin' to get to my all time favourite place in the universe.
OCEAN LAKE.
We got there around 4pm and there was only one family group there. We were chatting to them about how awesome the place when I thought to myself "These people look very familiar!" I said "Did you used to do swing dancing at Katz Korner about 8 years ago with Ray & Chrissy?"
"OMG Yes?! OMG Vicki????!"
Yep turns out we went to the same swing dance classes.... What a small world.

OCEAN LAKE (photo taken from images on google)

The good thing about Ocean Lake is bugger-all people go there. The water looks really really dirty unlike the touristy popular chrystal clear Lake Mackenzie but it is actually fresh fresh water that is the colour of tea because of the tannins in the water from the tea-tree. It's shady. The water temp is lovely and the minerals in the water leave your skin & hair super soft. Sigh. It is DIVINE!!
Every day we were up there I slip slop slapped like CRAZY. Having lilly-white skin with almost zero melanin levels does NOT allow me to be the typical Queenslander Beach Bunny... I looked more like a swim-suit pin up from the 1920s! Sexy as.NOT. I had a wide brimmed fishing hat, high neck rashie, board shorts, Invisible zinc, Factor 30+ sunscreen AND a long sleeved fishing shirt! Did I get burnt at all?
Not on your Nelly!

MISS SLIP SLOP SLAP 1923

The Fam decided that we would do Christmas Day on the 24th instead so my nephew Andy (who is two) could get his pressies to play with earlier. Christmas brekkie was the same as brekkie everyday up there. Organic mueslie with blueberries, yogurt and fresh mango.
Christmas lunch was a huge smoked side of fresh salmon with heaps of fresh salads and desert was home-made meringues with fresh fruit salad. YUMMO! I also made a thing that I call No Nog Nog.
It is Egg Nog without the egg. It is basically a banana smoothie made with almond milk.. but you add dates, rum essence and vanilla extract. BULL-SHIT GOOD.
For the majority of the holiday we ate really healthy. I snacked on mini ciabatta with homemade hummus, walnuts and homemade vegan chocolate cake (vegan=healthy right?)
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TBF's family are mad fishermen... me?... not so keen so I took on the role of head babysitter for Andy. Andy & I had a great time at the beach. While the fam collected worms (so gross. They remind me of those giant worm things in Dune or Beetlejuice... shudder) & fished for whiting we played a game called "Wuzzat?" We had travelled up to The Great Sandy Cape on the real Christmas Day. A shade structure was erected to shelter the fragile baby skins from the belting rays.
The game involved Andy pointing to something and asking "Wuzzat?" in his mega adorable voice.
eg: Wuzzat? Me- Sand Andy-Wuzzat? Me- more sand Andy- Wuzzat? Me - even more sand etc etc etc. I decided enough was enough so we chucked on even MORE zinc and hit the water.
I made up a song that proved to be a BIG hit with the little tacker.. it goes like this......
I'm stomping on the beach. I'm stomping on the beach. I'm stomping with my feet. I'm stomping on the beach. Second, Third and Fourth verses just substitute stomping with walking, clapping and marching.
Pretty good eh?

our view on Christmas Day at The Great Sandy Cape

The other place TBF & I went to was my second favourite place on Fraser. The Champagne Pools.
They are called this because they are two rock pools protected from the ocean, however, the water from the surf is still able to crash over the top of the rocks which makes the cool water fizzy like champagne.
Even though initially there were a few german backpackers sharing the place with us, soon enough they buggered off and it was just TBF & I and one Aussie family who were grouse enough to share a Christmas beer with us (not me just TBF). It was SO beautiful. TBF cut bits of cungy-boy (another super grouse thing that looks like a huge bit of red oystery snot stuff) off the rocks and we fed the brim in the water and filmed it on the Go-Pro. I could have stayed forever but the sea lice had started feasting on my flesh and it was getting dark.

The Champagne Pools (image from Google)

overlooking Indian Head

TBF

All too soon it was time to pack up and come home again. We had such a lovely relaxing time.
I read TWO novels, ate lots of yummy fresh fruit, everyday I went for walks on the beach, got to spend lots of time with my new one month old neice Faith who made my soul sing everyday with her big smiles, laughed my arse off, danced around singing "Poo Poo in the Potty" everytime my nephew successfully used his potty, slept in the middle of the day and was reminded of just how lucky I am to have in-laws are awesome as I do.
I must admit that after 5 days of NO makeup and not doing my hair I was starting to go into Maybelline/Cedal withdrawls and feeling a wee bit mangy and craving my Mac Ruby Woo.
It WAS nice to get home too. I was keen to get back on track with my eating plan and so I sat down today & planned out my food for upcoming week including New Years.
I'm looking forward to 2013.
BRING IT ON BABY!

ONWARD AND UPWARDS