Yamba Breakwater: The early bird catches the spume!

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Wednesdays are special. It's our Yamba Farmers Market day. The early-morning event of my week. Yep, up at 6am, down the hill by 7am ... struggle up with full bags an hour or two later ...

This Wednesday was extra special. Paul arrived this week from Berlin, new CD in the can, and with a few weeks at home before he goes to even more southern climes for concerts and festivals. So this morning I didn't have to walk down the hill: we drove! Oh, don't get me wrong. I love the walk, but if I get driven I can BUY SO MUCH MORE ...!

And we did. Three bags full sir! Full of wonderful farm-fresh produce. But going to our market isn't just shopping. It is an event. A specially-nice coffee and ... what! ... today, there were home-made cinnamon buns!

And while you slurp and guiltily nibble,  you have the lovely strains of a harp to listen to. Yes, a harp. How wonderful is that? Ours must be the only farmer's market in this world that offers pure, natural, unamplified, live harp-music while you shop, drink and eat ...

I know. Whenever I write about Our Market, I inevitably include delicious photos of my purchases. But today I have other photos. Since we had the car, we were able to stash our bags of trophies in the boot, and, thus unburdened, we took to the Breakwater walk. It is a delightful walk, out into the Pacific, by Turner's Beach, and we've done it every year since I first came here. It was getting a little bit underfoot-tricky for me, with my wonky legs and feet, but the splendid Powers-That-Do-Public-Things round here have recently surfaced the path, so I can navigate the whole length of the breakwater without my walking-stick or even a supporting arm.

The views, in the white light of early morning, back across the bay to my home, are grand. But, best of all is the wildlife. In the early hours of daylight, the lizards -- small to huge -- had not yet come out to sunbathe, and some birds were still snoozing, immobile of their rocks ..

But there was plenty of 'wildlife' to be enjoyed ... the dolphins and the early-morning surfers caracoling in the bay

the early bird catches the spume

Swallows swooping full-speed, oh so near the rocks, and Willie wagtail darting hither and yon and occasionally stopping for a breather

Coming in to laaaaaaand!

And unimpressed by the feats of waterskills behind him ..

Wilhelmina Wagtail, practising her ballet exercises

Ara...besssssss...que

and even the occasional friendly pooch, out for his morning constitutional

The last of the night's fishing fleet, floating in from the horizon ... last night, on the way home from dinner, we saw their lights ... hard at work on the edge of the sea and sky ...

So, leaving the birds, the surfers and the dolphins we headed for home.

No mixed bathing! Dolphins to the left, please!

Beanies at 7am

And now, after a jet-lagged snooze, Paulie is putting the market-goodies to goodie use in on of his wonderful soups ...

Yes, I like Wednesdays.