Queenscliff 2015 - Day 3

Tony left very early (before 6am) to get the ferry back across to Sorrento and drive up to work - it was sad to say goodbye and have the rest of the holiday without him there, the kids all missed him too. I was the first one up again but didn't want Millie to come out to an empty kitchen if she woke early, so I didn't go out my own today. Mum and Dad got up and went for a walk, and when Millie did wake up she and I went out for a wander. It was quite cold - we actually went back to the house to get pants and a jacket for her, and I was wearing a jacket as well. Such a change compared to 24 hours earlier.

Millie rode her scooter and we went up to the park looking over the tugboats and across to the ferry terminal. We walked down the steps and out onto the tug jetty a little way, and explored the sand for a while, then the cold wind and the bits of rain that were falling on and off sent us back home. We spent the early part of the morning playing Uno Spin and running up and down the verandah with T, having breakfast, reading, doing puzzles. Mum, F and I went down the street and had a coffee, then Mum wandered off to explore more shops and F and I stayed and chatted for a while.

Millie walking down the 100 steps to the beach

It really doesn't look like summer in this shot!

Riding her scooter in the maze, with 'our' house in front of her

The kids had missed out on ice cream the day before (they were going to go after bowls, but the shop was shut by then), so as soon as we could see that it was open the kids and I went over and each bought a choc sprinkle waffle cone with 2 scoops. We walked down to the playground near the ferry terminal and the kids played while they ate their ice creams. When we got back Caitlin and I went next door to the op shop and found a huge pile of clothes for her, and some last minute christmas presents, and a snow cone maker!

In the afternoon I made snow cones for everyone which was a bit exciting. The weather was slowly warming up, so we started to get ready to head back to the beach. Millie really wanted to wear a skirt and I hadn't packed one, so she and Caitlin and I went to the op shop down the far end of the street and she found a beautiful skirt and shirt set. The staff also gave the girls some santa candle holders for free, they were pretty happy. We picked LiAM up on our way back past the house and went down to the beach for more swimming and running and digging in the sand and exploring the rock pools a bit. After our trip to the beach the kids each had a spa bath after negotiating who would go first, 2nd and 3rd (balancing desire to get in and have the spa, with the knowledge that whoever went last would probably get to be in there longer).

For tea we had a couple of family sized gourmet pies which were delicious. Afterwards we played Wits End again, with Mum and Caitlin joining in as well, it was a lot of fun.

Running on the beach

Point Leo Trip

Tony's cousin asked us last week if we would like to join them camping for the Melbourne Cup long weekend, as they had a spare campsite available. The kids had Halloween plans for the Saturday night - Caitlin had been invited to a party and the other 2 had been looking forward for months to trick-or-treating in Yarra Glen - so we decided to head down on Sunday morning and stay for 2 nights. It was a very exciting invitation as Millie has been asking to go on holidays and we'd thought about camping for Cup weekend but figured we'd left it to late to find anywhere with vacancies.

Last week Tony had had a lot of trouble with his eyes, and on Friday afternoon he'd gone to Emergency to see if he could do something about them (the treatment his GP had suggested hadn't worked). We ended up taking him in to the Eye and Ear hospital in the city, and not getting home until 1am. So on Saturday we were all pretty tired and in a bit of a daze, and not much holiday preparation got done. Saturday evening was Halloween and the kids all had a great time. We came home and watched The Empire Strikes Back until I fell asleep, which still left most of the preparation for Sunday morning.

Having the camper trailer permanently half ready meant that there wasn't quite so much to do, most of our camping supplies were already packed. We got away before midday and arrived at the campsite around 1.30. The kids went down to the beach with the others while Tony and I set up the tent. We spent the afternoon between the beach and the campsite - with 4 adults there was always someone available to take kids to the beach or wherever they wanted to go, and someone to stay with those who wanted to hang out at the campsite, so it was a very relaxing way to spend the weekend. Not any stress or pressure for anyone to do things or be places they didn't want to be.

Our campsite was at the top of the sand dunes, right near the beach, although the dunes were covered in thick trees and bushes so we couldn't see the water - we could hear it though, especially at night. The waves seemed to be crashing so loudly, I was always surprised at how small they were when I went down to the beach. It was only a couple of hundred metres walk to the beach access, down a long flight of stairs, and once there we could swim, play in the sand dunes, or at low tide, explore the rocks.

