logansrogue | Jan. 27th, 2007

I had a lovely Australia Day today. I hung out with my family, which was nice. Helen and Peter came over (with Ruby and Solly of course) and at one point Helen and I listened to this awesome old record of Mum's called Olatunji (Drums of Passion). Really awesome album, if you can get it, do it. Dad stoked a barbacue later in the evening after he'd gone to the beach during the day. Dave called and asked if I wanted to go to the beach, and yeah, I totally did.

We went after the sun had gone down, when the sky was still glowing very brightly. There were beautiful dark mauve-blue clouds cloaking half of the golden sky. There was a hot, stiff wind and the water was deliciously cool. We stood in the waves and on the horizon a lightning storm flashed and snaked through the dark clouds. It was absolutely breaktaking - being in the ocean, body cooling off, watching this natural spectacle. Down the beach on the horizon one could see tiny fireworks being let off for Australia day. They were dwarfed by the lightning, pretty but nowhere near as awesome as what the elements could whip up. I could hear the fireworks from the Sky Show (a separate event) and I knew there'd be thousands of people there crowding to watch fireworks.

Yet there I was, the beach, the sand, the waves, the sky and the lightning. I could have stayed in that water forever, I just didn't want to get out. I wished I could sprout fins and sleep in it.

Then Dave and I popped by an all-night deli. I love that deli, it has such expensive yet exquisite stuff in it. I avoided the gourmet food and got some nectarines, pistachio nuts, chinese rice crackers and a small bag of freckles. Some nibblies to keep me for the while.

And now I struggle to sleep in the muggy heat, with no cool breeze to mellow it out. African drums, summer lightning, the beach, a barbecue dinner and hot breezy evenings basking under an air-conditioner. How very Australian. :)