I was swimming today, down at Coogee Marina, in the shark net. The sea was a little rough, and I was feeling rather hard done by, due to getting the odd mouthful of water and being pushed around more than normal. I swam on grumpily, watching the ripples on the bottom, admiring the fish swarming around the net at the end, in clear warm water on a sunny day … then had the hello moment of realising utter privilege.

The photographs are from another ( and much calmer ) morning swim, but show the location at which I am lucky enough to swim regularly.

Down in Walpole this week, we had to wear masks due to a COVID outbreak in Perth. Today, we had three cases. Three. And we still complain about having to wear masks. The rest of the world, and now our own Victoria and New South Wales, are struggling with tens of thousands of cases a day and more. We all know COVID will get to us and the State is due to open up 5th of February as the vaccination levels climb, so our current little bubble of security is very precious and soon to burst. It’s the same comment, about the privilege we are all living with, in our protected part of the world. The tyranny of distance has it’s advantages sometimes.

Some photographs of Christmas Day …no masks, people happily out and about without fear.

Oh and the life saver in that last photograph is pointing to the shark that was spotted, there were three shark sightings Christmas morning at the beach. Given a work colleague of mine was taken by a shark at that very beach a couple of months beforehand, it’s a sobering reminder of the reality of Australian beaches. Three in one morning ? Really ?

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