Weekend Birthday

Another year..... I won't go on about time going so fast etc, etc (but it really DOES!)

The annual breakfast in bed birthday treat happened here this weekend. She waits for me to stir and get myself out of bed and downstairs to prepare the tray with a small breakfast and a few cards and gifts. She always pretends to be asleep but the smirky smile tells me that she's been so patiently waiting....

Quick rendition of "Penblwydd Hapus" and down to the kitchen to begin a day of celebrating.

The lights are on because it's dark, which means it's early - really early! Way, way too early on a weekend morning...! We had to fit in this birthday breakfast before setting off for a school activity, but we managed - just.

No birthday can pass without cake and this year the request was marble cake. The last time I made marble cake was exactly one year ago.

The other treat for birthdays in this house is that you get to choose where or what we eat. This year it somehow lasted the whole weekend. Sibs opted to stay at home rather than choose a restaurant  and on the birthday eve it was calamari (ewww!), then the request was Cesar salad for lunch and home made ravioli for dinner. Oh, and the request for ravioli fillings? - Spinach and ricotta in some and meat in others! So in between ferrying back and fore from different weekend activities some serious work happened in the kitchen department.

Home made pasta is sooo good, but it's such a fiddle and even though there were no complaints on the taste front I have to say the presentation of the little ravioli parcels was rather questionable! The tomato sauce did its job in hiding the rather strange looking shapes!

A quick clear up and nana, Sibs and I were off out to meet up with Aunty D, Aunty L and a friend for a girls night to the city to the Tina Arena Reset Tour concert.

Sibs was amazed at the lack of screaming.  I suppose when you've experienced One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer anything else will appear subdued!

Of course there had to be the obligatory selfies.

The night was great and it was an extra special treat for Sibs to get together with Tina and the team after the concert. It did mean that it was a very late night, but a lovely ending to a packed birthday weekend.

Happy birthday to my wonderful, wonderful girl.

Relaxing retreat weekend

So last weekend I spent a few days away from it all up the mountains for some serious switch off time. Goodness, how quick the week has gone.      

By the time I picked Sibs up from her ballet class and coaxed her away from the chatting that eleven year old girls are so good at, we set off a bit later that planned.

Now there are two ways of getting to this particular middle of no-where spot that was to be our weekend destination- the 'highway and then a bit of mountain' road, or the 'mountain all the way' road. On Friday night I decided on the highway. I hadn't tried this route to get there before.....

Picture the scene - it's dark, really dark, we're a little hungry and a little impatient to get there....

The sat nav only knows part of the way..... (it really is in the middle if no-where!)

So I take the wrong turn....!

Ok, technically I didn't take the wrong turn, I just didn't take any turn!

In my (slightly weak) defence every lake looks the same in the dark! Then after miraculously avoiding an enormous deer in the middle of the road, the dusty 8km dirt track that leads to the property appeared.

The fire was blazing, the casserole was being kept warm and the relaxing could begin!

We made it!

The Saturday morning started with a quick catch up hello with the animals and after a brief introduction to the new goats, off they trotted for a walk like two obedient little dogs!

The weekend was a get together with family to celebrate two birthdays. Two cousins born almost two weeks apart turning twelve in August. We celebrated their tenth birthdays here and they have loved every visit since. It's a place that they can wander and enjoy being outdoors. Apart from my slight paranoia about snakes, they are safe! Even on this winter weekend the daylight hours are all spent outside just exploring the surroundings.

These alpacas always make me smile. They would win any staring competition without a doubt!

Just as I was snapping away at the alpacas these three were watching the action, so of course they had to be included in the photo shoot too!

One of the highlights of this particular stay was to see two koalas close up. The last few times that I've visited I've managed to spot some in the trees in the distance but this time they were so much closer to the property. It's such a reminder that I'm in Australia and not somewhere back in the Yorkshire Dales!

They were so obliging looking directly at the excited woman taking a hundred photos of them!

On the Saturday afternoon Nana had us all in stitches of laughter when she brought out some old family photos. The kids had a real giggle at the fashions and hairstyles. Laughter is so infectious.

Then as the sun set it was back indoors to light the fire, enjoy another comfort food dinner and then curl up under my new blanket with a book.

Of course it's not a birthday weekend without cake and Aunty D produced this fantastic creation on Sunday afternoon for us all to enjoy. 

