The only real disturbance to our kerbside sleep was a passing V8-engined sports car soundalike - too close, too fast, van rocked!! Still slept in though… and went for a run about 8, after the sun had pretended to come up behind lots of grey cloud. The beach had a few people, walking dogs, walking each other, running barefoot in one guy's case. I jumped/splashed the two streams out and back - quite hard going, very muggy. Took the opportunity to run up to the surf shop to check opening times - no clues there, probably 10 onwards then!
Breakfast, shower at Caitie's, bit of internet (hi Liz and Kris!), then to the surf shop. Rented a 7' 10" NSP mini-mal, $30 if I got it back for 5. Seems ok… Guys were enthusiastic about Back Beach - up the road to NPlym, hang a left. Did that. Nice place, parked up, went out. Had a good hour plus, caught some waves, missed lots more! A few guys hanging out, high turnover in the car park so clearly used lots by locals for a quickie. Then the tide got too high, waves stopped, so did we. Jen had been standing on the beach trying to take some pictures, possibly a mistake judging by subsequent evidence of sandfly bites :-(
It started to rain, so lunch was a nice break, chatting to the locals, people watching, wave watching. The guys had said 3-ish for another session, so I went out in the rain and did some more, ok really. I started to work the waves closer to the shore - a bit slower, more broken, easier to catch. Paddling needs work - yuck! A good day though, with a simple focus.
Back at Caitie's after a trip to the local 4 Square 7-11 equivalent, her van was standing with the driver door open in the rain, with her on the phone to Robin. Cab filled with radiator fluid, apparently all sprayed out as she arrived at the house. I checked it out - some interesting non-VW modifications! Heater matrix switched for a joint a/c and heater job, all the normal air ducting ripped out and taped up, and one of the hot water pipes come unhitched. Replaced it, tightened both up, taped up the crap ducting again, job done. Explained the new controls (cold = a/c, hot = hot, halfway you can hear a/c go on/off with engine load change), everything else redundant i.e. no focussed demist etc. She's getting the cambelt changed shortly, good time for a sort.
Then off to Robin's place, way out in the boonies, via 4 Square for more stuff, including die cream for pancakes. His place is very primitive - an old metal garage now insulated and ply-lined, solar power, LPG cooking. His kids Kara (nearly 10) and Shay (just 7) are very sweet - keen to talk and show and all that. Kara has a very old head on young shoulders. We had a great time - they drank grape juice, we drank red wine, and had a lovely evening, eating Caitie's veggie stirfry and pancakes with male syrup and ice-cream. Had it been less cloudy, there'd have been a fantastic view across to the sea, but it wasn't. And so to bed…
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