The kids found some pathways through the sand dunes further down the beach and spent a lot of time playing in their 'hideout' on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. It seemed pretty cool - a really awesome holiday memory I would say. The others had a kite and LiAM spent some time flying it one afternoon when it was cold and windy. The girls had built a big hole to shelter from the wind and all 5 kids were in and out of that. The girls also went swimming - I'd been in on Sunday afternoon but gave it a miss on Monday as it was pretty chilly. The others had little surfboards and Caitlin regularly borrowed one and did a lot of body boarding which she really enjoyed. Millie ran in and out of the edge of the waves and really loved it.

The boys in the big hole dug by the big girls, Caitlin body boarding, Millie running up and down the sand

On Monday morning I took the girls down to the beach before breakfast. It was cold and wet and we didn't have much time before food was ready, so we played around the edge of the rocks for a little while, then headed back for pancakes, bacon and eggs. After that delicious start to the day I went back to the beach with LiAM and Caitlin and we explored the rocks and rock pools. The rain was icy and my hands were frozen, and the water in the rock pools felt so warm in comparison. After a while the rocks stopped feeling uncomfortable on our bare feet because they were numb! It was a lot of fun though, looking into the rock pools and having the ocean rumbling all around us. When we got back we were so wet that everyone thought we'd gone swimming in our clothes.

Caitlin exploring the rock pools on a cold and wet morning

Tony had an appointment at the Eye hospital on Monday afternoon to check that his eyes were healing ok (they are) and then went up to Croydon for his Monday evening Masters baseball game, and came back to the camp late that night. The rest of us spent the afternoon at the beach, playground or campsite. We played lots of card and board games, and a little bit on the iPads, and had some time riding scooters. The kids all got on well and played together in lots of different combinations. There was always lots of do, and someone to do it with, or the chance to be alone if anyone needed a bit of down time.

On Sunday evening we cooked up lots of pasta, vegetables and salami, and put it out on table, each item in it's own separate bowl, so everyone could pick the bits that they wanted. An easy and effective way to feed 9 people with a range of tastes, and everyone was happy. Monday night we had fish and chips, then ice cream in a cone with ice magic. Monday lunch we had sausages and chops cooked on their Weber-Q, bacon and eggs both mornings, and left overs on toasted sandwiches (and hot dogs for the kids) for Tuesday lunch. Great food all weekend for minimal effort and cost!

The others had bought glow sticks with them and both evenings the kids had a great time as it began to get dark. They were pretty fancy glow sticks, with head bands and connectors to make ears and glasses, bangles, earrings and so on. We put them in the freezer the first night so that they would last, and used them again the 2nd night, then hung them in the tent. It was very cool to go to sleep by glow stick light!

Glow stick fun

On Tuesday morning I woke up before everyone else and went for a walk on the beach. It was sunny again and not as cold as Monday. I walked quite a way down the beach - saw some red plovers running in and out of the waves just like Millie was doing the day before - very cute! I took lots of photos and was thrilled to be by the ocean early in the morning. I decided to go for a swim - I knew I'd be disappointed later if I didn't, even though it was cold - and it was wonderful. One of my favourite things in the world to do is swim in the ocean in the early morning - it was refreshing and exciting and relaxing and so beautiful. I was very happy and content and so glad I made the effort.

Early morning on the beach

Later in the morning I took some of the kids back down to the beach - it was the first time LiAM went in the water and he loved it. The waves were small enough to not be threatening and we could easily get past where they were breaking. It was mainly like a being in a large lake with a bit of a swell, then occasionally there'd be a bigger wave which was quite exciting. Perfect conditions for kids not used to swimming in the ocean. After a while I started to get cold, and by then the dads and the rest of the kids had come down to the beach so the boys and I headed home.

While the girls and dads swam at the beach, the mums packed up as much as we could before having lunch, and the boys played around the campsite. When the others returned we ate lunch, then finished packing everything up. With no new campers coming in we were able to take our time and pack with no stress. Everything was all done by about 3pm and then we all headed for home.

Sydney Trip -> Day 3

Despite having 13 different beds/mattresses for people to sleep on, the 7 kids managed to use only 2 single beds for the night! The 3 older girls slept in one bed, and Millie and the 3 boys in another. They all seemed pretty happy (although a bit uncomfortable) and we thought it was quite funny.

