Beachcombing

Monday March 12th

Mangoes for breakfast. Mangoes and "European Yoghurt", which means Greek yoghurt almost like the "Total" stuff you can buy at home.

But not quite.

I'd like to report that I sliced the mangoes into perfect cubes and arranged them onto the table as part of a nutritious breakfast for my family. The fact is, I hacked at them with a blunt-ish knife with all the grace of a pride of lions tearing at a zebra, until the juice was running down my hands and under my wedding ring. I can't slice mangoes. I've even been taught how to do it, but I still manage to hit the stone every time. It would be satisfying to present dinner guests with a perfectly manicured fruit salad, but I don't think it will ever happen for me.

The resort here at Murramarang is billed as ecologically-minded. There are recycling facilities, but I notice the fridge has a 1.5 star rating for energy efficiency (of a possible total of six). Not quite what it says in the brochure. On other counts, Murramarang lived up to the hype. The kangaroos turned up outside our cabin around 9am. Real, wild eastern grey kangaroos with a backdrop of the South Pacific. Awesome. Ella loved it, and she learnt a new word (I'll soon be able to assess her on the Renfrew Word Finding Test. Just the scarecrow and watering can to sort out now).

Later in the morning we walked along the beach collecting delicate little shells - see the picture. The beach was almost deserted, with the exception of a couple from Stoke on Trent. They'd been on holiday in Australia for nine weeks and already the wife was up-turning her sentences. I think she's been practicing in the mirror.