9th Nov day 26 - today is the day - bathing at Bondi

It's interesing reflecting on my expectations before I started out on this adventure. I thought Canada would be cold and apart from the snow day the weather was generally mild - New York would be really cold and it wasn't, at times I didn't need a coat - San Francisco would a bit chilly and at times it was hot - and of course Sydney would be hot and sunny - not so much. 

As a city it has on average 340 days a year of sunshine with its rainy season being April but, of my 5 days here, 4 have been overcast, at times cold/wet and of course their worst storm of the year in Bondi on my first ever visit there! But despite being a little disappointed on arrival I have loved this city and surrounding area, it's exceptionally clean and spacious. Probably because the weather wasn't uninterrupted sun I have seen and done all the things I hoped to do, rather than just head for the beach. But I decided when I arrived that no matter what the weather was like today I was going to swim in the Pacific. It was such a blessing to have unbroken clear blue skies when I awoke this morning.

So it was hi ho hi ho it's off to Bondi I go. It's a train and bus from where I am staying but with no rush at all the journey was a treat. I stopped to buy factor 30 sun cream, yuk so thick and claggy but hopefully it will prevent me being in the running to drive Santa's sleigh this year.

On arrival I had coffee and orange muffin at a beach cafe before going down to take in the sun, sand and sea on this world famous beach.

Just to prove my beach dress was not a waste of money I accosted an honest-looking woman to take this picture. I know how do you know someon is honest just from looking at them but sometimes you have to live dangerously! Turns out she was from Leigh about 5 miles from where I was born so we had a really nice chat whilst she waited for her husband, and the friends they were travelling with, to come out of the sea.

I sunbathed for a quite a long while hoping the hideous sun cream would sink in - but no my skin had the look of Marley's ghost all day. But it was bliss to just lie and relax in this stunning location. This is the view from my towel.

Eventually I became hot so went into the sea to cool off. It was fabulous, cool but not at all cold despite me being hot from the sun. The waves were powerful much more so than the surfing beaches of Southerndown in S Wales or Polzeath in Cornwall. They literally knocked me off my feet but I loved it. Eventually I worked out if I swam across the beach between the warning flags I could swim up and down in the huge swell. It was such fun and energising, I would have loved to have had use of a belly board for today. After quite a while an enormous wave toppled over me and I decided to call it a day, as my mascara must have run by then.

Having changed I ambled up the beach and had a large ice cream sitting on the sea wall just enjoying people watching with the warm sun on my back, bliss. On the train journey back I sat with a young girl from Telford who has just managed to get a job in Bondi Junction having been travelling up the east coast for 8 weeks. She was desperate to find an apartment as at the moment she is living in a backpackers place in Sydney. She is the only girl in a dormitory of 8! As I left her I thought how fortunate I am to come back to my own room with the luxury of an ensuite.

Managed to have a FaceTime catch up with Simon this evening which was lovely and the thought that I would be having a cuppa with him this time tomorrow is super exciting. I had hoped to find a pizza place for this evening but didn't fancy a long walk so settled for a 'bistro' down the road from my hotel - well that's what it said on the outside, turns out it's a right man's pub and I am the only woman here. Good job I brought my iPad to type up today's happenings or I would have felt a right Billy no mate. 

Am off now for a cuppa and choc bar, as I once said allegedly "a day without chocolate is a day wasted"! The walk back to the hotel was wonderful on one of those warm, balmy evenings we hardly ever experience back home.