Beach

It was so nice to be at the coast when the weather was sunny. It seems like the last few times it's always been a little overcast and my photos have tended to look a bit gloomy.

This seagull didn't seem too bothered by the incoming waves, only reluctantly walking away from the bigger ones. As we didn't have fish and chips in our hands he wasn't interested in us.

The smell of the ocean was wonderful.

We decided to walk up as far as the rockpools at the end of the beach.

We saw a few small bluebottles, or Portuguese Man O' War.

I had always believed them to be a type of jellyfish but apparently they are not. A bluebottle isn't even one animal but a colony of interdependent creatures called polyps with each one serving a specific function.

Even a tentacle, part of which is visible here, is a distinct polyp. The tentacles can cause a very painful sting, and even an allergic reaction. My husband had a nasty encounter with them as a child. For minor stings there have been various remedies over the years but hot water is now considered the best treatment. *

Those are the islands at the entrance of the bay called the Tollgates.

I spent quite a while trying to catch the perfect splash.

I took a lot of photos trying to catch the perfect plash. 

And it seemed like every time I took a photo I could see out of the corner of my eye further along... a perfect splash. But the rocks were so photogenic anyway, and the sky and the sea were so blue, that I didn't mind too much.

Green is good, at least I think so in this case. At least it's not red like the algae that bloomed in Sydney about a week ago!

Fantastic rocks. Whenever we see nice rocks Hubby and I always joke about how it's a shame they won't fit in the boot of the car.

One shell. We didn't have time to visit the best beach for shells which is further along the coast.

I left the beach very reluctantly, I could have walked along there for hours.

*  Catalyst story on bluebottles