During the day the kids continued playing in and outside. They watched a movie and L and I sat out the front and had a cup of tea and a good chat. The older girls did a lot of sewing, making bags and pillows and doll’s clothes. Millie had been given a teddy by the girls, and they made clothes for it out of scraps – it looks amazing. The girls also curled each other’s hair and did make up on each other.

In the afternoon the 3 boys went in to the city as one of them has been cast in a commercial and needed to get fitted for his outfit. They took the scooters and rode for a while in Centennial park and climbed the fig trees, then called in to see a friend before going to the wardrobe call. In the meantime the girls kept sewing and played the Wii for a while, and curled my hair (which looked a bit ridiculous but was fun for all of us). I took one of the girls to dancing, and then the 3 remaining girls and I went shopping for more groceries (7 kids are eating a fair amount of food between them!). We took our time shopping which Millie liked, she could play on the rides and look at things in windows etc. We came home and did more sewing and played on iPads etc. The others got home around 9, and we organized the mattresses so that everyone could sleep in the one room without all having to sleep in the same bed. We two mums again went to bed before everyone else, but they settled down pretty quickly.

Ballarat Trip -> Day 4

We all slept much better this time with our extra blankets and the windows closed properly. I got up and had a cup of tea and read my book, and the kids woke up not long after. Millie played with her toys in the tent, LiAM played with his new friend, riding their scooters around the park, Caitlin rode her Ripstik and played on the jumping pillow, and I started to pack everything up.

Our tent all set up

Once I was ready to fold the tent up Caitlin came and gave me hand - we got most of it done then left the bottom of the tent exposed to the sunlight while we went and had crumpets and english muffins and ice cream for breakfast. We finished packing away the tent with no problems, the kids went and had a last play with any of the stuff they wanted to revisit, and then they helped me get the trailer on to the car - it was tricky but I managed it by myself for the first time!

We left the caravan park just before midday, and drove through Ballarat to see where my Dad lived when he was at the monastery in Ballarat in the late 1960s. The building has been converted to apartments but it's still possible to see where he lived. We went to Lake Wendouree then and had a play on the big wooden playground. After a bit of a play we went for a walk to see if there were any cygnets amongst the many many swans. Caitlin was chased and hissed at by a cranky swan, and while we ate our lunch we had a few swans and many other water birds come to see if we were sharing. It was an enjoyable walk along the water front and over some little bridges, amongst gardens and so on. Back to the car then to head home - the girls had Guides at 4 so we had a bit of a time limit.

LiAM checking out the swans

We left Ballarat just after 1.30 and had a smooth trip home. We went through McDonalds drive-through at one of the service centres so that I could get a Chai Latte and the kids got a chocolate sundae/soft serve cone/frozen raspberry drink. We listened to Magnificat and chatted about our trip and were back in Yarra Glen by about 3.45. Tony met us at Guides because I'd forgotten to bring Caitlin's badges and it was a full uniform day. It was great to see him very briefly before he went to work for the evening. Millie decided not to go to Guides, and V wanted to play with LiAM, so he and Millie, LiAM and I went home. I backed the trailer into our carport without anyone guiding me - it took a couple more attempts than when I'd had Tony to help, but I got it in exactly where I wanted it.

Back home

The kids played and R brought Caitlin and S home after Guides had finished, along with fish and chips for dinner. The kids had a good play together and R and I had a great chat, then once they went home we settled down for our first night back in real beds. Read Eldest for a while then everyone went to sleep

Ballarat Trip -> Day 3

Everyone woke up in the middle of the night, freezing cold. The girls came up onto the mattress with me, and I reorganised blankets so LiAM had more, and we eventually became warm enough to get back to sleep. I later discovered that one side of one of the tent windows was unzipped, so that would have made things much chillier inside than they needed to be!

We all slept in until nearly 9 then got up and had a relaxing morning - I read my book (re-reading the Twilight series, up to Eclipse today), the kids jumped on the jumping pillow and rode scooter and RipStik and played in the playground and the TV room. Once we'd had breakfast I got ready to go out and we headed into town, so that I could get some more tea bags, and to buy more blankets! Caitlin suggested op shopping for the blankets and I found a couple near Woolworths so we could get everything in one trip. At the first op shop we found a (vomit green) woollen blanket and a quilted fabric sleeping bag - perfect. The kids also picked up some toys and games and books and knitting needles and warmer clothes. We popped into Woolworths and got tea bags, socks for the girls, and a few other supplies, then over to the other op shop where we got a polar fleece sleeping bag, a few polar fleece blankets, scarves for everyone, more warm clothes and a couple of kitchen supplies that had been missing from our camping equipment.

