Second Honeymoon

Wow, I have not stopped running since we got back from our time away celebrating our 25 years of marriage. It was so good to get away for four nights even though it required major organisation. We had to put our two foster boys into respite care and organize our own kids. We could have done anything for our time away and I did consider a few luxury options like a cruise, flying to the Gold Coast or Whitsundays, but really spending a fortune for a few days and having absolute luxury is just not us (I know you all think we are MAD!!). If it wasn’t winter we probably would have packed our tent and gone camping. Anyway we settled on a road trip – some of our best memories in our marriage is just being in the car and travelling – talking and sharing our dreams. So that is what we did. We jumped in the car and Hubby had no idea where we were going or staying – I totally surprised him. We headed up to the Sapphire Coast in New South Wales as we had not been that way before and it was beautiful. The beaches were stunning – crystal clear turquoise water and fine white sand. We stayed at a lovely hotel in a place called Huskisson that was a good mix of old world charm and modern comfort and was just us down to a tee. Sleeping in, long walks, eating out and getting to a movie is something we don’t often get to do these days with such a big family so we savoured every moment. We talked future and where we see our business going – a great time away. Thanks to my best friend and hubby – I love you babe – you have made life fun and adventurous – so love your enthusiasm for life and your positive outlook.

Enjoy all the pics

On the road – we saw some beautiful countryside

 The town of Huskisson where we stayed.

We went to the movies in this quaint little movie house – a converted mechanical institute building. Below  is a photo of our hotel that looked over the river mouth and the bay.

 

The sunrise and sunsets were magnificent

The best part was the stunning beaches

Honeymoon Bay

Even the kangaroos were romancing at honeymoon bay

Murrays Beach

Wreck Bay

We had many laughs trying to take selfies on the trip – some came out great and others were a disaster

Love this man!

Our last night was spent at a unit right on Quarantine Bay

We had such fun – we travelled through many state forests with our radio blaring and singing at the top of our voices – just because we could!!

On the way home we stopped at this little town called Cobargo. It had art cows all over the town.

Another place we passed through and loved was Lakes Entrance – about a 3 hour drive from home.

We loved the pelicans – they were waiting outside a boat restaurant for scraps.

All in all we had beautiful weather – not a drop of rain all week which changed of course when we were about an hour from home – back to wintry, rainy Melbourne. The kids seemed pleased to have us home.

We are not waiting another 25 years to do this again – we already have our dream of buying a caravan one day and touring Australia when the kids are gone. I take after my Mum and Dad.

Letting go….

The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a challenge for Hubby and I. It has been a time of settling things in my heart and learning to let go as far as my children are concerned. All these years we have based our parenting on our church values of what we believe is right and wrong. I am not saying this is a bad thing – in fact many of these values I still believe in and hold dear not because of religious reasons any more but because a lot of them make sense to protect and keep our kids safe. But at the same time I realize that a lot of what we believed and enforced as parents had the potential to make our children rebellious and resentful. I am just grateful that this never happened in major ways. However since we have decided to parent more with grace in our lives – giving our older children more opportunity to make choices and decisions for themselves it has become harder for me to get rid of the old mindset of “just do as you are told, we are the parents and you are the kids, you live in our home so respect the rules etc.”

Run Baby Run

It has been four weeks since we joined our local Parkrun and I am so surprised to say that I am really enjoying the runs. I have always had a bit of a mental block when it comes to running because I always used to get extremely painful shins and calves everytime I ran. Not to mention the fact that I would hardly be able to move for three days afterwards. This never helped me get over the hurdle of getting to the point of enjoying running. That is until now. First thing Hubby made me do was buy decent running shoes and what a difference it has made – I don’t ever get sore shins and calves anymore which is half the battle won. 

