Settling In

"Allagai"
Copacabana, NSW

The mere fact I've been to Australia on 4 occasions before 2013 means that it already felt like a home from home. Everything is familiar, driving is easy enough, the same mates are here to socialise with, my cricket club still exists, I have family in Victoria that I have spoken to, and there's the future In-Laws family who are
so good to me it's unbelievable. So surely that means settling in would be easy, right? Not necessarily. You can take the man out of England but you can't take England out of the man. It's not called "Soccer", alright?!

Copacabana Beach

But that doesn't mean for a second that I'd want to be anywhere else. Australia is now my home. I don't feel "homesick" for Devon at all really, I just wish certain people from there were here instead, my family being the big ones. As a location you can really want for nothing here. An hour west you have the Blue Mountains, some of the most stunning scenery around. Not far East you have Sydney Harbour in all it's glory. An hour or so North you have the
Central Coast, and beaches remote enough that they're not too busy but beautiful enough to enjoy completely. Easter weekend was spent at Copacabana and the surrounding areas. Walking along the beach in clear blue skies sounds like a fairytale to English folks, something rare in the UK. It could almost be a daily occurrence here!

A new species?

I'll give you a little bit of pedigree regarding Copa; Situated just to the North of Bouddi National Park, Copacabana Beach, adjoined to Macmasters Beach (where I spent a few days back in 2009), forms Allagai Bay. Further research found that "Allagai" means "Nest Of Snakes", and that just a few months before Great White Sharks had been spotted off the coast here, and are regulars in this area. Two of my favourite types of animal, no wonder I liked it there. However, I saw neither! Well... I think I found a snake in the garden, but it's not a species I recognise (see photo!). I even went for a swim in the sea at nearby Putty Beach, the first such excursion since I was a kid.

Ah, Putty Beach... how did we end up there? That's right, we had headed for Pretty Beach because it had been recommended to us as a nice place to sit and enjoy the sun. The name Pretty Beach conjured up images of palm trees on the edge of a white band of sand, water lapping up softly while the sun beats down on gradually bronzing humans. Well, the name is fairly misleading... Not a grain of sand anywhere, only a waterside car-park with boat ramp and a bus stop. The name Putty Beach conjured up images of... sludge. But we headed there anyway and when we got there it's almost as if someone had swapped the aforementioned place names over as a joke! Putty Beach is very pretty, and we spent the day there. Not a shark in sight and I am confirmed as useless on a bodyboard!

Writing in the sand,
Umina Beach

We spent Easter Monday exploring the surrounding towns and resorts. Woy Woy, Ettalong, Patonga, Kincumber were all charming in their own way. The highlight was definitely the walk down the beach along the edge of the tide at Umina Beach. About a mile long, we walked up and down the length of the beach, watching the lifeguards practice their surfing technique and doing their fitness tests, surfers getting it right and getting it wrong, and generally enjoying the unexpected sunshine that had appeared after an overcast start to the day in Copa.

I'd be lying if I said everything I've mentioned in this blog entry hadn't made it a little easier to be here, and of course being with Jess at long bleedin' last has made sure that I am happy. But it's not easy being permanently away from my family back in Devon. I have been in regular contact with them but now the clocks have changed the window for communication is even smaller. Who knew how much just a little hug from my niece actually can affect me? I miss her and her toddler hugs.

Like most things I just have to give it time, I've not even been here for 3 weeks yet. I have a full-time job which starts tomorrow, which is just the start I needed to life out here. I reckon by the end of the month we'll be able to figure out a bit more of a budget with regards to our wedding, and by then we'll have settled into a daily routine. Normal life is gradually getting closer and closer. Watch this space...