Sunday 20th November- Summer Bay!

Sunday 20th November - Summer Bay! Pleasant weather for most of the day which was ideal for our excursion to Palm Beach. We babysat In the morning, allowing Tash and Will the time to go and get on with their architrave. At about midday, however, she drove Di and I to Ettalong where we to catch a ferry to Palm Beach. As we waited we admired the large security doors which fronted the brand new toilet block at the jetty. Not a usual fascination, but these particular doors were made by Will! The ferry duly arrived and soon we were being whisked across the mouth of the Hawksbury River, past Umina Beach, past Pearl Beach, past Lion Island and on to the very exclusive and chique resort of Palm Bay. Rupert Murdoch, Kerry Packer and Lleyton Hewitt are all said to have homes here. Palm Beach is also the location for the popular T V series, "Home and Away". The outside beach shots are filmed here at the local surf club. We were met at the ferry terminal by Liz. and Phil Crenigan in their car. Liz and I were colleagues at Hounslow Manor School back in the seventies and eighties. Phil drove us the short distance to the Barren Joey House restaurant.  Here we had a delicious lunch.  I had a seafood platter with several types of prawn and a small lobster as well as oysters and battered fish goujons. Di had a smoked salmon salad, Phil had a cheese based ploughmans lunch and Liz had the same as me. After lunch, Phil drove us around the peninsula and we had a cup of coffee at the "Summer Bay" surf club. Di bought me a "Super Bods" mug; something to use at the gym. I recognised the roped off access paths to the beach through the dunes that you see in "Home and Away". The kiosk where we bought the coffees and the surf club building are also familiar. At 4pm Liz and Phil dropped us back at the terminal and we said our goodbyes, promising to meet up again when next we were in Australia.  We went upon top in the open air this time and enjoyed the warm air on our half hour journey back to Ettalong.  I took some photos of Will's doors before we walked home to Umina.  It took us about 50 minutes.  At the high street we called in to Lassiters for a reviving beer.  We sat in the beer garden and listened to a young man with a guitar who was entertaining the guests. Tash and Will were still at the new house when we got home and I had a nice soak and changed before they appeared. Will knocked up a quick chicken curry and we dined without the kids who were both asleep before relaxing with the latest episodes of Terra Nova and Underbelly Razor. Before we went to bed, we discussed the possibility of taking Ollie to the "Australian Reptile Park" tomorrow.