He announced to me one day that he had found a great community event we could be involved in – the Parkrun. Parkrun organise free, weekly, 5km timed runs around the world. They are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in. Running in scenic places also makes it far more pleasant and the sense of community fun is awesome. So every Saturday morning we bundle the two boys into the car and head off to our local park called Berwick Springs for our 8 am start. We have even managed to convince Michaela to join us the last couple of times and she has done so well. Like me she went from 0 km to 5 km in one go and was amazed that she could actually do it. This last week she and I both smashed our times for a new personal best so it is very exciting. Parkrun time you each week and then email your results to you later in the day. They also have volunteer photographers who come and take photos each week so the photos on this blog post are courtesy of Parkrun. All they ask is that every runner volunteers at least twice a year to help with the run so that it can continue – pretty good way to get a free run in each week. To find out more go to Parkrun to check it out. I laughed when I saw the photos – I reckon I run so slowly that I look like I am out for a casual walk in all of them. I have also had to learn how to run with a stroller – not an easy task when there are nearly 300 people running and you have to manoeuvre through the throng. It also means that I get to start right at the back of the field which suits me fine. The great thing about this run is that you compete with yourself by trying to better your time each week. I love not having the pressure to feel like it is a race. 

It has also done wonders for my confidence and really motivated me to find some other challenging runs – I have a few in mind but just not sure yet. My ultimate goal is to participate in the Pink Triathlon next January – not a huge event but I have always wanted to do a triathlon ever since Hami caught the bug – watching him participate always motivated me. 

 

The day before Australia Day was an event and  we all had to dress up in our Aussie gear -I donated my shirt to Michaela so she and Hami looked like twins. There were some interesting outfits. I must say as much as I love living here in Oz, I still feel like a Kiwi and see myself as one. I still have a very soft spot for New Zealand and not sure if that will ever go away.

 

 

 

 

 

Goodbye 2013…. been a great year!!

It’s 10 pm on New Years Eve and I just had to squeeze in one more post before the year ends. This year has been one of the best years I have had and I have so enjoyed it, but in saying that it has also been one of the  years that I have had to lay down my own personal time and projects. Don’t get me wrong – I am loving the two foster boys we care for but going back to nappies and toddler tantrums when I’m well into my forties has been somewhat of an adjustment. My goal for 2014 (among the many others I have) is to try and get the balance between  caring for these boys and making some me creativity time.

The end of this year has been great – we took the first week of our holidays and went to Anglesea which is about two hours South West of Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road (famous for the 12 Apostles which we visited two years ago – photo below to remind you).

 

We camped and had a great time as school had not yet officially finished so the campsite was quiet and we weren’t surrounded by numerous campers. The camp grounds had amazing facilities and our tents were about three hundred metres from the beach and the river. Sleeping to the sound of waves at night was most relaxing. The sunsets were particularly beautiful.

We also celebrated Bennies first birthday (photos on my Sweet Hope Chronicles blog – password required) and it was a delight to see him enjoying his birthday cake with abandon. We enjoyed swimming  and many cycle rides along the river and cliffs.

 

The little village of Anglesea was also great fun to shop at. I didn’t have to go without my fix of Op shopping either as there were two amazing  little second hand shops to visit. I managed to get myself a beautiful pair of sandals and a framed Paul Gauguin print which I love.

 

The kids had great fun bouncing on a giant inflated pillow and  playing mini golf too. The park had some super wood sculptures of sea creatures which meant we could have some fun taking photos.

 

Christmas was spent at home where we celebrated with a Christmas Eve dinner. Toasts and thanks were given by each of the children. We have been truly blessed to have such superb kids. It never ceases to amaze me how giving and generous our kids are. They have been incredible this year as we have welcomed two new faces into our hearts and lives. It has not always been easy on them but they have come through and all pulled their weight in helping to integrate the boys into our family.

Our kids have also excelled in their repective areas of study and work. Michaela will make an outstanding nurse/midwife and Ethan is starting to show keen interest in his Personal Fitness endeavours.

Mostly this year has been one where we have moved away from our religious efforts of being involved in structured church and leadership. We have explored other ways of connecting with like minded people and building true friendships and relationships out of the confines of a church meeting and it has been very refreshing and rewarding. We have felt freedom to question our theology and beliefs and to throw out the things that we believe have manipulated and controlled us over the years. Mostly it has been fun getting to know Jesus away from all the religious influences. This has been the year I have learned to love people who are different to me and to not judge them for their lifestyle choices. This has been a big thing for me coming out of a system that looks at people as either in or out ( you are in if you believe like I do and out if you are an unbeliever). Just believing that I ever thought that way is so ridiculous to me now. I am discovering that there is so much more to being a blessing in our community than by simply professing I am a christian and going to church each week. I have discovered the reality of actually doing – of getting up daily and loving two little boys who have been abandoned by their parents, dealing with their emotions and self-harming issues and I feel more fulfilled and alive than I ever did  as a pastor for ten years. I guess what I’m trying to say is that making a difference doesn’t require me to be super-spiritual  – it just requires ordinary me to open my heart and hands and just be willing to help and love people where I can – it’s that simple and yet it has taken me years to work it out.

