By NATALIA HAWK
Last Saturday morning, my friend called and suggested that we go and do the coastal walk the next day, on the Sunday.
I agreed. I love the coastal walk. It stretches all the way from Bondi to Coogee, stopping along hidden beaches and edging along daring cliff-faces. But I haven’t done it since… maybe… January?
You know how it is – you have such great intentions, and then life gets in the way. Instead of the coastal walk – I had assignments to do. I had work to do. I had friends to catch up with, and they wanted to have fajitas and margaritas in a restaurant somewhere instead of venturing out. I had family to look after. I had movies to watch and books to read and TV series to catch up on.
Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Blackmores. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.
And even last Sunday morning, as the alarm clock beeped merrily away, I found myself lying in bed contemplating excuses to bail out of the walk and stay fast asleep.
It’s too cold. (It was 20 degrees.)
It’s too far to drive. (It’s a 15 minute drive.)
It’s too hard to park near the beach. (Even Bondi has car parks at 8am.)
I went to bed too late last night, I deserve a sleep in. (It wasn’t that late. Calm down.)
My leg kind of hurts. (I know. I am pathetic at 8am.)
But I felt bad for my friend, and so I dragged myself out of bed, dressed myself somewhat-presentably, and was at Bondi Pavilion at the agreed time.
It was cloudy, but that made it the perfect temperature – warm enough, but without the sun beating down on your shoulders. Everyone was already out and about, enjoying the morning, holding coffees as they led prams down the promenade. The kite festival was on, and as I watched the waves, coloured birds and octopi and even whales fluttered in the breeze above the sand, rising up to greet the hidden sun.
My friend turned up. We walked along the cliff tops. We laughed and made plans for the summer. We stopped at Clovelly to stretch and watched a surfing competition underway, teams of boys with their wetsuits zipped up to their necks, dashing into the water and fighting the waves. We strolled back to Bondi and got juices and said our goodbyes and I didn’t regret a moment of the morning.