lord howe day 5

 I headed back to Blinky Beach this morning with a different idea in mind. Mutton Bird Island looks really small with the wide angle lens, and I wanted to pull it in closer to the beach.

There was rain happening far out in the ocean and that gave this shot so much mood.

I got back to our apartment just in time to beat the rain. Thunder banged quite loudly and I debated heading out to a spot to capture the lightening. I was tossing this idea around while my head was on a pillow to catch up on lost sleep from early mornings and late nights processing, blogging and FBing. Very slow internet here, but I am very keen to document the details of our fantastic trip before they start to blur in my mind. As it turned out, my eyes closed and when I woke an our later the sky had open right up and it was just glorious.

I heard a local saying today and it seems so true. "Rain by 7, fine by 11." And it was.

By 11 o'clock, Kym and I were up the top of the Cow Paddock on the way up to Malabar. (that's Kym on his way up)

Caught on camera!!

L-R. The mountains Lidgebird and Gower, the Lagoon and Settlement Beach.

I stayed in this spot for a bit taking pictures, while Kym went on up Malabar.

He was back in 10 mins and said that where I was standing, was the best spot for taking photos. Even he took a few too. Bless him.

I love him for starting to see things with a camera in mind. And asking me to take this photo or that angle. I am just chuffed when asks me to take one specially for him.

I am not a mountain goat. Kym paces his way up hill by slowing down and taking it steady, and he strides out down hill. I seem to go up quickly, but not very far before I need to stop for a blow. Mostly my calves burn. Not ache, they burn. Coming downhill, it was a bit slippery and slushy after the rain, and I seem to totter with stiff legs, not walk down hill. I'm very aware of my glass like knees. So I am a wuss as far as hill climbing.

With the wonderful weather holding, we went down to Ned's Beach to go Fish Feeding. What a giggle. I took the GoPro to get some over/underwater action, and Kym took Bob, the doll that Annie gave him years ago to a chaperone him on his trips away.

Kym was tossing bits of bread in my direction while I was filming and one of the naughty fish nibbled my leg. Little Rotter. I squealed a bit, splashed a bit, and laughed a lot. Then the fish started to creep me out a bit. Where ever I was with the camera underwater, they would go me or the camera. I was very relieved when Kym ran out of bread. Mind you, he thought it was all just hilarious.

We made our way back to the apartment to have lunch. We've become quite chatty with 3 other older couples over the last couple of days, and Kym had offered the King Fish fillets from his fishing charter trip as lunch for everyone. It was cooked beautifully by one of the gentlemen and was enjoyed by all except me. I don't eat fish. I just don't enjoy it. 

So with the OK from everyone, I disappeared for half an hour to get to a spot that I'd been eyeing, but needed the low tide to get to it. I had to be quick with the camera as the tide was coming back in remarkably quickly.

rock formations south of the Island Jetty

Mooring Chain for the fortnightly supply ship. There are many of these all round the jetty to hold the ship so steady while being unloaded. Each link is the size of a football.

The Sea Turtle rock formation south of the Island Jetty.

So with lunch under their belts, everyone felt quite mellow. Except Kym. He was keen to head out on his bike and ride off lunch. So while he was out, so was I.

Kym took Bob and the point shoot camera for a ride

I really wanted to remember the little things of this amazing island, especially the things that are unique to LHI.

What the locals call rush minute. No such thing as rush hour here lol. 

The price of fuel from the one and only fuel pump on the island.  ($2.72 per litre)

Incidentally the Island's Electricity is created by a diesel generator that runs 24/7. It chews thru 66 drums of diesel. Each drum is 200 litres. Work out the cost of purchasing the fuel on mainland Australia, the cost of transporting it to the island and then you get an idea of the expense of it. And we whine about our bills. tsk tsk.

These Woodhens are the reason for the 25km/h speed limit. They are repopulating well due to a captive breeding program to save them from extinction. Cats and Rats have been eliminated from the island. Rat baits are still set just in case.

The Bird walk we had booked on, was cancelled last minute due to the Flying Doc coming in. Our guide is the Airport Communications Officer (in the tower as such) and needed to be at the airstrip while the plane flew in and out.

So Kym had some quiet time on the couch and I wanted to check out a spot that I needed to walk to in the pre dawn light tomorrow morning. Easier to find my way if I had a general idea in my head where I need to go in poor light. 

I went from there up to the Golf Course Club house to view the golden light on the undulating course as the sun sets. It was just breath taking.

I was very lucky to have a golfer make his way up the fairway and into the shot. And he was wearing a red shirt. Perfect pop of colour against the lush green.

Back to the apartment, showered and out to dinner with Kym at the Pine Trees. Tuesdays night is international cuisine night and tonight was Welsh. We both had a steak fillet with leeks, a blue cheese crust and crisp steamed vegies. Very yum. And the steaks were cooked to perfection.

I heard another classic Island saying this evening. The people that come to LHI are "newly weds, or nearly dead". 

Kym and I seem to be the exception to that. I've only seen one child here on holidays, it is mostly the older generation here at the moment. There is one couple that I will always remember. They both must be over 80, both have walking sticks and of  foreign descent. And they walk everywhere. Not the hills. But all the roads. And believe me, there are some quite large ups and downs on these roads. To the point that Kym gets off his bike and pushes it uphill. I've stopped by them twice to ask if they'd like a lift. And they very graciously decline. They put me to shame.

I think we are envied for having a rental car. The other people here at Lorhiti don't seem to be getting out much and certainly not seeing a lot of the island, because they choose not to hire a bike and therefore need to walk everywhere. So I'm playing taxi in the morning. After taking Kym and the gentleman next door to us to golf, I'll make 2 trips with our Lorhiti neighbours to get them down to the Boat Shed in the morning. We are all going out on the same Glass Bottom Coral Exploring boat. And then return them as well as pick up the golfers after our boat trip.

I've been working on all the photos from today, blogging, and getting the census done and already it's way past midnight (local time). 

night night