Brisbane Trip Day 18: Brisbane

We all had a quiet morning, with the kids gradually waking up one by one. I popped down to Aldi to get milk, and got petrol, and called in to the Lifeline Op Shop where I found a couple of interesting looking books. Back home I sat outside for a while and read my book, some people watched tv, some played iPads and some chatted. We tidied up a little bit, then the kids did the watermelon challenge - putting rubber bands around a watermelon until it explodes - it took a long time because it was a long, oval watermelon, and the explosion was pretty exciting. The kids and my friend had watermelon in their hair and clothes, it was quite funny. The kids then used the pieces of watermelon to rub on each other's hair and skin, and I was watermeloned as well. They turned the hose on then, and filled balloons with water, so soon everyone was wet and watermelony. It was a lot of fun, with a lot of laughing.

I had a shower to de-fruit myself and the kids gradually got cleaned up. My friend cooked some lunch and we sat and chatted, then I went back down the street to the chemist to get something for Amelie's mouth ulcer, and to fill Liam's asthma medication prescription.

One of the girls had dancing, so Caitlin and her sister went with her and my friend, while I stayed home with the boys and Amelie. The kids played Roblox on xBox and iPads, and had some really involved games. After my friend's husband came home, we took the 4 kids to a new Splash n Play park nearby. Most of them were reluctant to go out - I was so hot and sticky though that I really felt like some water play would be helpful, and it would be good to see somewhere new. The water wasn't flowing when we arrived, however there was a very cool adventure playground, with lots of high rope bridges and some fun looking slides. At the splash park we found buttons to press to start the water. I walked through some of the sprays and felt so much better. Only one of the boys put his swimmers on, the other 3 kids didn't want to get wet. They did run through the water a little and found a way to navigate through the splash park without getting very wet. They played on the playground for a while then we all played cops and robbers. I was the prison guard because my ankle has been hurting a lot lately and I didn't want to run. Another girl Amelie's age came along and she joined in the game. It was tricky - the robbers would climb put to the top of the playground, but could then get stuck there as the cops could get to any exit point quicker than they could.

After a while the kids moved over to explore the splash park and cool off a bit. They ran through the water for a while then decided to dam a little stream - at first they used their bodies and could get a bit of a water build up, then they used towels to block off the drain and they created quite a pool at the end of the stream. They all had a lot of fun and kept saying what a great place this was. There was  a storm coming so we headed off just before 6. A guy had come over and told us he'd seen a snake in the garden, so the boys were keen to get a glimpse of it but it remained hidden.

On the way home I bought Go Buckets for the kids from KFC, then back home to more Roblox. I did some work on the computer and we all hung out quietly until the girls came home around 10.30. The girls then did face masks on me and my friend, and on themselves, which was pretty relaxing. We talked and had a late supper. Amelie fell asleep but the rest of us were up until after midnight.

Brisbane Trip Day 16: Brisbane

3 of our hosts had dancing all day today, so they left the house with their mum around 6.30am. Amelie and I were up not long after that, and the other kids woke later in the morning. We had a very much needed, very relaxing day. I spent a long time on my computer, catching up on my blog and email and Facebook, and sorting photos, tidying up my hard drive and so on. The kids watched Netflix movies and TV, played Xbox games and iPad games. Lots of Minecraft and Terraria and watching YouTube videos. And of course a fair bit of time was spent playing with the kittens. One of the boys stayed home with us, and he had a couple of friends come over, the boys all played on the trampoline and in the trees for a little while. It was hot and very sticky, so we all tried to sit or lie under fans and keep a little bit cool. Late in the afternoon Caitlin walked down to the shops. It was too late for the op shops but she bought herself a drink and snack and walked back. The other kids and my friend were back late evening, and we spent more time chatting and watching movies (Hotel Transylvania 2). The kids have been rotating who gets the good bed in the lounge room - they've sorted out sleeping partners (Amelie with the oldest girl, Caitlin with the other girl, their 2 boys together, and Liam on a single sofa bed). It was the boys' turn on the good bed, and the some of the girls were going to sleep on the air mattress. It kept going down though and one of the boys discovered if he threw his body down on it, Amelie (who was rested there) would fly up into the air. That led to about half an hour of tossing people up in the air from the air mattress, it was a lot of fun to watch! (and definitely the most energetic part of the day for us). We all drifted off to bed eventually.

Half-lap Day 106: Kimba

LiAM woke early, feeling cold and unwell. He and I got up as neither of us were likely to go back to sleep, and discovered a thick layer of ice over everything outside. We’d left one waterbottle on the table and the water in that was not frozen solid, but was mainly ice. We sat in the car as it was the warmest spot and played on the iPad until the others got up a couple of hours later. By now the sun was up and the ice was starting to melt, it wasn’t too bad to stand in the sunshine.

