Exciting weekends

Another day when I am confined to the inside of the house.    Not extreme temperatures this time, but as the result of the hot sun.    I know that I should always keep my lips covered, as I harbour the cold sore virus, or more correctly, the herpes simplex virus. in the bottom corner of my lips.   it stays nicely dormant until it is exposed to extreme weather, that is hot sun or wind, and bitingly cold winds.   I can count the last one out here thank goodness.  

And now I am paying for a day in the sun, with a pleasant breeze blowing in my face, which made it difficult to keep a hat on all the time.   And I remembered the sun cream later on in the day.   I only have myself to blame, I know.    I now have a peeling nose, and a swollen bottom lip, which is covered in huge sores.    I feel very sorry for myself.    

It has been a very exciting two weekends though.    Two weeks ago we were gearing up for the Tour Down Under race days which were taking place in this area.    On the Saturday there was the added event for the amateur cyclists, hundreds of them from Australia mostly, but also from other countries.   Last year the event was cancelled due to the extreme temperatures, which must have been a great disappointment for those that travelled from elsewhere.   But this year, although the temperature had been in the 40s earlier in the week, Saturday proved to be a balmy 26 degrees.   Perfect for the cyclists.

Steve took part, and completed the Myponga to Strathalbyn section, about 100 km on hilly country roads.   It was the most scenic part of the route.    He managed it extremely well, and did not look at all tired at the end of it.   

Emma and I dropped Steve and his bike off Myponga, which is about a 15 minute car journey from our house, at 7.30 a.m.

All ready for the ride.

 Luckily we were all there to cheer Steve at the finish.    After we dropped him off we went home to have breakfast.   It was while we were drinking a leisurely coffee that Emma declared that we had better drive to Strathalbyn immediately.   She had been tracking Steve on his phone and he was already passing through Goolwa and was on the last leg of the event.

Luckily we arrived in time, and saw him speeding down the road and around the corner.   An action shot.

 Steve, looking very cool, calm and relaxed at the end of the event.   All riders were required to wear yellow tops, in order to identify them from people who may join the event without paying the required fee.

 Strathalbyn was buzzing. first all the riders in the Challenge Event arrived over a period of four hours, some of them had ridden from Glenelg, others joined the event from Myponga, Victor Harbour and Goolwa.   Then we waited for the competitors in the Tour Down Under.  After walking around the town, then drinking a much needed coffee, accompanied by cakes, we settled on the grass and watched the progress of the race on the large screen.   It was quite hot, but luckily we had hats and plenty of sun cream.   Emma even managed to cover her shoulders with the help of my fold up shopping  bag.

 The main peloton riding at speed towards us.

The following day, on the Sunday the Tour Down Under race took place in the McLaren Vale, Willunga, Aldinga Beach area.   We drove the car to Aldinga Beach and then walked up onto the cliffs above so that we could get a good view of the cyclists as they came around the first time.

Many of the holiday homes were decked out in flags, and bunting, plus there were quite a few parties in progress.

The helicopter that followed the cyclists.     It was a beautiful day and not too hot.

Steve and Emma set up on the beach.   When the cyclists came around the second time, we watched them go past from this position.   After that Walter and I decided we had had enough so went home before the third time.

A walk on the beach early one morning.   Poppy and Piper having a lovely time.

Now you may wonder, when you see the photograph below, why our Honda was stuck in the sand!   At 7.30 am.

And a very good question too.   The answer was Australia Day madness! 

We were all up at 6.00 a.m. in order to get the position that we wanted on the beach.   Enough space for two gazebos and two car awnings.   Emma and Steve had also planned on a 7 a.m. swim with the running club.   We knew that it was going to be a high tide, but fingers crossed we thought we could manage it.

Of course we had not accounted on there being a storm during the night which made the tide come in further, with very high waves.   Now Emma and Steve were not able to go swimming but they did get to the preferred spot, half way along the beach, before the high tide.   With difficulty.   So they sent photos via WhatsApp,  to let us know there was no rush, as they had marked out our spot, and the beach had become impossible to drive on.   Best to wait on the road above and wait for the tide to go out a bit, they messaged.   Sensible.

But of course I was running around at home, in a panic, as the pressure to get to the beach was uppermost in my mind.  No time to turn a mobile phone on.   Walter was driving the Kia and was parking on the road, anyway, so he was not particularly worried.   He just said in passing that the beach was not drivable but I did not really listen to him.    Too absorbed in my panic to get to the beach before the hordes of people.  So Andreena and John headed off in their little 4 wheel drive, with all their gear, and I headed off too, with chairs, table and Piper.    A comedy of errors waiting to happen.

Also never listen to men who drive 4 wheel drive vehicles.   Another lesson learned here.  I arrived at the ramp to find people driving onto the beach, with many vehicles getting stuck in the dry soft sand.    So I was told by a man to drive on the wet sand which would be harder.   First mistake, as some parts of wet sand become bogs, and it is difficult to tell until one steps on it.  Or in this case, drive on it.   I got stuck of course.   I then became surrounded by lovely, sympathetic and helpful people.   So appreciative of this, the last thing I needed at this stage, was to be told about my stupid driving error.   However mistake two was listening to another man in his four wheel drive, who offered to tow me out backwards.   Put your foot right down, he said.  Consequently the car became even more embedded in the sand, some of which sprayed up the side of the car, and in through the open window. 

The best advice was 'wait until the tide goes out and the sand will dry out and then it will be easy to dig the car out'.   Meanwhile the water was lapping around the bottom of the car.

Everyone saw the car sitting forlornly on the wet sand with the water lapping around it!    People of course were taking photographs.   It appeared on Patrick's Facebook page, and I have since been asked on a number of occasions was that my car stuck on the beach.   So embarrassing.

John and Andreena also become stuck in the dry soft sand, due to stopping their car, in order to come and see if I was okay.   But they managed to dig themselves out.

We had to take everything out of the car and carry it along to the beach to where we were going to set up our camp for the day.    Oh our aching arms.

Later on that morning, we got word to say that a man, from the local football club, had begun to move the car backwards, using his four wheel drive and motorised hitch.   It was the first time he had used his motorised hitch, he was very proud of it.  And we thought it was wonderful, as we were all prepared to dig the car out. 

Steve drove the car along the beach to our spot, and received lots of cheers from people.   I am so pleased I asked him to drive it.

Emma standing by the nearly freed up car.

The mess we made of the beach.   Oh well, it should be gone after the next high tide.

Our very spacious area.

And further along, two rows of vehicles, and plenty of bunting and flags.   By the time I took this photograph it was hard to believe that a few hours previously this area had been covered in water.

We had a really lovely day, in perfect weather as it was pleasantly warm with a slight breeze blowing.   John first cooked us bacon and eggs for breakfast, which was very much appreciated after the traumas of getting onto the beach and setting up.   He also cooked a delicious barbeque for lunch, which went down very well with the salads, beer and wine.

The surf was also perfect for taking the boards out too, with plenty of big waves.   And Steve set up his wooden blocks game, which everyone enjoyed.

There was also plenty of sunburn, with burnt teenagers (sun tops no longer appeal), John's feet, and my lips and face.    That sun was very deceiving!

The Honda has not suffered any damage.   We took it to the car wash, the next morning and used a pressure hose on it, to get most of the salt water and sand off it.    Then I spent the following morning using our hose to go over it again, underneath the car, inside the wheels, and down the inside front of the car.   So much sand!

The front of our house, and driveways, showed the evidence of our trip trip to the beach.   Sand everywhere, a massive amount from our Honda, plus Andreena's car, Emma and Steve's car and Darren's car.

Evidence of a great day at the beach.