It was a very cold morning, with an icy wind, so Caitlin in particular was very thankful we'd found warmer clothes, and she changed into them straight away. We drove straight to Sovereign Hill and headed back in, with a bit of spare time before the Red Coat parade. We went down to the Chinese part of the settlement and spent a bit of time at the Chinese temple. We lit incense and wrote wishes on wish cards and hung them up in front of the temple. We looked through the tents and Chinese shops and watched a bit of a video about the Chinese miners standing up to the government when they were taxed more than non-Chinese miners. I hadn't heard much about that side of the goldmine history and it was quite interesting.

Back up the hill we watched two (actor) guys chatting in the main street while we waiting - they were hilarious and drew a huge crowd, then the Red Coats marched through and one guy made a speech and then the soldiers fired their guns, which were very loud. After the kids had their photo taken with one of the Red Coat soldiers, we joined the crowds of school kids in the Confectionary Factory to watch Raspberry Drops being made. It was a very cool process to watch and his commentary was informative. The best bit of course was the free sample we all got afterwards - it was still warm and even more delicious than the regular ones.

We stopped and ate lunch and watched the crowds go by for a while, then went and bought tickets for a coach ride. There was a bit of a queue and we wanted to watch the musket firing, so we decided to do the coach ride after that. One of the troopers talked us through the history of the police force in the gold fields and about the weapons they used. He handcuffed Caitlin and LiAM together - but LiAM's hand was small enough to just slip straight out which was pretty funny. He filled the barrel of his musket with gun powder then showed it to everyone, letting us look down into the barrel - as Caitlin was looking he yelled 'Boo!' which scared her a lot and startled everyone else - she thought it was pretty funny afterwards. He fired the musket which was again pretty loud, then we headed back up to the horses. Millie showed the other kids the rock collection she'd discovered the day before. The horse and coach returned and we all climbed in and went for a ride around the settlement - it was pretty cool, especially after watching the coach go past so many times in the last 2 days. We patted the horses for a while afterwards, then the kids ran after the coach as it headed to it's storage place - we were the last ride of the day (running after the stage coach is something the kids do when we play Toy Story 3 on the Playstation, so it felt like we were reenacting that scene, it was fun).

Caitlin being arrested by the trooper

Patting the horses after our coach ride

We wandered up to the top end of town where we hadn't explored yet - and saw some very big turkeys in a yard. I wanted to check out the iron foundry where the guy was making brass and iron items. There were so many beautifully crafted objects there, and I ended up buying a big iron frypan and an iron omelet pan - exactly what I've been looking for, and great to talk to the guy who actually made them, about how to care for them, and to see how much he loves what he's doing. From there we walked back along the residential street of the settlement, and were able to explore some of the houses and talk about how different they are compared to ours - why the toilet is outside, why there was no stove and how they cooked, why the baby might be sleeping in a drawer etc. In one of the houses a lady was doing some quilting and we stayed and talked to her for a while, discussing how it worked, and admiring her sticky paper fly catcher above the table. She let the kids sort and take a handful of hexagons home so that they could start their own quilt - Caitlin loved talking to her and the other kids enjoyed it as well. From there we checked out the cart and wheel makers, then wandered through a couple of gardens, and back down the main street and home to our tent.

Pumping water into the horse trough

The kids played with the kids from the caravan next door and LiAM met another boy on a scooter, so they scooted around the park, and played giant chess, and jumped on the jumping pillow. I cooked dinner and it was quiet enough to eat it in the camp kitchen this time. After we'd eaten the kids played a bit more then I packed all our jackets and new scarves and we headed back to Sovereign Hill for the Sound and Light Show. The Show was spectacular. No actors, just voices, sound effects, and lights in various places to tell the story of the Eureka Stockade. Some was inside but most of it was outside - at the main gold diggings (where we'd panned for gold the day before), or after a long bus ride to the other side of the property, sitting in an auditorium with the front wall open to a reproduction of the Eureka Diggings. It was cold outside (it had been cold all day) but it was a fascinating show and I'm so glad we went. Millie spent the whole time cuddled in to me and didn't watch at all - but later talked to me about the story and she'd taken it all in and understood it all. I remember this was one of my favourite stories when I studied Australian History at school, and I enjoyed seeing it explained in so much clever detail, and glad the kids have heard the story now too.