We took our time over breakfast and decided not to try to see or do anything today. Kimba is the mid-point between Sydney and Perth, and has a few interesting things around town to check out, and it’s not far from here to the National Park with lots of interesting rock formations – we decided a rest day was way more important than seeing more things for the sake of it (there was nothing here we had been looking forward to or even knew anything about before we arrived).

Caitlin checked out the coin-operated showers and came back happy and clean. We read some Harry Potter and played on the iPad, then Tony and Caitlin rode their bikes into town to get food for dinner and a pump attachment to blow up the balls we’d bought with us. Millie, LiAM and I played cards until they got back.

With the balls pumped up (including a new football that they’d also bought) we went over to the tennis/netball/basketball courts. We were trying to figure out how to play netball with 5 people (Caitlin really wanted to play netball) when Millie fell and hurt her knee and elbow and didn’t want to play anymore. She was happy to lie in the sun and watch us, so we played a very tricky and exhausting version of 2-a-side netball. Lots of fun though. Once everyone was too knackered to play anymore we had a bit of a play in the playground, then Tony and the kids went out on to the football oval to kick the football around, and I found a powerpoint in the tennis pavilion to charge my computer and catch up on days worth of blogging, email, banking etc. It was warm in the sun and still a bit cool in the shade, a lovely day though to just enjoy and take our time over things.

We had a late lunch and hung around the tent and playground and tennis courts, a very relaxing afternoon. LiAM and I had showers (the water here is full of chlorine, it felt like I was showering in a hot swimming pool) and we played more iPad and read more Harry Potter then had hotdogs for dinner. I talked to a friend on the phone for a while and the kids played in the playground, then we got ready for bed. It was a cold evening but not as cold as the previous few nights. We still did hot water bottles and rugged up, and as LiAM had been feeling unwell all day he slept in my bed with Millie and I, Caitlin slept on Millie’s bed and Tony slept in LiAM’s. It took us a while to rearrange all the blankets again but eventually we were all ready and in bed for a bit more of Inheritance. Tony did the dishes then came in and read more of the Harry Potter book – we’re all trying to read it as fast as possible so we can talk about it, and I’m trying to read it aloud so that everyone can keep up – so we’re all up to different stages and some bits have been read by everyone and we’re getting to know the story really well.

Half-lap Day 36: Katherine

Millie and I were up before sunrise. She could see the sky becoming orange in the east, and stood for a while to see if she could see the sun come up – it was still a good while until that would happen so she snuggled back in to bed with Tony and the iPad, and I got ready to go for a walk. I’d wanted to walk across the old railway bridge near town, which is now a pedestrian bridge, and see the low level nature reserve further down the river. Tony had ridden his bike around that loop the night before, and we’d talked about me riding his bike to see it but even with the seat down it was just too big for me. I thought about riding Caitlin’s bike but figured I was way more comfortable walking. LiAM woke and wanted to come with me and I said I was going to walk fast and far – he decided to stay at the tent.

It was a beautiful morning and it was cool seeing the trees light up as the sun rose. I went to the pedestrian/railway bridge end first. The middle of the bridge was solid metal, the edges were metal mesh so I could see through it down to the river, a little scary actually. The edges of the bridge were quite high so it was hard to see the river from the bridge, there was a raised area on each side where you could stand to see the view. I was looking upstream towards the car bridge and saw something floating in the water – it looked like a crocodile head but I figured it could easily be a log. It went under an overhanging tree and then I saw lots of ripples coming out from under the tree – then the whole crocodile emerged and I saw it floating along and under the bridge. I didn’t see it come out the other side, so it either submerged or went to the shore under the bridge. It was long – a couple of metres I’d guess – and a yellowy green with black stripes. It had quite a pointy noise so I think it was a freshwater – still very exciting to see my first wild crocodile.

I continued over the bridge then checked out the steam engine in the park near town, then walked down the bike track along the other side of the river. It was a long walk, just along the side of a street, with trees on my right so I couldn’t see the water. Eventually I reached a school – lots of kids were being dropped off at 8am, I wonder if school starts earlier here? – and found some steps leading down to the hot springs. Tony had said swimming was closed there the day before, but I couldn’t see any signs that said that. There were a few people swimming and it looked divine. I dipped my hands in and the water was a beautiful temperature – not hot, but it would have been easy to get straight in.

From the springs it was a short walk to the bridge which crosses the low level. There was a weir there and lots of rocks, a really beautiful spot. There were picnic tables on one side and easy access to the water, although there were also signs here saying don’t enter the water because of recent croc sightings. This bridge was very close to the water level and also metal mesh on the pedestrian part – a little shaky when cars crossed the bridge but not scary like the high bridge was. The walk back from the low level was along the path I’d walked some of a few days ago, but I couldn’t remember how far I’d come last time. It was hot by now, I wished I’d bought a hat. I felt like I’d been walking a long time since the low level bridge, and I still didn’t recognize the path, so felt like I had ages still to go – and suddenly I saw the caravan park so I was back! It had been a 2 hour walk (LiAM was very please he hadn’t come with me, although a little disappointed that he’d missed the crocodile). I was pleased with my new shoes too – that’s 2 walks I’ve done in the 1^st 2 days and they are comfortable and my feet don’t sweat in them!

