Nature

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I am having a love-hate war with nature. It is unclear which side is winning, but I have an issue with Mother Nature and some of her creatures. Sand flies. Why do they even exist? Do they have a beneficial purpose? Why is it that every time we go away on holidays MN unleashes those nasty little insects on to me and I spend the next two weeks suffering? The sand flies up here are particularly horrid. I have bites all over my arms, legs, back, back of my neck, and even in my hair and face including on my lip. I have never struck them this nasty before. Frank gets bitten by them. He has little red dots. I have massive welts all over me. I use insect repellent. It doesn't seem to work. I have tried two different types. Today we went to the pharmacy to get something that would take the itch away. That doesn't seem to work either. So now I have to try to refrain from scratching with the hope that they heel quicker.

I am considering converting to Islam. That way I should be safe from the sand flies in my burka. In the meantime, I will make sure I am well covered before the sun goes down. That is when they are at their worst.

Everything else around us is beautiful. We watched two wedge-tail eagles and a hawk circling near us when we were fishing today. They were calling out to each other. It was lovely sitting in the quiet of the inlet watching and listening the the eagles. We didn't have any success with the fish today. I caught one whiting but it got off the line just as it reached the edge of the boat. It was too small anyway so would have been thrown back. The rest of the time we were just feeding the fish. We had a lovely sunset this evening so we went down to the waters edge to enjoy it. Now, as I type, I am listening to the sound of the waves rolling in.

It has been a lovely day with Mother Nature showing us her best side. Pity about those darn sand flies.

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Photos

Sunset Panorama
The estuary at sunset from Carlo Point boat ramp.

Pelicans and gulls at sunset
What is a coastal sunset without pelicans?

Changing hues
It is hard to stop taking pictures when it is this pretty.