farewell autumn

Hello Winter.

I bade farewell to Autumn in a cute country cabin up in the hills overlooking the ocean last weekend. Oh my!

Although it was Autumn drawing to a close my escape was all about things wintry and warm.

Velvet equine noses and fluffy donkey ears....

Bedraggled chickens amidst a winter moult....

Misty mornings and golden sunsets over the sea....

A gold reflected in the hues of numerous citrus trees for the plucking, heavy with juicy fruit....

Homemade dough and wood fired pizzas, with accompanying red wine of course.

The only sad farewell was in the returning home for now.

But there's plans already to go back and join in some exciting nearby festivities. A pretty big way to celebrate Winter Solstice. Have a look. Can't wait!

I also paid a visit to Friends of the Koala's Inc. while I was down that way. My girl is working on everything *Koala* at the moment.

We had a one on one tour of their centre and facilities.

I can't rave enough about the amazing job these devoted people do with roughly a 50% success rate. With quite pathetic federal and local funding and a few home carers they rely heavily on donations, fundraising and sponsorship to provide medicine, food and shelter to their charges. Really with the fundamental causes of stress and the hideous diseases these little ones are suffering so prolifically today because of *us* (and honestly if you see them for real... it's absolutely heartbreaking)... diseases because of development, habitat destruction, road accidents and dog attacks...we owe it to them to help out.

We were lucky enough to see two little girls come in after 9 months home care to be transitioned at the centre before their release. So much work....such a great story.

Please at least have a look at the website and the amazing work these volunteers do for our unique eucalypt munchers.

grandad might be bored next week

Our little trip down to the farm began with a looming shape hidden under old sheets in Grandad's shed.
With the little one's distracted it made it's way to the back lawn where it was introduced to the little *rocket boy* with hilarious shrieks of "no Mia no, it's dangerous!" as his sister ran to play in it.
After a bit of convincing it wasn't a real rocket but just a toy it could not have become anything else but the very favourite thing in our days away. Though the *self* convincing on the toy factor continued with the sound of a little voice saying every now and then that indeed this fantastical rocket was just a toy. A toy of the very best wowser kind...made lovingly by Grandad over the last week from completely re purposed materials together with a seat inside, twist doorbell ignition, flip switches (sorry Grandad I don't know what they are really called) and a red doorknob stop button.
It's coming home to land in our garden soon and Bam can't wait! Thank you Grandad!

And aside from all the trips to the moon and stars during our blissful time by the sea, we did manage to squeeze in a bit of wandering, cow gazing, beach combing, swimming, enormous carrot harvesting (and eating!), and magpie dodging too. We are much refreshed and stretched and our lungs and souls are full to the brim.

With work finished for this Mama 'til next week we now get to enjoy every minute left of our school holidays complete with a fun visit here yesterday for some great felting activities, delicious lunch and chatting. We are so grateful for a real connection with a fellow blogger and family...and she is indeed as beautiful and creative as her blog inside and out. Thank you Melissa... I will become a fellow felter in no time I'm sure.
Right now we are off to prepare for our last two full days in the garden...digging, planting, creating, egg hunting and getting very very dirty. Bliss.

down on the farm

Oh life is good down on the farm!

There is sea air to breathe, there are hills to whizz down in wooden rope driven go karts, there is walking to be done, waves to watch roll in, sandcastles to build, mangroves to explore and crabs and yabbies to try and catch.
There are dusky hours to steal away with Grandad fishing by the creek listening to a lone whip bird and watching the tide slowly flow in and then turn.
There are banksia trees to tangle your tackle in first cast and there are fish to be caught....and released back to their salty homes being not quite big enough for our dinner this time.

The sun we were following really only joined us in it's full glory for maybe one day....but it did not matter in the least.
We had sunny homemade lemonade to drink... juiced straight from the trees
and warm beds inside a beautifully crafted owner built country home...filled with new and old... family treasures passed down through time and all still holding their little pieces of their keepers. I really must get to photographing it all.
But best of all we had Grandad and Grandma and now the desire to escape back down there with them again soon.
But we are home now and in wind down mode for back to school next week.
I'm thinking the little man is going to be lost without his big sister for a while. They are a pretty inseparable pair which is warming to a Mama's heart.
So we are enjoying our last few full days together.
We all have a spring in our step here...
because life this last week was indeed very very good!

the sea and six

Our seaside abode and adventures of four days.
We left with a girl of five and returned with a girl of six.
With a long weekend falling on or near Mia's birthday each year and this year falling on the very same day of her birth to be exact, we decided to take advantage of it and spend a few nights celebrating by the sea.
Her only requests were to return to *our island* and that there should be no goannas...difficult but with the cooler weather I was confident we could fudge our way through without a close sighting anyway.
So we stole an extra day from school and took off on an adventure to sleep under a glorious starry sky...our southern cross shining brightest... and to indulge in the sound of the gentle lapping of the Pacific by day and night.

We spent complete days in the sand...
sitting, digging, looking, lazing, basking.
We parachuted from she oaks...
swinging, flying, bouncing, falling, laughing.
We played and fished and walked and dipped our toes.
We roasted marshmallows on an open fire and warmed those same toes beneath the blanket of night.
We indulged in the company of good friends.
We hung the birthday bunting from the trees and sang and celebrated six...
the sea and six.
No goannas in sight.

walk with me

Care to stroll with me down some of the paths I've recently wandered?
On water and on land...

Some go to nowhere...
Some to everywhere...
Who can resist what might lie around the next bend?