The weir at the low-level crossing

We had breakfast and hung around the tent and played with Bundy and Pumbaa. I got the owner’s son’s phone number and Tony gave him a call about the car, he said to bring it in in an hour. Tony, Caitlin and LiAM went in to town to do a few messages – buy a fan, exchange one of the shirts I’d bought for Tony, get Millie’s birthday present, get new batteries for Tony’s cap with lights in it. Millie and I hung out with the dogs and played some games, then Tony dropped the other kids off and took the car to the mechanic. He was back quite quickly, the guy hadn’t been there and the other mechanic had said to come back in a couple of hours.

We had a quiet morning, catching up on a few things, I tidied up all the paper and stuff that had accumulated in our car, then went and plugged the computer in and did some email and blogging. Tony took the car back and the guy said that it’s probably a radiator problem, when he looked at the radiator he said it is made of plastic and quite brittle and if he tried to do anything with it it would probably crack, and getting a new radiator is probably the way to go. He ordered the parts and will put it in tomorrow morning.

By this stage the girls who the kids had been playing with were back from their trip to the caves, and they spent the afternoon all playing together. They explored the little fish ponds around the owner’s house, catching fish in bowls and putting them back in and comparing all the different types. Tony and I had wanted to go to Edith Falls and maybe have a swim – the kids were freaked out by stories of freshwater crocs in the water and said they wouldn’t swim. LiAM wanted to go and see the falls anyway, Caitlin was undecided and Millie was a definite no. They were having so much fun with their friends that we decided to give it a miss and just have a true rest day, hanging out at the caravan park and doing very little. I read my book and did some puzzles and some more blogging, talked to the girls’ mother, did a little more tidying of the car and had a very relaxing afternoon. The puppy was back and forth to our tent, and one of the kittens came over at one stage too (but was soon chased back by Bundy). Tony and Caitlin did the bike ride that Tony had done the day before. The Hot Springs were closed with a sign saying a croc had been seen there today - they were full of people swimming though, and the water was so clear that it would be easy to see a crocodile if it was there, I guess. Caitlin had a quick dip - just in, across to the other side and back and then out.

The kids played together until it was dark then went to have their respective dinners (we had sausages, tomato and pasta) then got back together and went exploring the park for frogs and geckos and spiders. One of the girls had been desperate to see and hold a green tree frog and they were all thrilled to find one. Everyone had a hold and the frog was released back into the garden. LiAM found a little brown frog and caught it for a brief pat as well.

Millie was really tired and went to bed as soon as she could after tea (she was delayed a little by the frog then headed for bed). I had an early night too, Tony and the other two had showers and came to bed a bit later on.

Sydney Trip -> Day 2

We woke to a very cold frosty morning. Everyone was keen to get going so we could get to Sydney earlier, so we ate breakfast, the kids helped to pack and to tidy up the cabin, then went to play on the jumping pillow and playground while I finished packing the car.

We were on the road before 9.30, something I can’t remember happening before when we’ve been staying in paid accommodation. (I think everyone having their own bag makes packing much easier, rather than one bag with everyone’s clothes in it). It was still cold and frosty but a beautiful sunny morning and lovely to be driving. We listened to some They Might Be Giants, and then started an Audio Book ‘Atticus Claw Settles the Score’ – another book about a cat and it was hilarious and engaging.

By the time we approached Gundagai I needed petrol so we stopped at the Dog on the Tuckerbox to fill the car and stretch our legs. We had a play and bought some hot chips (and a hot drink for me) and ate them in the sun near the dog. We also bought a couple of bags of Batlow apples which were delicious.

We drove the last 3 hours to Sydney with only one extremely brief stop (I pulled over, ran around to the door where the food bags were, found the food that people wanted to eat, handed it out and then we kept going and ate in transit). We reached our friends’ house at around 3.45, which was 2-3 hours before they were expecting us, so a very pleasant surprise for them, and such a relief for my kids to finally be there. Even I had been not quite believing we were going to actually get away on this holiday, so it was so great to be with our friends and realize we’d made it.

I had a cup of tea with L, and the kids played inside and out – on the trampoline and swings and bikes, in the bedrooms, dressing up, on their iPads, with the kittens (5 kittens only 4 weeks old – so incredibly small and cute!!!). After a couple of hours the girls had to go out to a dancing/singing class. Caitlin went with them and was able to join in the class which she loved. Millie and the boys and I stayed home and they continued playing as they had before. We had Chinese for dinner once everyone was home, then negotiated who was going to sleep where. L and I went to bed before any of the kids, eventually they all took themselves off and fell asleep.