2014 is going to be a great year – I can feel it! This is going to be the year we are living in blessing and with great joy – many dreams and creative ventures being fulfilled. I am looking forward to it with my amazing and beautiful family alongside me. I wish you all an equally fabulous 2014.

 

Coffee, the country and life as we know it …..

Believe it or not this post has been sitting in drafts for two months waiting to be posted but with two kids under the age of three I find my blogging time has been sweetly sabotaged. Even now I  am typing this with one hand to get it done – I guess I get full marks for perseverance.

During the last holidays (hubby is a teacher) we often tried to sneak off for a coffee when the two new additions to our family (our foster boys) went off to access with their parents. It is our time alone to dream and chat and connect. Usually our bunch are not up and awake when we sneak out as they tend to sleep in during their holidays. We headed up into the hills to a small village called Emerald.  It has such a lovely small friendly community feel about it and the simple country lifestyle appeals to me more and more. Hubby and I often joke that when we are older and all the kids have left we could end up in a caravan touring the countryside (I think I get that from my Mom and Dad). Anyway I digress as I dream….. we found this amazing coffee shop and bakery in Emerald. I can’t believe we haven’t discovered it sooner. It was the hub of the village – the atmosphere was wonderful and buzzing but we just loved the decor. We acted like total tourists and were snapping photos of everything inside. This is my kind of decor – a bit of industrial, a bit of rustic charm, a bit of country meets vintage – I LOVED everything!!!

We couldn’t believe it when our coffee arrived. They came in these glass jars with handles – how cute and original is that? We sat on an old leather brown couch and enjoyed our coffee,

Three days later we headed back for another fix – this time armed with our laptops – I could get used to writing in a place like this. As usual the place was cooking. The food is good there too but really it is the atmosphere that makes the place so wonderful. Here are a few of the snaps I took – not great photos as they were taken on hubby’s iphone but you get the idea.

We are rapidly heading for the end of the year and my head is spinning at all there is to do before we get there. Michaela has completed her first year of Uni which makes me feel ancient in some ways and Ethan is going into Year 12 next year. We are delighted that he can do his Certificate 3 in Fitness while completing his Yr12 as this will be a good start for him.

I have booked our camping holiday for a week in December and looking so forward to getting away from it all. Camping with a baby who will probably be walking by then and an almost  3 year old will certainly have its challenges and keep us busy, but hopefully some sun, sea and a change of scenery will make us feel relaxed nonetheless.

I have had the urge to tackle some creative tasks again and Michaela has done her first renovation project which turned out so well. She has wanted an old roll top desk and eventually we found an old one that needed some work. She did a great job – I will hopefully have a chance to take some photos this holiday.

Then I have been itching to paint my boring old hat and coat stand for a while – eventually decided on a bright green paint and I am delighted with the results. Aaron (my youngest) referred to me as arty farty the other day – well I guess I am a bit  – still love the green though – now it stands out against the wooden cupboard doors instead of blending into it.

This is how it looked before:

This is how it looks now:

Yes you probably noticed that I painted the dresser too – was getting a bit bored with the wood look!!

Summer is showing itself tantalizingly every now and again and I am so looking forward to it – there are so many reasons I love it so much – sun just makes me happy – Hubby and I were commenting how even the kids come to life when the weather is beautiful – they get outdoors and actually play basketball/soccer with one another and it is so good to see them doing this as often teens have a tendency to hive off in their own rooms attached to their technology devices. I am just loving watching them as it won’t be too many years left till they fly the coop and we won’t have them with us. The days are longer and even that cheers me up. Our kitchen vegetable garden is looking fantastic – we are enjoying some broccoli and lettuce at the moment but soon hope to have tomatoes, capsicums,egg plant, spinach, beans, strawberries as well as some corn. Our flowers are looking really pretty too.

