Snap Happy evidence of our seaside fun

Here are the photos folks!  Now, how the heck do I attach all these blighters in some sort of tidy order?  Hmmm.  Let's start with this one: 

 I love the sandstone colours of the rocks, which were at the northern end of Moffat Beach, where we walked each morning with Lil, before sitting on a bench overlooking the ocean and drinking coffee from cardboard cups, watching the ocean and looking for whales.  The first photo gives you an idea of some of the flotsam and jetsam that washed up on the beach.  I've never seen such colourful weed!

This is more like it.  I want the photos to come out side by side like this, but can't seem to make it happen unless it occurs entirely by accident.  Here were have LillyPilly the dog sitting still for a very short period, before rushing off over the sand to play and splash in rockpools.  The other photo is off the @#$%^& jigsaw puzzle I decided to do in the five days we were away.  Well, this morning I had to pack it all back up again, unfinished, cursing all the way.  Why I wanted to do this Kakadu scene with hundreds of colours and textures instead of some imbecilic (?) moron jigsaw with 30 pieces I will never know.  Even a few swigs of "Pig's Nose" whisky didn't improve things - much.  Like my Spanish, in my own mind I seem to become so much more proficient with a few drinks on board (not a good habit to develop). 

One sunny day, we trekked to Cotton Tree, near Maroochydore, where we had a delicious lunch at "Ba Vigo" and of course, I took plenty of photos of the culinary delights on offer.  Want to see?

The cuisine is Spanish and we had several tapas (photograhed are stuffed artichoke hearts and meatballs with the most tantalising smoky tomato relish - both absolutely scrumptious).  Of course, we had to have a taste of Creme Catalan with a sip of Spanish sherry to finish it off.  Luckily, I was wearing a frock with no waistline in it.  I suppose I should give you a bit of coastal scenery, just to convince you of what a lovely place we've been.  We stayed at Moffat Beach, just near Caloundra, at a beautiful apartment owned by some lucky friends.  It was literally a two-minute walk to the dog-friendly beach.

 We took this photo when doing the coast walk from Moffat Beach along past Shelley Beach to King's Beach.  It was a very windy day and my ham sandwich almost blew right into Lil's mouth (for a dog, she is very tuned in to  aerodynamics) when we stopped here for a picnic.  

Another day we headed up to Noosa (above) where we had a delicious lunch at "Season" on the beach.  It was mid-week and they had the most amazing lunch special (3 courses + a glass of wine for $30!)  It was absolutely delicious and in a brilliant location, right on the beach. As usual, I had a wonderful time people-watching and inventing their life stories for Spud's amusement.  The highlight of lunch was, I'm afraid to say it, the flourless chocolate cake.  OhMyGod.  I am not religious in any way but I have to praise Allah for this one.  And best of all, our waiter got the recipe for me from the chef!  Alarmingly, it calls for 20 eggs but then I read that I'm making three cakes here, baked in a water bath, which will require cross-referencing. 

   Okay, okay curse me if you must but there is nothing better than a divine piece of chocolate cake after a strenuous day at the beach, walking on all that sand, fighting off the sun's rays.  

THE REALITY IS.....   that the holiday is now over and tomorrow I am back to work.  Spud and I have both been a bit "flat" today in that knowledge.  The even worse reality is that while away and contemplating the wine, the cake, the barbecues (with salads!) and the lunches out that we enjoyed, we've decided to DIET!  With my typical "bee in the bonnet" enthusiasm, I stumbled upon some crackpot Women's Weekly 21-day diet book and this afternoon we hit Woolies for the ingredients.  Our shopping trolley was looking very comendable and entire aisles were overlooked in our quest for health and vitality!  All Bran, rolled oats, low-fat cottage cheese, eco-friendly washing power tumbled into the trolley as we raced along.  Upon closer inspection of the recipes, I note there is no mention of cheese, chocolate or wine (my three vices) and while I am not making any rash promises, be sure that you are bound to hear some moaning from me over the next few weeks. I've never dieted before but there has definitely been a hasty accelaration of fat cells around my nether regions which must G.O immediately.  And quite possibly, my lazy personage has slipped into some bad eating habits that could do with renovation.  So, that is the last piece of chocolate cake you'll be seeing on this blog for a while.  Instead, I will shower you with photos of gorgeous vegetables, like these beautiful beans that we grew in our veggie patch.  Aren't they magnificent?  I feel like a proud parent!