A Mini Getaway

Over the weekend, we escaped to Paul's Uncle's holiday house for one last family getaway before the school holidays end... a lovely relaxing break nestled among the treetops overlooking the estuary.

Usually we don't venture too far from the water, with the boat and shoreline to keep little ones occupied. However with blustery winds, it was not ideal crabbing weather and we took a drive to the Mandurah foreshore instead.  Grace declared our morning visiting the King Carnival 'the best day ever', braving the scarily high water slide with Paul (while Sophie and I watched and took photos from below).  The merry-go-round, spinning tea-cups and mini golf were also highlights.

My highlight of the long weekend was definitely the sweet kookaburra who visited us at home one afternoon, allowing me to click away on my DSLR from nearby, unfazed by my camera.  That evening on dusk, he returned for a second time.  We sat in the bush beside the tree where he was perched and scattered left-over quiche around, amazed when he flew right beside us, barely a metre away. So tame, he only flew off when Grace discovered a huge bull ant crawling over her foot and her screams frightened him away.

Now, back home again, among the endless piles of holiday washing which have amounted after only a few days, the reality is beginning to sink in that Grace's return to school is just around the corner. There are school supplies yet to label, a library bag yet to be sewn and a pantry yet to be re-stocked. Next week we will be back into the routine of early mornings, lunchboxes and school bells dictating our days...

Where The Forest Meets The Sea

As Paul’s wonderful stretch of long service leave enters its final weeks and as the school holidays slip away, I’m finding myself desperate to make the most of every last minute of precious family time we have available to spend together.

Yesterday we returned home from four days spent down south in Denmark. Four days of slowing down and soaking in the magic and beauty of this town, a picturesque retreat where the forest meets the sea and where our hearts feel at home... a place that we all love and that I know will be a part of our future for many years to come…




Arriving on Sunday afternoon, the air was brisk and had a definite feel of autumn. Chillier temperatures than we’d left in Perth called for jackets and beanies and the lighting of a wood fire, a nightly ritual which created a cosy atmosphere in our little cottage as it continued to glow well into the night. Winter pyjamas and slippers made an appearance and morning snuggles in bed together were enjoyed.

Days were spent visiting favourite haunts, exploring the stunning forests and farmland and simply relaxing. Nights were spent soaking in the peace and quiet, sipping on tea and nibbling dark chocolate (wine and dark chocolate for Paul). After dinner and with the girls tucked in bed, we would read. The only interruption to the silence was the crackling of the fire. It was refreshing to experience such stillness as opposed to nights back home spent in front of the television or with my laptop nearby.

One of my highlights of this visit was the delicious lunch we enjoyed at The Lake House… a winery with not only a stunning view and gardens, but also with exquisite food and wines. Paul and I shared a tasting plate, filled with such amazing produce and paired with such flavoursome condiments, that I’ve been singing the praises of that dish ever since…

Grace’s highlight was without a doubt the Denmark Animal Farm where we spent most of Tuesday morning. We were all pleased to see that the missing koala who had escaped from her cage when we last visited had since been returned to her mate after a neighbouring farmer heard her cries in the bush one kilometre away.

It was so sweet watching the girls interact with the farm animals. Camera in hand, I snapped away as Grace gently embraced joeys and lambs. She exuded such confidence feeding even the larger animals such as horses and alpacas, and tenderly stroked guinea pigs and kids. In stark contrast, Sophie was petrified of pretty much every animal except for the chickens and the camel. As we encouraged her to feed the sheep and pat the rabbits, she would answer with a stern ‘NO’ and spent most of our two hour visit with a furrowed brow, clinging to Paul’s shoulder, a look of definite concern on her face.

Now, at home once again, as I unpack our bags and gradually catch up on washing, my mind wanders back to our beloved Denmark… and my heart yearns for our next visit which I’m already looking forward to…

A Balanced Holiday Break

Sometimes as a Mum, you make decisions not based on any specific reasoning, parenting philosophies or age-old wisdom, but solely upon what can only be described as a ‘mother’s instinct’ – that strong feeling of what is ultimately best for your children and your family. After returning home from our holiday house stay last week, we were meant to have three days reprieve at home (one of those days being Easter Sunday) before embarking on a five hour plus car journey to Bremer Bay, joining my brother-in-law and his family who were going to holiday there.  However, at the last minute, we chose not to go, forfeiting the bond we’d already paid on a chalet but with Paul and I both feeling such an overwhelming sense of having made the best decision for ‘us’.

