Wipe out!

Thursday 27 August 2015
28 degrees at the coast

The day dawned white skied and the birds silent in the trees.  Forerunner of immense amounts of heat.  Went down town early to meet NZ ladies and sort out their water payments.  The car park was empty and the clerk arrived late and scraped open the door shutter.  A digger drove up and parked.  The tarmac shimmered in the heat.  Twenty minutes later the ladies arrived and thought they had the correct paperwork.  It wasn't so we had to log into their bank account and navigate around to find the RIB or relevé d'identité bancaire (full bank details).  Internet reception was deadly slow but eventually we got there and they left to do some more painting.  One of their tee shirts was carrying a large purple stain - the product of no bottle opener, a tempting bottle of wine, and a screwdriver.  I went back home and we packed up the car and headed to the coast.

The roads were clear and we got there and, with some difficulty, parked in a narrow street full of bars and tiny shops.  One coffee and two tapas later, I was released to go into the Chinese Bazaar.  I do love a Bazaar - full of plastic objects that you had no idea you wanted.  Found some emery boards - ten for a euro and large to boot - and the spiky plastic trays which are normally used for melting beads and which will be ideal for using as doming trays.  When you take resin out of the moulds, it is unattractively flat on one side, so you have to dribble on some more resin to 'dome' the piece.  If it is on a flat surface and some of the resin runs off, then it glues itself to this surface.  On a doming tray, the resin just runs off to the side and can be picked off.

Then down to the beach.  We went to the far west corner where the crowds were thinner and the parking was easier.  Blue and white striped tents jostled for space and small children were tearing about.  We found a spot, OH's head swivelling to see if there were any semi naked young women on the beach, and there weren't, and then entered gingerly into the water.  No matter how warm the sea, the effect of the water hitting one's overheated skin is always a bit of a shock.  The tide was on the turn and the waves were crashing rather violently so we had to go out a bit further than normal.  OH was still standing and we were both having to jump up with the unfurled waves as they came along in huge ridges.  After about an hour, OH went back onto the beach and I was swimming along.  There was a sudden massive drag and I realised to my horror I was being pulled into the base of an immense wave.  It crashed virtually on my head and my back was twisted uncomfortably and my head hit the sand and I felt temporarily dazed.  I span violently and then bobbed back up to the surface.  I wasn't the only one who had been completely wiped out.  Less than five metres from the beach.   I sat on the sand and recovered my nerves and OH came and got me and we walked to a quieter part where the waves weren't catching the sea wall and swam some more.  I calmed down and stopped shaking.

Off to the supermarket to buy wine and fish and vegetables.  Found some wonderful turbot for 9.50 a kilo and some calamaris.  Took forever to drive home as the August rush was now going in the other direction.  Left at five pm and got back at just before eight.  Stowed the food, cooked and ate the turbot and went for a walk with dog under the light of the moon.  Sky deep slate grey with the moon netted in the trees.  Many an owl eeking and too whooing.  Not a good night to be abroad if you were a small rodent.