Presents were exchanged and Uncle S had the brilliant idea of giving the kids the same book complete with a beautiful little message on the inside cover. 

I think Sibs was very happy with this particular birthday present!

All too soon if was Sunday afternoon and time to pack up and head back to reality.

Quick goodbye to Stuart Little and Mr Jones the goats.

Thank you Nana and Papa for organising a lovely weekend.

Until next time....

We stayed at The Hollow Log Country Retreat website link  HERE, and Facebook page link HERE

Channeling my inner Bet Lynch

This weekend has been pretty full on. 

On Friday night it was school disco night, and I was one of the parent helpers.

This was my last year as helper at the school disco as this is Sibs's last year at primary school.

The last few years I have been one of the gatekeepers at the door collecting the money, handing out glow sticks and making sure that there are no escapees during the night. No-body warned me though that the toughest part of the job would be to keep the parents out!

For the safety of the children, school rules state no adults at the disco unless you're a teacher or a volunteer. I have heard all sorts of 'reasons' why a parent should be allowed in....
Now deep down I am a right softie so being bouncer at the door is not a natural role for me! Anyhow there's nothing like challenging your comfort zone.

So after a pretty exhausting day Sibs and I said goodbye to another primary school event.
As I was on duty out the front of the hall all night, I got all the gossipy chat in the car on the way home - and I cherished it.

Saturday is usually lie in time, but not this weekend. I was up with the birds and out of the house before the shops were open.

I had a fancy pants ball to go to on Saturday night.

Now I don't have an abundance of ball appropriate dresses in my wardrobe... so this necessitated a bit of a last minute rush shop.

Oh my word - panic and pressure shopping on a Saturday is not good! Not good at all!

I tried on some beautiful creations. I had to blink a few times to read the price tag on a few. I think I was on the wrong floor in David Jones when I tried those on!

After a couple of hours of shopping, the coffee stop was medicinal.

I sat and watched the Saturday shoppers and rationalised the various options that I had.

(So if you saw a woman nursing a large coffee and a chocolate bar and muttering to herself on Saturday morning - that was me!)

My little black dress that was ancient but classic was going to have to do.

So I decided that I would spend a fraction of the money on accessories.

I splashed out on some bling, various 'suck you in' undergarments... and some new shoes.

The first pair that I decided on were  black and well, probably a little boring. The shop assistant was a little more enthusiastic about the ball than me so she kept suggesting more and more outrageous styles.

I tried to tell her that I would have trouble just breathing in my new undies so I definitely didn't need the extra worry of being able to walk!

We sort of compromised and I came away with leopard print. Yes, from plain black to leopard print in one move!

What I usually wear on a Saturday night to what I wore this Saturday!

Whilst at the queue for the ladies on Saturday night I engaged in some chatting to the girls around me.

One of them complimented my shoes and I replied - 

"Thank you. They're a bit 'Bet Lynch' aren't they?"

Hmm, lots of blank faces....

These were Australian girls in their thirties - of course they had not the foggiest idea about Bet Lynch!

I tried to explain... One of them thought that she had heard of Coronation Street, so we were getting close! The next thing, out comes a phone, onto Google and we had a chuckle over the Bet Lynch images.

(Click HERE if you don't know who she is, and if you do then just google Bet Lynch images and be prepared for the memories)

Bet is on the left!!

On a more serious note, the cash that I saved by not buying a new dress I took to the 'fancy do' that was raising money for clinical research at The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital. 

The hospital is involved in some incredible research and one of its major centres is the Burns, Trauma and Critical Care. 

A special guest on Saturday has experienced the amazing care from this centre.  She came to tell her story and moved each and every one of us with her courage and positivity. 

Last year seventeen year old Paris Turkington suffered horrific burns to 60% of her body. She is still recovering, but her progress so far has been inspiring. She is truly a remarkable young woman.

Along with her doctor Professor Jeffrey Lipman she encouraged us to support the RBWH Foundation and through the auctions and raffles and entry tickets I hope a substantial amount of money was raised on the night.

To finish the weekend off, on Sunday we invited some neighbours and friends for a roast dinner. At the end of a full blown meal - (yes there were Yorkshire Puddings and every vegetable you can think of, we even finished with bread and butter pudding and custard!) I happily sought some quiet time with a new crochet project. However, Modlen the cat decided that she wanted some company so I kicked off my comfy shoes and shared my corner of the sofa with my little friend.

