Camping: home time

Day 3 started much more pleasantly than day 2, despite Tachi feeling the need to swipe a droolly lick across my face to wake me.  The flies seemed to have dispersed, but we still ate inside the tent just in case.  Pancakes (thanks, Sarah, for the recipe), fresh mango and maple syrup.  So good.  We originally planned to pack up camp straight away but ended up taking a walk down the beach.  The sea was crazily rough, with strong currents clearly seen with tangled white caps, and none of us were brave enough to swim.  We stood in the shallows (which became thigh to waist high with occasional waves) to wash the grime from ourselves, but other than that, steered clear of it.  

 

High tide soon followed, which we hadn't seen before.  Maybe we were sleeping or maybe we were on Rainbow beach, who knows.  Anyway, high tide formed a shallow (knee deep) pool on the beach, sheltered from the waves by the high sand at the sea's edge.  The pool was formed by waves breaking over this ledge, and it was warm and calm.  

Immediately we decided it would be a great opportunity for the dogs to "learn to swim", or rather, become comfortable with water.  Tachi was having none of it, having been well and truly scarred by her paddle board experience of the previous day.  I had bought Lily a life jacket a couple of weeks ago, and being that she is totally in to playing fetch with her blue massage ball, I started throwing it into the water for her.  

 

Beginning to thrash a little!

Initially she would only just go in and then stand crying - I then grasped the handle on top of her jacket and held her close, swimming her to the ball - which she then grabbed in her mouth and swam back to shore.

 

Yay!  Good job, Lily!

 

Swim, Lily, swim!

Soon she was voluntarily swimming to the ball, wearing the jacket, just making slight squeaks every now and then as she remembered she didn't like the water.  I gave her breaks where I threw the ball onto the dry sand for her to chase, and then I took off the jacket.  Wonder of wonders, with lots of encouragement and me walking close by, she swam out to the ball!  Hurrah!  So proud of her.

 

Am I there yet?

 

I got it ! 

After this, we did pack up camp, being thankful of the hired tent that we didn't have to rid of sand!  We stopped for a quick coffee in Rainbow on the way out, and then drove the three hours home.  The dogs slept the entire way.  It was so nice to sleep in my own bed again!  

 

Sleeping the whole way home