Instead, we enjoyed a relaxing few days at home. Easter itself was a simple, casual affair at our place with the obligatory egg hunt followed by a small lunch. The rest of the long weekend was spent at home pottering, playing and spending time together. We went for a morning swim at the beach, had friends over for a fish and chip dinner and took advantage of the balmy evenings by lingering outdoors as long as possible.

Then, on Tuesday afternoon, we returned to the holiday house. We had a fabulous dinner at a little Italian restaurant in town, ending the night with a delicious crème brulee dessert which the four of us shared. On Wednesday we went for a boat trip to the marina for morning tea, accompanied once again by some friendly dolphins, including one who playfully did a two metre high ‘Sea World style’ leap and twist out of the water not far in front of us. This morning, we woke to Grace and Sophie carrying Paul’s present into our bedroom for his birthday. As always, breakfast was enjoyed in the first morning light on the deck, this time with the added treat of croissants to feast on. And then, once packed, we headed home late morning, eager to settle the girls back into a more normal routine and to make sure Grace was well rested for kindy tomorrow.

As a mother, only you know what is best for your children. It’s so important to trust that little voice inside and to go with that gut feeling of what is right for your family. For us, with our girls at the ages they are, what’s best for us are simple days, still filled with adventure and fun, but balanced with down time and rest too.

Three Day Getaway

Going away on holidays with little ones always feels like such a big effort... so much to pack, to have to anticipate and to organize, even for a simple three day sojourn.  I find myself making list after list and leaving post-it notes all over the house as I pack for any family getaway.

However, the precious time spent away together is always well worth it.  Over the past few days, we've been at Paul's uncle's holiday house and while we've returned home today feeling exhausted after a combination of late nights, fresh air and time spent by the Harvey Estuary, there were many highlights that have more than made up for the tiredness...

There's been net fishing (with a handful of blue swimmer crabs caught as well as one mullet), a bit of exploring (a drive to the Lake Clifton Thrombolites - an interesting natural spectacle where a sea of rounded rock-like structures can be seen from a boardwalk platform), outdoor fun on scooters, bikes and swings and games of hide and seek made all the more exciting in a house with plenty of new spots to discover.

The girls have loved the novelty of sharing a room together with lots of laughter after lights out, plenty of giggles and numerous warnings of 'back to bed' as they pitter-pattered down the hallway after being tucked in.  

Today we enjoyed hot cross buns on the gorgeous deck overlooking the estuary.  The sun warmed our backs as we enjoyed the freshness of an early morning outdoors, listening to the birds singing and chickens next door clucking away as they welcomed the new day.

Now we're home again slightly regretting not staying longer on our little relaxing getaway. However we're also looking forward to some slow paced, simple days at home over the Easter break.

Wishing you all a wonderful long weekend ahead...

Our First Holiday As A Family Of Four

Last week, as I spent what felt like forever packing all of our bags to take with us, my enthusiasm for our family holiday was seriously lacking, despite us having looked forward to this one for months. Sophie had been up most of the night before (I was assuming with teething pain) and as I battled to keep my eyes open the following day, I had visions of our idyllic break turning pear-shaped. In the end, I was glad we got away though.  It was refreshing to have a change of scenery and lovely to spend some quality time together.  Grace especially had such fun down south, channelling her inner Dr Doolittle as she 'talked' to all the farm animals, stomped through creeks in her gum boots and looked out for kangaroos in the paddocks.  Seeing the smile on her face each day as we set out on various adventures was priceless.

I've posted before about our family holidays to Denmark.  It's our little 'home away from home' and has even  more meaning for Paul who lived there for several years as a young boy.  Each time, as we drive into town along the scenic country roads lined by breathtaking forests and lush green paddocks, I feel a wave of serenity wash over me.  I love re-visiting our favourite spots, finding new places to explore and soaking in all the fresh air and beauty in the surrounding landscape.  It truly is a magical spot.

This time, seeing as our family had grown by one and our needs were a bit different, we chose to stay in self-contained accommodation at Kangaroo Valley Cottage.  It was perfect - the picturesque views, the warmth of the log fire, the country kitchen and the surrounding farm animals and wildlife have made this a place we are definitely keen to return to again next year.

During our stay, we returned to Grace's beloved animal farm where she once again was in her element feeding, patting and cuddling all the animals.  We also let her bring along her money box which she'd been filling over time and allowed her to spend the money she had saved on something of her choice.  Another morning, we took a drive to Albany where we had Devonshire tea at Emu Point Cafe and the following day, we stopped for a drink and play at the Boston Brewery at Willoughby Park Winery.

