Culburra Summer Holiday

As I sit here now, warm from a daytime bath, and resting my feet on my heated carpet, it's hard to imagine that this time last week I was on the beach. I spent a lovely Christmas with family at Culburra Beach, on the South Coast, NSW in Australia. My Mum and Dad used to own a waterfront beach house here and I spent all of my school holidays here as a kid. Here, I used to wear reef sandals, kuta lines, eat potato scallops with chicken salt, sunbake with coconut oil, surf whitewash waves with a heavy old Malibu board that was left in the garage when my parents bought the house, and sit on 'the bench' and wait for cute boys in fast cars to drive past and wolf whistle. This time, though, I did none of the above, but instead took my 50mm lens around, played with Mama-sando's little schnauzer, and drank too much wine.





It took 20 hours from Shimokitawa to Culburra via the Odakyu-sen, NEX, JAL, City Rail and car, but when I arrived to this beautiful beach view, it was all worth it.





That's little Schnaupi (Charlie is his real name) chasing a fluffy white dog.





This guy. Melts my heart.



Fishing on the beach with my Mum, Aunt and her partner. I hate fishing so I was designated 'bar bitch' (When in Rome, speak like the Romans) and was put to work running from the 'bar' to refill drinks on request. My side job was to keep Schnaupi out of the bait.











The rental beach house was a short walk up this track. Some of us were lucky and avoided ticks. Others, not so lucky.





I had good intentions of drawing my beach collections.



But instead I spent long mornings and boozy afternoons with Mama Sando sitting on the balcony of our rental house. It was here that I got thong (not the g-string type thank goodness) sun tan and a odango part sun burn that is now peeling in a very un-glamorous-dandruff-like-way.



Sunset views and red wines on the back balcony.







A retro games room.





And out and about around town on a little tour of the Culburra's fibro majestic houses.



As a kid I remember burning my bare feet walking along these roads. (Yes, Chikayo-san, it's true, some Australian's get about with bare feet!)





I would totally live here.

If it was in Tokyo.







Go on, phone Barry.



Thank you Mama-sando for a lovely Summer holiday.

Now it's time to put on another jumper.

Love Love
Hello Sandwich
xoxo