Them's the breaks: Davo's broken his wrist and he's out of the Palmy to Whale

Some people will do anything to avoid stiff competition. Knowing that I'm nipping at his heels this ocean swimming season, Davo has gone and broken his wrist. I'm not saying the accident was intentional, but I have my suspicions.

This is the worst time to be out of the water as the season is at its peak in February, with three major swims in the pipeline. The Big Swim from Palmy to Whale is this Sunday, the Cole Classic is on February 6 and the week after, February 13, is the North Bondi Classic.

Davo, the wife and kids were at a barbecue at their friends' house when the accident happened. After enjoying several relaxing sorbets, Davo thought he'd line up with the kids for a go on the homemade flying fox. Can you visualise the outcome already? Do I need to describe what happened next?

According to Davo, the flying-fox handle snapped mid-flight when he was two metres above the ground. He landed on his back (ouch) and must have put his right hand down to break his fall (double ouch). At the time, he didn't feel much pain...

When I last spoke to him, he'd just had an MRI and sounded fairly optimistic. It could've been worse - his back or head could have taken the brunt of the fall.

All I know is the wrist is wrecked and I've lost my swimming partner - and driver - for at least three weeks. Yeah, that's me, Little Ms Shellfish.

But it's also three weeks without the fun teasing, the jokes and the all-round camaraderie that comes from being part of an exclusive ocean-swimming team.

Maybe there's a lesson in Davo's accident for all of us... I'm trying to think of something wise to write here, but it's not coming to me...

...avoid child's play when it involves being suspended mid-air from a homemade flying fox with a wonky handle.   

Photo: Happy Days. Davo and the Hiss after the swim at Gerringong

Warriewood to Mona Vale Ocean Swim and it's a bad back and blue bottles - in that order

I don't wish a bad back on anyone. But that's what I have as a result of a misspent youth - I won't even go there. I just thank the heavens I'm still on this planet, with my cranky back and spent brain cells, after some of the seriously stupid things I've done in my life.

Today the bad back nearly stopped me from doing the Warriewood to Mona Vale Ocean Swim. But then my brother-in-law Davo - who last night said "I probably won't do it, I'm onto my second beer, the house is a mess, the missus is at me to tidy up and look after the kids" - does a 360 and this morning proclaims, "I'm ready and raring to go." 

Initially, I decided to do the drive up to the northern beaches as his support person, but then we arrived. I sniffed the salty air and saw the surf was just right - I was a goner. 

We parked for free at Mona Vale and caught the free shuttle bus to Warriewood, where I then forked out $40 for late rego. The back/hip was a bit shaky. I knew I wouldn't be able to run in or out of the surf. The run out after the swim was going to be hard because it was a hike up the beach. More of that later. 

Conditions were perfect, until we heard the dreaded word: BLUE BOTTLES. Actually, we heard the word back at Warriewood but I don't want to interrupt the story flow 'cos I'm on a roll. So, I went up to a tall lanky surf lifesaver, who had an Irish accent, and asked, "What about the blue bottles?"

And he reassured me with that gentle Irish brogue, "There's not that many."

Mind you, he was covered head-to-toe in sun-safe gear and didn't look as though he was about to go anywhere near the water. But it was enough to put me at ease. What can I say? I'm a pushover for Irish accents.

Davo and I were directed to two huge tins of petroleum jelly and slathered the stuff all over our exposed bits. I guess the blue bottles can't get a grip if you're as slippery as an eel.    

Unfortunately, Davo got the stuff all over his goggles, which meant he spent a lot of the swim in a Vaso fog. 

Because we're old, we started in the fourth/last 'wave' with the men and women together. There were some nice waves to negotiate out to the first can, which was about 400 metres from the shore. Then we chucked a left and swam north and parallel to the beach. There was a bit of chop, which made it uncomfortable and I swallowed a little bit of water. I also swam WIDE AGAIN. When will I learn? I saw a girl with a GPS on her back and wondered what the pattern would look like if I wore one. Probably a crazy zig-zag. 

There were six bouys but I lost count (it's those spent brain cells) and got a bit confused. Towards the last leg of the swim, I also felt a faint stinging sensation on my legs. Then a support crew on a surf ski told me to swim wide of several blue bottles. On the way into shore, I was definitely stung on the right inner-arm. 

As predicted, getting out of the surf and up the beach at the end of the swim was a bugger, and easily a dozen swimmers passed me on the run to the finish line. Bags of ice were on hand for the blue bottle casualties and I gratefully took one. 

Afterwards, Davo and I realised how lucky we were when we saw lots of the younger swimmers, who went out in the first wave, with huge welts from the blue bottle stingers. 

