Yamba

We left the farm on Tuesday at lunchtime  after a cup of tea and a chat with Gran and Pa. Destination: Yamba. I enjoyed the trip because we drove through a really nice national park forest with huge trees and deep valleys. The forest was of a full healthy green which I had missed a bit before. Bekki wasn't feeling too well though and so I had to take over the wheel soon and couldn't concentrate on enjoying the nature around me anymore.

The view from the Strawberry-Lookout on the way from the farm to Yamba.

We arrived in Yamba after 3 hours and without any car problems! It was so nice to get back to the ocean and even though I really loved the time at the farm I had also missed the sea. The sun was was on its way to Germany and almost gone so we decided, first thing to do was, to go for a surf. It felt so good to be back in the surf!
The next days where really lazy. You don't have much of a sleep with three little kids but we would go to the beach at about 10 o'clock and stay there til lunchtime. After lunch we would go back to the beach or a stroll around the main street. It's warm enough to run around in boardies when the wind goes down which usually happens around midday and the water is cool but refreshing and really nice in a wetsuit top.

Bekki, Elli and I were looking after the kids because Sally is in Byron over the weekend which gave us an insight how much there is to do to satisfy three children at once. You just don't have time for yourself until they are in bed and then you are tired and go to bed early, also because you have to get up with them. But we still had a good time going to the beach, the skate park or the lolly-shop.
The waves are quite small at the moment so I'm not surfing very much. I've just been out for a couple of times to get wet and I'll try to get to Angourie some time to surf my first world-class rated wave ever. The swell is meant to pick up over the week so I might be able to ride it at friendly 4ft. I've started to do a lot of bodysurfing in the smaller waves. It is so much fun and you are even closer to the waves then when on a board. I definitely need a pair of flippers though because it's far too hectic to paddle into the waves only using your arms.
Oh yeah... I bought new shoes! They're called "Sanuek" which is Indonesian for "Fun/Joy". I've been dreaming of these shoes for a long time and the only thing I can tell you is that I've never worn more comfortable footwear. Here's a pic:

Ann and Laura joined us on Sunday to stay in Yamba for the next week. We all stayed in Craigmoore, the Apartment right on the ocean, which has a 180+ angle view over the Pacific. You can see Wales and Dolphins from there every day. We had a great time with great weather and great company.
I got to surf Angourie Point on a lovely Tuesday at 3-4 feet. I went out at low tide, which is the best time, and the lineup was packed with people. Even though the conditions weren't the best I had to share the waves with more than 20 other surfers. That and the fact that I didn't know the wave at all made it very hard for me to catch a wave. You had to sit really deep in the inside and when paddling for a wave you looked down at almost blank boulders. I stayed in til the tide went higher and the waves didn't suck all of the water of the rocks anymore and most surfers left. With a bit more space in the lineup it really started to work for me. It was still kinda scary to take off with a very good view on the rocks below you but once you got the trick you could have such a good ride. I learned a lot that day and had a really good session in one of the best waves I've ever surfed!
Harry Potter 7.1 started that night in Australian cinemas and so Laura, Bekki and I went to watch the premiere in the middle of the night. Great movie, you should watch it...)
My last surf in Yamba was also one of the most beautiful in my life, not because of the waves but the sea-life around me. I literally surfed with the Dolphins. I went out for a late surf in the arvo, the sun was almost gone and there where only a few surfers out at Pipi's beach. After looking around a bit you could see Dolphins everywhere and they weren't shy at all. They swum through the lineup, letting you know they were there and came really close. I could have touched one if I had stretched my hand out one time. That was such a beautiful thing and I was so stoked I just couldn't stop smiling for the whole session.