Friday, March 22, 2013

Morning Bliss



Having Paul home on long service leave has already been SO good.  Small projects have been worked on around the house.  Ikea furniture has been assembled (yes, I finally have a new desk). I've been able to pop out to run the odd errand despite Sophie having to be home for her mid-day nap.  The best perk of all though has been the little outings we've been able to do here and there.

Yesterday, the four of us headed out early morning on the family boat for a few hours, cruising up the Swan River.  It was bliss.  Watching all the cars banked up along the freeway stuck in traffic jams on their way to work made it feel all the more holiday-like.  The temperature was mild, the sky clear and blue and a sense of adventure filled the air.



We went under the Narrows Bridge, alongside the ferry terminals and past the city skyline, dotted with its  towering office buildings.  In East Perth, we pulled up alongside the jetty in the Claisebrook Inlet and stopped for morning tea at Toast, a quaint and cozy cafe with a distinct retro style of decor.  We enjoyed milkshakes, coffee, tea and delicious thick challah toast topped with Nutella before continuing on our journey.





To top off our great morning, we spotted a pair of friendly dolphins and so we stopped the boat for a bit and just drifted, watching them pop up out of the water all around us.  You can see in the photo above how they reappeared right up close next to us.  So magical.

The return journey was a bit bumpier and windier, but as I sat at the back of the boat, enjoying the fresh breeze, city views and blue sky together with my three loves, I was ever so grateful to be enjoying a much happier end to our week than the previous one.  Sophie thankfully dozed off nestled under Paul's arm (she'd been in a rather grizzly mood again) and Grace counted jellyfish as they bobbed past us.  We returned home with full bellies, sand between our toes and an eagerness to go for another little family boat cruise very soon...



12 comments:

  1. I LOVE boat trips! What a perfectly lovely day for you and your family.

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  2. Hi amanda, Its funny, i have pics of our kids on our friends boat around the same (or similar) spot in perth on the river, and it looks like it was the perfect day for it!!, just lovely and calm!
    I have a new blog (i was summerhouse) before! just realised the other day how much i had missed blogging and suddenly felt ready to come back. I had still been reading and visiting my fave blogs though; just to keep up!
    Glad you are enjoying having your hubby home!
    Laura xx

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  3. what a perfect title for your post, 'morning bliss' -- it certainly sounded and looked like total bliss!

    we love toast, it's such a lovely spot. :)

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  4. What a beautiful place. So nice to enjoy time on your boat together
    Perth is such a far away place when I am on the east coast
    Need to holiday over there one day
    Pen x

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  5. Isn't being on the water the best? Your outing looks fabulous, especially the encounter with the dolphins! We've had similar encounters with them when we've been out in our canoe in the sound. Sometimes they get so close it's almost scary. Thanks for sharing your special day with us!
    Claudia

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  6. Sounds wonderful. So cool to see those dolphins. Enjoy your weekend xo

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  7. Oh my! What a perfect family trip out.
    LOVE the dolphin shot...how cool. And love seeing a dozing baby on their Daddy - so sweet.
    Makes me so happy to see you guys enjoying this time together while Paul in on leave.
    x

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  8. That looks perfect Amanda, especially with the added extra of dolphins - how wonderful! I do love being on the water. It has been too long for me :)
    x

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  9. It looks like you are enjoying some wonderful times together with Paul home. That photo of Sophie sleeping is just so adorable, little ones can sleep in the most funny places and positions can't they. xx

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  10. What a beautiful day! Glad you are enjoying the time off with Paul home, doesn't it always feel so deliciously, almost naughtily good to have a day off while so many people are stuck in peak hour traffic :) lovely that you got to see dolphins - and lovely that you got your IKEA furniture done! Hope you enjoy the rest of Paul's long service leave :) xx

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  11. Lovely! My husband has just been given a couple of weeks long service leave too - I was wondering how we could use it! Home and adventures out sounds quite nice...

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  12. Ahh, that sounds truly wonderful! How exciting for you to get some of the small things started on their way to being done. And I do love toast. Last time I was there I saw a boat pull up and a couple head off for breakfast and I thought how indulgent that seemed, docking the boat somewhere for brekkie. So lucky for you to be able to do that!

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