Michaela has been taking driving lessons – we decided it was the best way to go as we have not got the time to spend every day teaching her. Already she is making nice progress and as soon as she has finished her lessons we will be able to get her hours up on the roads. It takes about five years to get your full license here in Victoria – a long process!! Recently we bought a new little car as our Nissan Maxima needed a new clutch – it would have cost us about $2000 to repair and being 17 years old we really felt it wasn’t worth the spend. Instead we have bought a very fuel efficient Hyundai Getz – this is also a perfect little car for Michaela to learn in and runs on the sniff of an oil rag.

So that is all my catch up news – not much has happened in two months (which is a good thing as then this post would never have been finished!!) – better start my next post as it may be awhile before I get it posted. So from me, enjoy summer!!

Day at the Zoo

During the holidays we decided to take all the kids to Werribee Open Range Zoo. This is not the city zoo but further out and more widespread so that the animals have more of their natural habitat to roam in than your typical zoo. This zoo is also mostly designed to give an African experience  although there are other animals too such as Bison and Mongolian ponies. Obviously the bigger cats are contained otherwise they would have a problem but the other African wildlife (like giraffes,zebras, rhinos etc) are out in what they have made a savannah land. We had such a great day – the weather was amazing for a winters day – sunny and warm. The park is designed with reeds and walkways that have African style huts and bridges in various places and there are even bush noises that play through speakers as you walk down the paths so the kids enjoyed hearing warthog noises or crickets.

The two year old we are fostering (Jay – *not his real name) was so excited at hearing all the noises. He is so curious that he wanted to take off into the bush all the time. He loved the old Landrover at the lion pen and spent more time climbing in and out of it than actually looking at the lions. The lions were very lazy (as lions are when they aren’t hunting and so we didn’t get a close up look at them) but the cheetahs were very co-operative and walked up to the glass right in front of us.

We all climbed on a safari bus and did the drive around the park – it was lovely seeing giraffes, zebras, rhinos and ostriches again. The most exciting thing for Hubby and I though was seeing the Guinea Fowl roaming around the park – that really made it feel more African. Michaela loved the Meerkats and Jay loved the two baby crocs they had in a big tank.

This little outing reminded me of our trip to the Kruger National Park in 2007. Aaron was just 18 months old then but he already enjoyed looking at the animals then. I dug out some of my old photos of that trip for memories sake.

We stayed at Lower Sabie camping – it was lovely.

The kids and Hubby loved the park – Hubby had never visited it in all his years of living in South Africa so it was a real treat, Even Aaron enjoyed “game spotting” through the binoculars.

We saw some amazing animals – glad to see lion and elephants and buffalo.

We stopped some mornings at the picnic area for a delicious breakfast cooked by Mom and Dad. The kids loved looking at the insects as there are very few insects in New Zealand where we were living at the time. The kids even saw a couple of snakes.

The only member of our family to see a hyena was Michaela – she came face to face with one at the one lookout spot – boy did she run fast when it growled at her – she still talks about it to this day.

This was a memorable time for us a s a family and one day I would love to do it again. Going to Weribee Zoo was a reminder of life back in South Africa and of the things that make it such a unique place. I honestly can say that I feel I have been so blessed to have been able to live in three very different but very beautiful countries.

Coal Creek

A bout two weeks ago we decided to head out to a town called Korumburra which is about an hours drive from home to visit a place called Coal Creek. This is a replica of a mining town with the original old buildings and set up for the coal mine. The best thing about it is that entry is free which is always a bonus when you are a large family. There is the old steam train and usually it runs but the day we went it was not happening. You can ride around the park on the train for a very reasonable fee. Jay, our little foster child (2) is crazy about trains and so it was a treat for him to climb on the train and see it.

Michaela also loved the village as she is a history junkie and loves all things old so she enjoyed seeing all the homes and shops set up with old things. The favourite store for everyone of course was the General Store which was crammed full of amazing goodies. We were able to buy a jar of good old mint humbugs which we all enjoyed sharing. This brought back so many memories for me – somehow I always think of my grandparents when I think of humbugs as we used to raid their tin when we were kids.