After time away though, I always love returning to the comforts and convenience of home which make our simple days and routines so much easier.  For the remainder of this week while Paul has still had time off, we've gotten back into the swing of our simple daily rhythm, completed a few odd jobs around the house and even managed a visit to Ikea.  It's been wonderful waking up every day this week feeling like it's the weekend.  I'll be sad when Monday rolls around...




Edited on 31st August 2012: This post was featured in the August 2012 edition of The Post Of The Month Club

Family Holiday

Today I had the unenjoyable task of unpacking and doing load after load of washing as we've just arrived home after a three day getaway down south to our favourite country town, Denmark. We wanted to have a little holiday with just the three of us before our baby arrives and it was wonderful spending a relaxing few days together away from the day to day routine. Grace did much better than we anticipated being away from home, although she was definitely a bit anxious about Asha not being with us. She was perfect on the ride down and after our lunch break at Williams, she slept for most of the remainder of the journey. Similarly on the return trip, her napping coincided with our longest stretch of driving. She was fine being in an unfamiliar bed and enjoyed all the new sights and experiences.

Whilst in Denmark, we drove around the Scotsdale Tourist Loop admiring the lovely views and stopped briefly at the Rickety Gate Winery where Paul tasted and bought some wine. Our highlight of the trip was definitely the few hours we spent exploring the Alpaca Stud and Animal Farm. Grace was in her element here and adored feeding all the animals. She was fearless, not hesitant at all to wander in the alpaca enclosure or to hand feed the camel. She was more than content wandering in the rabbit and guinea pig cage by herself, picking all of the animals up and giggling as they jumped around her feet. Her favourite animals by far were the two baby goats. "I'll look after you," she said as she cuddled the pair. When we had to leave, I told her to say goodbye to them and she burst into tears crying, "take baby goats home."





One of my favourite things we did was stopping for lunch in Bridgetown on our drive home at a cute little cottage I've always been entrigued by when we'd previously passed through. It was called Horti Towers and really was a unique little place. We arrived as it began to bucket down with rain and sat down at the only indoor spot, a table for three beside the pot belly stove. Inside, every wall was covered in brick-a-brack, every shelf and display cabinet packed full of trinkets and treasures. I managed to come away with a cute little antique dish. I also loved how our lunch was served on mismatched crockery, a bit like a Mad Hatters tea party and the soup I ordered was one of the nicest bowls of soup I've ever tasted.

So now, we're home sweet home and Paul has the rest of the week off work which is nice. I have our next Cooking Club to plan for and am hoping to buy a few last fabrics so I can finally sew Grace's quilt.

I hope you are all having an enjoyable week and I hope to catch up on all your blog posts I've missed over the next few days...

Family Holiday

Hope everyone’s weekends were lovely ones. I’ve been missing from my blog for a few days as on Friday we went on a little family holiday to our favourite town away from home, Denmark. Paul is on holidays, so before he heads off on his boys’ camping trip to the ‘middle of nowhere’, the three of us are having some quality time together.

Denmark is about a 4 hour drive south of Perth and Grace did well on her first long car ride. Whilst there, we visited one of our favourite swimming bays, Greens Pool. We also spent some time wandering around the town looking at all the little shops and had morning tea at the Old Butter Factory where we also bought a piece of original artwork titled 'Walk With Me' from the gallery.

It was so nice to get away for a few days and spend some time relaxing, away from the usual day to day routine. Now I’m looking forward to catching up on everyone else’s blogs to see what they’ve been up to while I’ve been away…

Sydney Holidays

Hope you are all having a lovely week. Last night, while watching the Australian Open, Paul and I were discussing how apart from last January when I was pregnant, for the past few years, we have been in Sydney, watching the tennis from our lovely hotel room. We were thinking about doing another visit there again this year but have decided to hold off until Grace is a little bit older.

Aside from the usual touristy things and wonderful markets, whenever we visit Sydney, we are sure to set aside some time to simply wander around the streets in our favourite suburb of Paddington and its surrounding areas. It's lovely to admire the gorgeous terrace houses, trying to picture what the interiors are like and to browse in the quaint little shops I drag Paul into. When we next go to Sydney, I have a new list of shops I hope to visit including Donna Hay's General Store in Woollhara. What's your 'must see' Sydney shop that you love to browse around or are yet to visit?