 And so it's back to Monday. 

The glamour of the weekend is replaced by washing and house chores. Dinner tonight will be leftovers... and I'll see if I can get to bed before the early hours.

Here's to a good week,

A simple surprise birthday

My little Sibs had a birthday recently.

I actually think that someone tampered with the calendar as there is no way that a year has gone by since the last one!

Anyhow, as the date drew closer and the crosses on the wall calendar increased, we began to think about how to celebrate.

Each year she has had a party. We have had the small family gathering in the back garden type of party, we've had a whole class in the park rainbow party, a disco in the living room, a girly tea party, even a Jane Austen inspired dinner party. Usually Sibs has an idea and we work with it.

This year however there was some big undecisiveness (is that a word?). Sibs wasn't even sure if she wanted a party and if she did, it was all a bit much coming up with the guest list.

We knew that we would mark the occasion in some way but somehow there was no clear idea about how...

All of a sudden it was the week before her birthday and in a break with tradition I decided to just get on with organising something for her.

It was not particularly thought out, but I decided to get together some of her friends and their families and plan a surprise party.

The night before her birthday we went out for a meal with Nana and Papa and Sibs invited a friend who had a sleep over. She thought that this was her birthday celebration.

The next morning her friend left and we pottered around and made it sound that an afternoon picnic in the park was just an impromptu idea.

(Sibs must have been in fairy land as she never questioned why I was loading the car with a huge box of food...!)

Anyhow, we arrived at the park and she spotted  a couple of friends which she was rather pleased about.

Then another friend, then another...

It suddenly twigged - these people were all there for her.

No words, just a huge hug from my grinning girl told me that she was happy.

The best part of the afternoon was that instead of just the children being dropped off, whole families came and stayed.

It was lovely to be able to celebrate a special day with friends. Friends who have made our move to Australia easy. People who I am pleased to have in our lives.

There were no party games, no organised activities, no planned entertainment  and do you know what? It worked.
Adults sat and caught up with each other and the kids ran around, climbed trees and  kicked a ball.

Neil cooked sausages on the bbq (so Australian - I love it!), there were of bowls of fruit, rice crackers and dips and Birthday cake - easy peasy!

A few hours later the box was re-packed with a few leftovers, the children were gathered up and that was that.

Another year; another party ticked off.

 Penblwydd Hapus Sibsy girl.

Bush camping

I've been camping!

Yes, that's right - I did it. This self confessed 'sometimes princess' has weathered the great outdoors and voluntarily slept under canvas.

at least I had a pretty cup

Last week there was a Wednesday public holiday for the EKKA show day. This is an agricultural show in Brisbane. We have been to the EKKA a couple of times but as Sibs was already spending a day there as part of a school excursion it was agreed that we would do something different this year.

view from the tent in the morning

Some friends were camping a few hours away and invited us to join them for the day on Wednesday. In a very weak moment (was there wine?) I may have whispered to myself that we could think about a stay over on the Tuesday night.... What was I thinking? It's Winter!

Ok, so Winter daytime temperatures are in the 20's but night time is a different story. Couple this with inland and a mountain and it's cold - really cold!

I don't do camping, so as a result the tent and equipment is all Neil's domain. He uses his camping trips as an excuse to be a boy scout again. In other words, he just makes do.

 I'm not very good at 'just making do...'

Our tent was a glorified portaloo tent.

my home for the night

Sleeps 4??  

Seriously...? 

 I don't think so...

Our sleeping bags (2 between 3!?) were very  lightweight Queensland summer ones... it was freezing! It plummeted from 23 degrees to 0 overnight. I wore all possible items of clothing to bed and pulled the hood on my jacket tight, so tight it almost cut off circulation! I seriously considered getting into the car to try and sleep, but I was afraid that I would drive home!

toasting marshmallows

My task was packing food. I made a nutritious chicken and vegetable soup for the Tuesday night meal and Neil produced some dodgy plastic bowls that looked suspiciously like dog bowls. After a quick wipe I searched for a spoon and was given a plastic fork... See what I mean about making do? Apparently it's part of the camping experience! At least I packed a bottle of bubbly. Then a thought....bathroom facilities? They would be a kilometre away...

