Stunning Shoal Bay, NSW

Yesterday morning,  Monday the 21st of May, Richard and I decided that we would begin a new exercise regime,  walking every morning come rain, hail or hangover... well it's Richard's new regime, I have been walking most mornings.
So we set off early to walk the summit in Shoal Bay. It was a beautiful walk which certainly got the heart pumping but we were disappointed when we got to the top because the entire area was blanketed by fog and we couldn't appreciate the amazing view.

Later on I went to the local gym to do a body pump class, the first in a while.. I really enjoyed it.
We then had lunch in nearby Nelson Bay before heading out to finally catch up with the Laughton's. We had tried to catch up with them when we arrived the day before but they were on their way home from New Zealand... so we all had a beautiful afternoon tea together and a great catch up, their house is amazing, set on the bay with a stunning outlook. We then went for another wander around the area before heading back to Howard and Lorraine's for dinner.

Howard pours us all a champas

Howard & Lorraine cut up the roast lamb for dinner

It ended up being a fairly late night (now there's a surprise).

This morning, Tuesday the 22nd of May,  despite wanting to drag ourselves out of bed for our new exercise regime, we didn't... how's that for a record - it had lasted one whole day for Richard.
He then set out around 9:30 with Howard and the boys to do some fishing in the bay, while Nina and I went to the gym... Nina went to the creche where she played mother hen to all of the babies (she was the oldest one there) while I got stuck into Day Two of my exercise regime.

Nina and I then went out for lunch, wandering back to the caravan via the shore after spotting some dolphins in the Bay....

 Beautiful Shoal Bay

A perfect day on the Bay

We finally found ourselves back at the caravan park baking cupcakes and washing sheets and doing a spring clean. It wasn't long before the boys arrived home with 4 big Taylor and lots of stories of the ones that got away, including a blind shark (which we'd never heard of) a wobbygong and others which I can't recall.

Tonight, we went out for dinner with the Sharp's who live in nearby Nelson Bay and run a dealership in Newcastle. We have got to know the Sharp's in a business development group which Richard has been involved in, in the last few years. We had last seen them in Hobart a few weeks ago, so they were keen to hear about our adventures since.

The Sharp's and us at Gianni's Italian Restaurant

It was a lovely dinner and then they even came back to the caravan for a drink. It's the first time we've entertained inside the van... normally we'd entertain outside but again the cold has found us and the evenings have been icy.