Port Fairy

A festival by the sea, with some great bands I know and some brand new acts to see - how could I refuse. Port Fairy Festival was a blast of a weekend, and I ended up discovering tons of singers and players that I'd never even heard of before going. For me, nothing beats a gig or festival that reignites my passion for playing and inspires me to practice, and Port Fairy did just that.

I strongly recommend listening to the artists pictured below: Jaaleekay, Breabach, John Patrick and the Keepers and Bobby Alu, plus others like Mama Kin, Ginger and Tonic and Tolka.

Watch out for a possible Port Fairy inspired playlist...

Beaches

I always feel more at home when I'm by the sea, and two weeks by some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen made for perfect summer holidays. The first seven days were spent with fourteen family and friends in a gorgeous house on Phillip Island, and were filled with swimming and sunning, chatting, eating and drinking. Plus a night excursion to the Penguin Parade, where visitors can view the nightly return of the world's smallest penguins from the sea where they feed, into the dunes and grassy areas on the shore. 

A couple of weeks later I jetted off towards the waves once again, but this time west of Melbourne, to a relaxed little town called Ocean Grove. With only my cousin and her little boy, and in a caravan rather than a multi-bedroomed beach house, this week was very different to the first, but no less wonderful. As well as seeing endless views, breathtaking sunsets over the river and some glorious sunshine, we visited Jirrahlinga Wildlife Sanctuary and Werribee Zoo, both perfect opportunities to have a play with my cousin's good quality camera!

Two weeks of beach time, two weeks of relaxing and rejuvenating, ready for the rest of 2014.

The Beach

There's not much you can do when it's above thirty degrees and you're offered a lift down to the beach for the day, apart from say of course!

We drove down the Mornington Peninsula, which forms the Eastern edge of Port Phillip Bay, the ocean like bay that Melbourne sits at the top of. The peninsula is only a couple of kilometres wide at some point, which means popping from back beach (on the ocean side) to front beach (bay side) takes only a matter of minutes, and both sides are full of amazing little beaches, hidden from the road and only accessible along sandy tracks through the bush. One of these inlets is home to a huge rockpool which only really exists when the tide goes out and the pool is left, under an overhang of rocks that are perfectly positioned for jumping off. The sea was incredibly vivid shades of blue, green and everything in between, made even better by the contrast with the pale coloured rocks and sands. I stupidly forgot both my camera and phone that day, and so the only surviving evidence is from my cousin's phone...but I'll be back to places like this to get some snaps of my own soon enough.

Hi.

 I've finally started to relax into life after university, stopped thinking in academic years and terms so much, and accepted that my life isn't going to be as hectic as it was for the last four years. Or I'd like to think I have at least. 

I haven't wandered very far yet since moving home, but hopefully this will change over the next year or so...plans change in my mind on a weekly basis, so who knows what will happen. 

For now, here are some wanderings close to home.

Harbour view.

Breakfast at the Marine one fine Sunday morning.

Evening walks out the pier.

NefEsh Trio at King's Hall, Newcastle University.