Sunday, May 17, 2009

Images of Cobo Bay

I was up at the point between the Cobo and Vazon Bays yesterday. It was chilly, wet and very, very windy but beautiful nonetheless. Please click on the images to enlarge them to get a true feel for the area; my little camera does not do long distance shots that well.



Looking back towards Cobo. The sand on this beach is as close to Australian sugar sand as you are going to get in Guernsey. This is the most popular swimming beach in summer. Tourists and Guerns flock to beaches, suncream covered, tents and wind breaks in hand, buckets and spades, beach volleyball nets, rockpooling nets, picnic lunches; they may still be seen late into the evening making the most of the long summer days.



Grey sea, grey skies; this image makes me envious of people with a sea view. We need to stand up and look out our bedroom window to see the ocean though you can hear it at night when you lie in bed. The crashing of the waves in the distance is very soothing and lulls you off to sleep.


Looking back towards the point.



I have come to appreciate the beauty in boats. I never want to own one and am not that keen on motoring or sailing about in them but I can look at them and see why people are so drawn to both boats and the ocean. We lived a one and a half hour drive from the beach in Brisbane so we never went there very often as it always involved a bit of an epic journey coupled with weekend beach-goer traffic = not much fun.




Buttercups are everywhere at the moment but are very hard to photograph well. Their petals seem to reflect the light so I am unable to get a decent close up to show you that they really are more than the yellow blobs they seem in all my snaps.


The bracken ferns have appeared out of nowhere and are growing centimetres by the day.


This rose was just growing in the hedge next to the roadside. I know this probably seems normal to people who live in the British Isles but it noteworthy to me who has only seen roses in home gardens where they are assured of regular water.



The coastline of Guernsey is reminiscent of a vague memory of a movie I have seen once but can't remember when, nor who was in it, what it was about or where it was set. I suppose I mean it has a touch of the surreal to me. It is not contrived in anyway nor staged but its like has been reproduced in the media so many times in different forms that it seems sometimes that I am looking at a movie set rather than real life. It is the quintessential British seaside town (although I know Guernsey is NOT part of Britain, but you know what I mean).


When we first moved here its beaches seemed so cold and uninviting. There were people sitting in beach tents or behind wind breaks so they could enjoy the sun without the cold winds. Children swim in wetsuits so they can make the most of the fine weather but not be chilled to the bone by their watery activities.

It was totally bizarre to me that even when it was 12.5*C (plus the wind chill mind you) people would swarm to the beaches provided there was a smidgen of sun; now we happily join the sun and sand worshipers. We have not gone so far as investing in wetsuits yet but we probably will before the summer ends. We have been here 22 months now and I still find things that locals see as 'normal' quite amazing but I think a little bit of Guernsey has found its way into this Aussie girl's heart; something I was sure could never happen!

3 comments:

  1. We have wonderful memories of Cobo and Vazon beaches. They were our favorites when we visited Guernsey. I think it was Vazon where they raced cars one day!!! We stayed at Fauxquets campsite and we had 2 weeks of glorious sunshine. We found the marine life fascinating. I caught a baby Cuttlefish and we found Cuttlefish Eggs - and then there are the "Ormers"!! If you think your sea is cold, you should feel the icy temperatures we have to endure on the Yorkshire Coastline here. It feels like there is a Glacier anchored just off the coast at Scarborough!!! Wetsuits are a great buy - especially for the kids.

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  2. I have moved 11 times and I am always in awe of new coastal areas. Our last move was from San Francisco and I thought the water would be warm and it was freezing. Wet suits were a must. You are so lucky to lie in bed and hear the ocean..so relaxing. Sounds like you are going to have a wonderful summer. I am enjoying your photos and learning about Guernsey. We have a friend whose family lives there for many years.
    Joyce

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  3. Many thanks for leaving a comment on my daughters blog - she was well chuffed. Dinard is well worth a visit. It has many beaches and a n Edwardian seaside feel to it. Have you done St Malo? Because you need to if not, its so lovely. Dinan is not too far away either and that too is so worth a visit. We have been to France for holidays over the last 2 years and always went on the fast ferry - via Guernsey.

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