The other fun thing in the park was the emus which were tame – sometimes a bit too friendly I think as they would end up getting right in your face and you would have to push them away. Jay found it fun terrorising the ducks by chasing them everywhere. He also tried a few times to find mud puddles to jump in so we had to watch him carefully. Baby B (our other foster child) slept most of the way around the park which was a good thing as the rest of us took turns chasing the toddler.

Here are some photos of the outing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting…..

This has been a frustrating week – it seems we have been waiting all week for news. The problem with waiting is that it leaves a slightly nervous, butterfly in the tummy feeling tinged with nausea. It is a difficult time – uncertainty can creep in and while trying to remain positive and get on with life I often found myself just doing nothing as I waited for the phone to ring- that silent, uncooperative phone! Even poor hubby has found himself wondering and voicing his frustration at waiting. Now I know waiting is supposed to teach us patience which is a fruit of the spirit, but honestly I am not at the point where I feel like spiritualizing it – I just don’t want to wait anymore – I want some ANSWERS!!!

Some of you are probably wondering what I am rambling on about. We have still not heard anymore about our fostering application since the panel met last Monday. I am wishing that something would happen just to set my mind at ease. The other thing we are waiting for is an outcome on an application for a new rental home. We have spotted a lovely home just on the edge of the countryside for rent. It has about four acres of paddock and garden that it overlooks, a perfect chook house for our chickens and guinea pigs, everything we need inside, it is closer to hubby’s work and yet still close enough for the school run, train commute for Michaela.

For a long time it has been our dream to live more in the countryside but finding homes to rent like this are few and far between or totally out of our price range. This feels so good to us. The problem is that it feels good to about ten other families too. We really just have to trust that our application will find favour out of all the others. So we wait. We will probably get an answer regarding the house sometime next week. Even that is frustrating – I am itching to get packing and sorting but there is no point really just yet.

In the meantime I realize that our worries are really miniscule compared to some others around us. Friends of ours have just had their baby boy born 10 weeks prematurely and they are facing the ups and downs of each day with him in the NICU. They make the trip to the hospital daily, killing hours of time and just being there which is exhausting. They just dream of the day they can take him home and cuddle him naturally, a day where the daily routine is appreciated and longed for. They are waiting too and even as I type this I hear my words of encouragement to them echoing in my brain, “just hang in there, he will get there, the day will come.” I need to take those words and thank God that our waiting is so small in comparison – that we will not perish for having to wait. I’m trying but I guess I’m not very good at it – when hubby and I get itchy feet we get it BADLY!!

We feel that it is time for a new start – we have changed so much in the last year and now we feel it is time for a new space – a space that is not shared by an adjoining neighbour who hates us. A space that fulfils our dreams and is good for the children. A space that will inspire me to creativity.

Last week Hubby, Aaron and I went for a walk to the Wilson Botannic Gardens ( about a kilometre from our house) – we took some coffee and had a great time climbing the lookout tower. Then we went down to the bird hide to look for some local birds and walked around the lake. The turtles kept us amused for awhile before we headed home.

 

 

 

 

 

Will let you all know the outcome when we finally hear them. For now I have a lasagna in the oven, blog post done – it’s time to go and sit around the crackling fire (winter has arrived very suddenly) and enjoy my glass of wine.

Hope you all have a good day!

Geelong

On Thursday we made a long trip around the bay to Geelong so that Ethan could see his girlfriend. It is about an hour and a half drive from our home as the bay is so huge. We decided to take a drive and spend the day exploring the area – there were some markets there that I have been itching to visit. We started by dropping Ethan off in the town centre of Geelong and then we headed to a vintage market. This was a huge warehouse that was filled to the brim with antiques and vintage items. I felt like I was literally salivating at the things I saw but I couldn’t afford anything there – it was way over-priced and too expensive. So I just drooled my way around and imagined what it would be like to own some of these goodies. I really loved the old crates and suitcases.

