Ending on a high

26°C, mostly fine. Perfect New Years Eve weather. Some national newspaper lumped Hobart in with Sydney as expecting a 'cold' NYE, but for us, it was just right. And definitely just right for the beach. So we kitted up, slip slop slapped, packed the picnic eskys, and headed off to Seven Mile Beach. Normally the water around Tassie is fairly chilly - I've been swimming in the middle of winter and it's felt about the same as the middle of summer, but yesterday it was lovely. Even the Queenslander in our midst seemed to enjoy it.

We saw a sting ray, gliding along the beach edge, played beach cricket, and sat with hot chips in one hand and melting icy poles in the other. Hot cold teeth to the max. I proved the power of sunscreen, lying in the sun for quite a while without getting any burn (or tan) at all, except for a little triangle on my knee I'd apparently missed...* Then we took some jumping photos, because they're just fun.

So that was the end of 2011, a year of highs and lows for me and for everyone else. Earthquakes, floods, weddings, survivals, destruction, renewal, best uni marks, worst uni marks, a new niece, new travel plans, rejection of old life plans, new friends, refound friends, chocolate, dinners, essays, new pets, car accidents, firsts, lasts, and it all ended with a touch of proper summer. Can't really ask for more than that can you.




*We've sometimes got a whopping great hole in the ozone layer above us, the UV index was meant to reach 11 (extreme) that day - the highest category on the scale, so although it doesn't always feel as hot, it's horrifically dangerous. That said, I've heard that a lot of Tasmanians have vitamin D deficiency from being too sunsafe and not getting any UV at all.