Oh…um…hi!

I feel a bit weird because I kind of ditched you all for the holidays. I didn’t really mean it that way…first I made a flying visit to Canberra to catch up with my very excellent mate. Then, while you guys were all being so kind about the hangers I knicked off to Tasmania. So…I’m sorry I was rude & didn’t say “thanks” because I really truly appreciated your enthusiastic response to my lid-flipping-nanna-ness.

Now, onto the holiday!

The Date & I had been “in discussion” about our holiday plans for a couple of months. This really just means we kept passing each other on the way to the bathroom & saying “we really must do something about the holiday”.

Then he declared that the Hawkes were playing in Launceston…so the Tassie plan was hatched.

The family picked me up from school last Friday & we headed over on the boat. It wasn’t rough & we had cabins – one for the girls & one for the boys. We went to bed & woke up in Devonport…too easy.

Day 1

We got off the boat in Devonport & drove straight to Launceston. We had coffee & breakfast at This Cafe which was lovely & then did Cateract Gorge.

In the afternoon the boys went to the footy which was likened to going to the footy in the 80s & much loved by them both. The girls & I went for a drive & found ourselves at Hollybank on a three hour treetop adventure. I was so impressed by both the professionalism & dedication to providing an informative & great fun experience…we’ll be going back.

Day 2

Next we headed to Cradle Mountain by way of the Evandale Market. I was totally unprepared for the level of vintage cool that would be the market & totally should have gone alone…could have spent hours there. We walked Dove Lake in the afternoon under the guidance of the Little Guy who had us on the clock. He was aiming to finish in an hour (instead of the suggested 2) but we came in at 1hour & 10 minutes.

We stayed at Cradle Mountain Lodge which was fabulous & the roaring fires & bar area were much appreciated by The Date.

Day 3

We did a couple of the shorter walks in the morning as we’d been searching for things to do at cradle mountain & booked ourselves in for canyoning in the afternoon.

We were all super excited about the canyoning adventure & trekked the 20 minutes from the bus to our “Lost World” start point. We dragged on the wetsuits & as I was tightening the wetsuit I managed to dislocate the usually pretty good of my two dodgy shoulders. Yup…in the middle of the National Park. Lucky for me the guys at Cradle Mountain Canyons were unfazed & managed to relocate it for me with a minimum of fuss & pretty much pain free…I could have kissed them both. Canyoning was out for me but the rest of the family pushed on & had a brilliant time. We would all highly recommend the experience (not the shoulder bit though).

Day 4

After a cruisy breakfast it was back in the car & off to Strahan which we all LOVED. The kids & The Date had an absolute blast on the Henty Sand Dunes.

We enjoyed a late afternoon jet boat tour of the harbour & the King River. The kids loved the jet boating & site it as a trip highlight. Finally, a cosy evening high up on the hill

Day 5

Nobody was in a hurry to leave Strahan. We lost a couple of hours in the cemetary, Lettes Bay & the walk from The Peoples Park to the falls before we headed to Lake St Clair.

Day 6

A ferry tour of Lake St Clair was enjoyed by us all. We’re super keen to have a crack at The Overland Track in the not too distant future and a little walking tour of the last leg did nothing to dampen our enthusiasm.

On the way out of Lake St Clair we checked out the Wall in The Wilderness and were all suitably blown away by the brilliance that is Greg Duncan.

We drove through thick cloud in The Great Lake area and made our way to Westbury for our last night in Tassie.

I chanced up our Westbury stopover clicking around the net. We stayed in The Old Bakehouse. It was hands down the best B&B experience we’ve had. Delicious homemade biscuits, cakes & bread & a lovely homey feel.

Day 7

After our “buffet style” breakfast (setup by the girls & cooking/provisions by our Bakehouse hosts) we went to the Marakoopa Caves in the morning & did the Cathedral Tour…it was sensational!

We quite fell in love with Mole Creek & even more with the folk who are running Marakoopa Cafe from their beautiful farm just shy of the caves. It was quite the thrill for us to find a fabulous coffee (& freshly baked treats for the kids) on Good Friday.

Good Friday wasn’t a great day to be killing time but we managed to indulge at Chudleigh tasting honey, at the Salmon Farm & Ashgrove Cheese before we headed back home on the boat. No cabins on the way home. It certainly was not ideal spending the night in the recliners, especially given the shoulder situation. If you’re going to do the boat…get a cabin.

We planned the days so that we had a maximum of two hours in the car & it was perfect. We probably could have spent another couple of days at Cradle Mountain & Lake St Clair doing more walking but we know that for next time! We can’t wait to get back to Tassie…it was FABULOUS.

Did you know I’m the mother of a teenager?

It’s a tricky time isn’t it?  I remember it well … thinking that I was totally alone & that my mother couldn’t possibly understand.

It’s true I know, I’m old & annoying & disconnected from the experiences of a teenager today but it really truly feels like ground hog day around here … it could be me.

I feel like it was yesterday … raw & real & very fresh in my mind.

I’m mucking around with stop motion … perhaps not quite as old & out of touch as I seem?

Edited to add: The big girl is fabulous. She’s not at all an angsty, stressed out teenager (yet?) but I’ve been thinking a lot about it & I’m working on something for school. Sorry if I came over all ARGHish. I’m not…we’re not. x

I’ve banged on before about how I’ve lived my life on Map 46.  I was born on the map, grew up on the map & married a boy from the map.  Both our siblings live close by & we spend a lot of time with our families.

It was a tearful farewell when my sister & her husband made the move to Darwin 5 years ago.  We’ve visited often & they came back each Christmas.  I thought they’d never come “home”.

The decision to move back was made swiftly and definitely.

They’ve moved into a gorgeous house (just a stone’s throw from us) & I’ve been helping to get them settled in.  She’s done a sensational job of decorating on-a-shoestring.  I finished off the family room with half a dozen cushions made from Warwick Fabric samples which serendipitously pull everything together.

It feels like she never left.  I’m so grateful that she’s made it home.

What a lovely “welcome back” I received. Thank you all for your keen support.

The big girl has some vile gastric thing. She’s small & thin & really can’t afford a couple of days off the tooth. I’m crossing everything that the rest of us don’t fall like flies.

The mattress has been dragged downstairs, off the carpet & in front of the Teev.  It’s just the way things roll in our house.  You get sick & you move to the family room…a hangover from when I was a kid.  I think a mattress on the floor is much more comfy than the sweaty brown vinyl couch I enjoyed as a kid.

Buddy sleeps on his own dog bed…always.  BUT a comfy bed on the floor was simply too much for him to resist & I thought he looked so gorgeous so I left him.

Hoping she’s back to her normal self quick sticks as she has quite a lovely crafty plan. 

Despite the week long threat of rain & thunder storms, Saturday was the perfect day.

We all trundled out to the Yarra Valley for the wedding of my gorgeous cousin & her gorgeous fella.

My smallest was not officially in the bridal party but she’s got a fair bit of spunk & kind of wangled her way in anyway.  She did actually look like she belonged which was a happy coincidence.

The little dress was picked up at the Op Shop a few weeks ago.  It’s raw silk & still had the tags on it.  OK so it’s a size 4 & she’s so not 4 but I think she looks super cute.