Then we headed to Maccas for lunch as we couldn’t find anywhere else to eat being in a strange town. Once we had food in our bellies we all felt a bit better and ready to tackle the next market. The Mill Market is a big warehouse full of items – It is made up of a number of stalls owned by different people and there is one checkout point at the end. This was a great place to troll through and I saw some amazing items – some which were not too over-priced. Hami got stuck in the book section and ended up with a pile of biographies under his arm to bring home. Michaela and Zoe discovered the vintage clothes section and ended up in the 80’s dress section. They pulled out bright taffeta dresses that had shoulder pads and ruffles – how I laughed – it was like stepping into a time warp and reliving bad fashion. The girls decided they had to try a dress or two on so with much giggling and glee they modeled their dresses for me.

We also had great fun at the entrance to the Mill market with the cartoon characters at the door. The kids took turns to climb into the characters and have their photos taken. Aaron also found a side car for a motorbike.

We all had such fun shopping and exploring – except for Aaron whose whole summation of the experience was, “Can we please  go to a decent shop now.”

Then we headed down to Eastern Beach on the Waterfront where we sat in the sun and relaxed. The kids went to the park and we had a lovely walk along the waterfront and down the pier. There are a number of wooden painted characters all along the beachfront that are quite fun and creative.

Finally we collected our love-struck teenager and officially met his girlfriend who seems very sweet and well-mannered. After dropping her off we made the long trip home again. It was great to get out and explore the complete opposite side of our city. There is so much to do here in Melbourne and we haven’t even chipped the tip of the iceberg yet.

Inverloch Camping Trip

We are home after a week camping at Inverloch. What a lovely time we had. Our only sadness was to arrive home and discover that our chickens had been killed by someone in our neighbourhood. Yes you heard right – they were deliberately decapitated by someone. We have our suspicions but no proof of course. We were all angry, heartsore and upset that our poor birds had been so brutally abused and attacked. I had a friend who lives a couple of houses away coming in each day to check on them and she found them – I feel so bad that she had to deal with all the ugliness of it, but relieved that Aaron didn’t find them that way – he loved them so much and had tamed them so well.

Anyway we are determined not to let some psycho spoil our time away.

Inverloch is a small village located on the Anderson Inlet. It is lovely and not too far from home – only about 100 km so very good for day trips too. We stayed at the Inverloch Foreshore Camping ground and we were only a few hundred metres from the beach. There were also some lovely walks in the area which we did each day.
The kids enjoyed swimming in the loch/inlet as it was always fairly warm and good for Aaron. We toasted ourselves in the sun and played beach cricket. I have read more books in the last few weeks than I have in the last few years and I have thoroughly enjoyed losing myself in stories – I don’t think I will give this up – I need to make time to read for myself.

 

 

 

I even managed to get some photos of my oldest son – amazing that he is becoming more camera friendly and not so aggressive when I take his picture. Nice for me to have some photos of him not scowling or hiding his face!!

I loved the trees in the area – they were gnarly and windswept with interesting shapes – this one tree in particular was amazing – hubby and I had to find a time when it wasn’t full of children to get a few photos.

One night we went down to the BBQ’s along the foreshore to have our dinner. Hubby barbequed some chops and the kids had fun playing soccer. Ethan did some amazing flips off the wooden boardwalk.

 

 

We enjoyed our last supper by getting pizza from the local take away as a treat and watching Prince of Persia on Hubby’s laptop in the tent. We did chuckle at the size TV our neighbours brought camping – it was a giant widescreen TV that took up the whole one side of their tent. Other people had their own solar panels and one tent even had an air-conditioner. We realized that we camp quite simply but that is the fun of it I think. We did however treat ourselves and bought camp stretchers as last year our inflatable mattresses deflated every night leaving us with backache and sleeping on the hard floor. Oh what a good idea!!!

The last day we were there we drove to Cape Paterson – a 10 minute drive from our campsite to a surf beach so that the kids could catch waves. What a lovely beach. I even swam a few times as it was so hot. The children loved the waves (as our closest beach in Melbourne doesn’t have waves as it is in the Port Philip Bay and so very flat) and spent hours in the water. Even Aaron was proud of his wave catching ability.

The day we packed up was not great – the weather had turned and the wind was howling. Fortunately we managed to get our tent down and everything packed before a full wind blizzard hit us and the rain came.

We are so glad that we had this time to get away despite the horrible arrival home. Holidays are very important and many times this camping trip I thought back to times when I was a kid and we went camping in remote and exciting places. They are memories I will never forget.