Oncoming

Today was a very exciting day. It started out all hot and bothersome, muggy and a weensy bit stifling. So off we went to the beach, although only four of us this time - people are no back at work. We enjoyed the warm air and chillier-than-last-week water, then it started to spit. Big drops. Big wet drops. So we ran back to shore to move our books and towels, should a downpour occur, and never quite made it back into the water. The sky was starting to loom, raindrops intermittent but unceasingly wet. So we lay around in the hot air, occasionally getting spat upon, but drying very fast.

I had to keep checking my clock. Someone was on their way and I didn't want to be late. Suddenly I looked up to see a Qantas plane zooming over the beach and in to land. "Whoops!" I cried, gathering together my things. "They're early! Must be that northerly tail wind, pushing them down!" So I hurried off to the airport to collect my guest. Choosing the beach next to the airport was a very intentional decision.

I found Maria waiting outside the terminal, gathered together my rusty German and called out "Hallo!!!" Soon we were nattering away, catching up on 6 years of news while I took her an accidentally direct way home. After dinner I took the poor jetlagged thing out to see a bit of Hobart. She's only got 3 days here after all. What started as a 'pop in for a quick drink to farewell someone', ended up as an hour and a half stranded inside the bar as the rain bucketed down outside. Where the day's earlier rain was like a wet dog - unpleasant but brief, this was quite the opposite. The drops slammed against the tin roof, making conversation impossible. Occasional flashes and crashes came from the sky. The streets were rivers. Being inside and under cover was absolutely perfect.

I would have used a photo of Maria, but I haven't taken any since noticing these clouds at the beach. It was just all go after that. Unfortunately also what would have been the best shots fell victim to me squinting at the screen in the bright light - I couldn't see the settings, and didn't realise it was on macro... Tomorrow we're off to pat some wildlife at Bonorong, and see Ye Olde Tasmania at Richmond. I'm sure there'll be some pics in there somewhere. I sure am looking forward to the next few days. :D