Despite these 'challenges' I did have a good time and Sibs had an absolute ball. She helped to feed the farm animals, collected eggs, and even had a go at milking.

early morning egg collection

She went on a horse ride, learnt how to throw a boomerang and crack a whip and generally had some freedom and fun.

afternoon horse ride

I relished the time to sit and catch up with friends. Just chatting, strolling, drinking tea, doing a bit of crochet, watching the kids, nothing extraordinary, but all good.

happiness is a skip to explore...

Would I do it again?

 Maybe....big maybe.

I would have to stock up on a few essentials though, 

and I think my definition of 'essential' and Neil's definition  is quite different!

We stayed at Bestbrook Mountain Resort ( website HERE)

Escape to the country

Well, well, I haven't been here for a while....

I thought it was a couple of weeks since I last wrote a blog post, but it's actually three weeks...

There's no real reason - nothing dramatic, nothing even vaguely interesting as to why I suddenly stopped. Just one of those things...life getting in the way; a bit of Winter sickness; I think there might have been a few days of Internet connection trouble and hey what do you know three weeks has passed.

So, it's a start to another week, some Monday morning chores have been completed and I just had the urge to sit a moment and fire up the old laptop and check in.

Let me share what we did weekend before last.

We escaped to the country, and spent a couple of nights in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere.

It's about an hour and a half from Brisbane, up and down a windy mountain road and then 8km down a dirt track.....but so worth the drive. Talk about peaceful. There were no sounds apart from the wildlife. A fabulous place to relax and switch off - quite literally as there was no phone or Internet connection and no TV...bliss.

The accommodation is a four bedroom, two bathroom cabin style house with predominantly hand made furniture.The dining table is an enormous slab of polished wood. It's rustic but at the same time comfortable. The bed linen, pillows and the towels provided are good quality (which is important in my book, so no mocking!)

There is a well stocked kitchen and pantry with most of the pots and pans that you need and of course an outside bbq and fire pit and acres of space.

The kids had a ball! Whilst it's not quite a farmstay - the owners (who live in a property next door) were so obliging and gave Sibs and her cousin a bit of a free reign to roam and collect eggs from the chooks, pick up the lambs named Tim and Tam, and walk Rusty the pony.

Skippy the little kangaroo came to visit and bounced around and kept a check on us and the alpacas kept a very close eye on the dog.

I have a feeling we'll be returning to Hollow Log Country Retreat. Web site link - HERE, Facebook page - HERE (Their Facebook page actually gives a better idea of the place and you'll see some photos of our weekend taken by Leonie the owner)

So since coming back, Sibs has been away to school camp and Twmff the cat missed her like crazy. He moped around the house whimpering and in the mornings cried at her bedroom door. He's since done something to his leg  and is now limping and hopping around the place so this afternoon he's off to the v-e-t. (I have to whisper - he's lying right here!)

This is the sight next to me right this moment - Twmff being the little invalid on a pillow in the sun in the study and Modlen stealing his food!

 Happy Monday

On my doorstep

Do you know your neighbourhood and your suburb really well?
Do you know the houses and the streets around your home?

I thought I did until a few days ago...

...until I took a right turn instead of a left turn and ended up changing our usual Sunday walking route.

 All of this was literally on my doorstep - and I had no idea.

So for the benefit of all my non Australian friends, come and have a look at my little corner of the world.

This is a shot of some Golden Wattle that was flowering in abundance in the front gardens of many of the homes that we passed.. It's the floral emblem of Australia and is pretty striking.

Our walk took us through some woodland and bushland up a mountain and down the other side.
There were Kookaburras in the trees and lizards in the bushes!

It seems that every corner you turn here there's a play park, and they are all beautifully maintained.

Where there's a park there is usually some shelter and the good old Aussie BBQ. These are communal gas BBQ and you just bring your food, cook away, give it a wipe clean and you're done.

During the warmer months you'll often see families and groups of people around these BBQ enjoying breakfasts through to dinner. The shelters are decorated for birthday parties and celebrations and the best spots get snapped up at dawn! It was all quiet on Sunday - I must remember that it's Winter.

So after a couple of hours it was time to wander home. There were a few blisters so off came the shoes for the last stretch. The promise of a cup of tea and freshly baked chocolate and macadamia brownies on the front deck was just enough the keep the troops going.

We are enjoying a couple of weeks of Winter school holidays here.

Maybe we should explore what's on our doorstep a bit more?