I didn't see her, but Davo said that elite swimmer Luane Rowe, who wins many of the ocean swims, was covered in angry looking red marks from where the blue bottles had wrapped themselves around her arms and legs. Poor girl. She'll suffer over the next week when the pain evolves into a tormenting, unrelenting itch.

Today's swim was 1.6 km, but Davo reckons it felt longer. I guess I do too, but I'm always so busy trying to figure out where I am during a swim that every swim seems long, no matter what the distance! I did hear some of the punters talking about how hard it was. And the blue bottles didn't help matters.  

Let's hope these unwelcome visitors are long gone by next Sunday when we line up for the big one - Palmy to Whale.

Top photo is a view of Warriewood and bottom is Mona Vale

RWA Little Gems Garnet Short Story Contest

The RWA has a series of writing contests each year from September through to April. Now we're at the tail end of the season, I plan to enter the Little Gems and First Kiss contests.

The remaining BIG one is the Valerie Parv Award.

Last year my short story Finders Keepers was published in the Little Gems Topaz Short Story Anthology. It was one of 14 short stories that made the 'cut' from 60 entries.

This year's gem is the garnet, which must feature somewhere in the story. Judges award an extra point if the gem is 'used creatively as an integral part of the story'.

In last year's winning stories, topaz featured variously as the colour of the hero's eyes, the name of a cat, the name of a company, a creek (with a vein of topaz nearby) and as a gem. In my story, the hero knew the heroine's birth stone was topaz and bought her a topaz pendant. You can't get more creative than that (read the irony, dear follower).

I didn't want to use jewellery in this year's story, so my garnet pops up in imagery designed to evoke a sense of time and place for the reader. What this means is that I had no idea what I was doing and found an appropriate use for the garnet as my story 'evolved'.

Mmm, could I call the cat Garnet? There's already been Gar-field and he was a very unattractive cat.

What about a company? But why have Garnet Enterprises when you could have Ruby Pty Ltd? 

Could it describe the colour of the hero's eyes? Maybe if I wrote a paranormal...

I guess it's gotta be Garnet Creek. But even that lacks pizazz.

Garnets have an image problem. And they literally pale in comparison to the precious gem of a similar hue, the ruby. 

I looked up the differences between a garnet and ruby. There are many, and colour is one. One of the websites explained the colour difference: a typical ruby will have a light red to medium red hue, whereas a garnet will have a burgundy or mahogany colouring. In some cases a ruby may also be mahogany, but it will also have a clarity that the dense, less refractive garnet will not possess.  

This makes it more of a challenge to weave the garnet into the storyline, although it does have a fascinating history and, like many gems, comes in a range of colours including green. But who's gonna believe that? 

Anyway, story's written and the garnet makes a brief appearance.

To learn more about the garnet, go to http://www.stellarjewelry.com/garnet.php which gives a comprehensive run-down on this misunderstood gem. 
 My next project is to hone the chapter in my wip where the hero and heroine lock lips for the first time. And then there's the Valerie Parv contest.

Anything is possible. Sort of.

PS: I know this is totally unrelated, but I didn't do the Avalon swim last Sunday because of a health issue. Hopefully, I'll get to Mona Vale this weekend though I hear the surf was huge today.

Every other summer = bushfires but in 2011 summer = floods and bullsharks

Summer in Australia can be a tense time because it is so often accompanied by the unmistakable smell of burning bushland and the sight of smoke haze and billowing grey 'clouds' in the distance that indicate mighty blazes in national parks and State forests.

But this year's different. For several months, it's been wet, wet, wet in the eastern states. And in northern NSW and Queensland the relentless downpour has led to scenes of devastation and destruction. So far, 12 people north of the border have lost their lives trying to escape the deluge. There are still around 50 unaccounted for. And thousands are homeless as they wait for the torrents of water to subside so they can return to their homes and businesses - or what remains. 

Here in Sydney we are (touch wood) bloody lucky. Authorities say we can help with a money donation. Go to: http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html


Interestingly (and a lighter aside) the floods and wet weather have had an effect on the habits of local shark populations. For example, a bull shark was supposedly spotted in a Brisbane 'street' after that city's eponymous river broke its banks two days ago and flooded the inner-suburbs. This sighting hasn't been confirmed, but it is possible because bull sharks frequent the river.

And on the NSW south coast last weekend, Mollymook Beach was closed after a bull shark, described by the media as a 'three-metre monster', was seen 'lurking' within 25 metres of swimmers. 

According to the experts, recent rain and warm weather have something to do with sharks 'hanging around' (as one report stated) the beach. Large schools of fish swimming close to shore are also an attraction.         


My thoughts are with those who've been affected affected by the floods. I didn't think I'd ever say it, but I pray the rain will stop.

Photo: Brisbane's CBD from ABC News website