winter at the beach

aaarrgghh... they've won! I've turned this blog into a political rant; not what I ever intended to spend my time writing about. Time for a change of pace.

Although I've lived near St Kilda for the past several years, I've never had much love for the beach. I've wandered down now and then during summer, only to have the masses of tourists, day-trippers, backpackers, sunlovers, cyclists and skaters remind me of how uncomfortable the beach is when *everyone* goes there; not to mention the further discomfort caused by sunburn, salt air and flies.

Last Sunday, in the middle of a sunny but damn cold winter's day, I dropped by Fitzroy St for lunch, and then went for a stroll in the weak winter sun down to Catani Gardens. The St Kilda pier and recently-rebuilt pavilion caught my eye as I turned to head home, and I decided to take a stroll along the pier and take in the view before I left.

Although the wind was, to say the least, brisk! along the pier, it was a delightful stroll, with relatively few other foolhardy souls braving the cold, and the views at the end of the pier, of the bay, of the city skyline behind the boats at the marina, and of the pavilion itself, made it well worthwhile.

I still doubt I'll go back to the beach come summer, but I'll certainly take advantage of the next sunny winter's day for another stroll.