carry me

Yesterday was my last full day in Australia for a while. Top 10 on the 'to do' list:

1. Go out for breaki by the lake- thanks Sharon, it was beautiful.
2. Give mum a hug- & say goodbye as she heads off to the Middle East, UK & France for 9 weeks!
3. Buy Tim Tams to take back to Cambodia- but then give them away as my bags get filled up.
4. Wear uggies- nothing like wearing soft, warm sheepskins to kick around the house in winter.
5. Cook curries- Indian style with leftover veggies.
6. Bake- white chocolate brownies with a warm macadamia nut sauce. Soooo good!
7. Drink a couple of beers- part of the process of clearing out the fridge.
8. Light a fire- and feel like a girl scout pro.
9. Go for a run.
10. Be carried by a stranger.

Now you may be wondering about the last point. It was much more of a fun moment than a Mills & Boon highlight. Related to point 9, here's how it happened:

I love training for.... nothing. No long runs. No skipping dessert. I've just been running for the enjoyment of it. Yesterday I went for my last run in Australia for 2010.

I started from home, went down the hill, through the park and followed the bike path to Dee Why Beach. It was high tide so I ran slowly on the soft sand, took the path up to Long Reef headland and turned West. Under the last rays of this wild, winter sunset, I continued past the boat shed, up Anzac Avenue and kicked in for the final hill. My face was damp with cool, salty sweat.

And the best bit? I didn't run the whole way. A stranger carried me. There's a spot at the beach where the inlet from Dee Why creek drains into the ocean. Sometimes it is narrow enough to jump across. Not yesterday. There was a fast current flowing into the waves and a bunch of guys in their late teens in steamers were jumping from the sand walls with their body boards and riding the little wave down the channel. I faced the obstacle and resigned myself to having to get my feet wet. Just as I started to untie my shoelaces, however, a guy called out, "Oi! One of you boys going to give the lady a hand?"

The guys looked up. I wondered who the lady was. He said again, "Yeah. One of you boys give her a piggy back across."

One young guy stood in the shallow water in front of me so he offered his service. I put my hands on the shoulders of his damp wetsuit and crossed my legs around his waist. In a minute I was on the other side, feet dry and ready to run again. Such a great way to finish running in Australia! Carry me, carry me!