We were back at the caravan park around 10.30pm and set up our beds with our new blankets - the girls on the mattress with me again, and LiAM snuggly bundled up on his camp mattresses. We read Eldest for a while then snuggled in to go to sleep.

Ballarat Trip -> Day 1

Last year Caitlin's school had gone on a trip to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. She didn't go with them as it was in the middle of her acting season and she had so many other things going on - and I promised that I would take the kids to Ballarat during Vintage this year and we would go to Sovereign Hill ourselves. So with Tony on night shift and the school holidays only a week away we decided that this week was the time to go. And having our camper trailer made the whole trip a bit cheaper - and I was keen to see if I could manage a camping trip on my own with the kids.

I had planned to leave around lunch time or later, then Caitlin suggested on Saturday night that we try and get to Kryal Castle while we were in Ballarat - it's only open on weekends so we decided to leave home by 11 at the latest in order to get to the castle in time to really have a good look around (and to see the jousting which was on at 1.30). So we packed the car and the trailer and actually were on the road by 11 which was quite impressive. It was the first time I'd towed the trailer without the car having mechanical problems, and it was amazing how much less stressful it was. The trailer was still heavy, but it didn't feel hard to drive with it, and not having to worry about the car breaking down was a big relief.

The trip took 2 hours and was uneventful. We listened to 'Magnificat' by Marilyn Edwards and chatted about lots of stuff. We arrived at Kryal Castle at 1pm, in time to get our tickets, have a quick wander through the Dragon's Lair (we meant to come back to it but there were too many other cool things to do and we didn't get time), get some lunch from the bakery (hot dogs for the kids, a chicken schnitzel burger for me, and an all-day-refill cup with a picture of a knight on it for us all to share), and then head to the jousting arena. The jousting was exciting - one of my favourite bits of medieval knightly competition, and Caitlin was enthralled by the horses, and the other two loved it as well. There was a bit of comedy and drama involved as well, but I really really loved the jousting part. Afterwards Caitlin went to see a pantomime, while LiAM and Millie played giant chess and I sat in the sun. We topped up our drink then all went back to the arena for sword fighting - it was only a small group so I joined in as well. We all got foam swords and shields and had a number of different types of battles. Millie at first would only fight if she was right next to me, but she gained confidence as the battles went on and in the end she was the best defensive fighter. After a while Caitlin and I (and some others) went over to the Mangonel (like a catapult) and played with it for a bit. Caitlin went back to the sword fighting and I stayed and talked to the catapult guy about medieval weapons and battle strategies. I learnt a lot and also affirmed some of my own previous knowledge.

Jousting Demonstration

The sword fighting went for about an hour and the kids were happily exhausted by the end of it. From there we headed to the maze (via another drink refill). It was a stone maze and more like a labyrinth at first but then got a bit tricky towards the end - simple enough though that Millie could find her way through without wanting me to be with her. The kids had a bit of a play on a model horse and chariot, and sat in the big chair near the dragon in the foyer, then we headed off towards our caravan park.

Giant Chess

LiAM was the Prince on his team - they all had to protect him in this battle

The girls taking a break from the fighting

As I was checking in at Ballarat Goldfields Big 4, the kids ran off to jump on the jumping pillow. We'd stayed here with Mum 4 years ago when I was in Ballarat for an ABA conference, and Caitlin remembered where everything was. The guy checking me in changed the site he was going to put us in, and placed us right next to the jumping pillow instead - very thoughtful. I backed the trailer into place (a passing guy did help me but I think I could have done it myself - maybe not as elegantly though!) and then I couldn't get the trailer off the car! The guy from the site next to us helped me, then Caitlin and I set up the tent. It only took us about 25 minutes - it's getting easier every time, and there was very little stress involved this time. The kids explored the park - jumping pillow, lots of roads to ride scooters and the Ripstik on, tv room, games room, playground, and a pool. Once we were all set up we went for a swim - it had been a warm afternoon but it was pretty cold in the pool! Millie practised her swimming a bit and hung around with me, and Caitlin and LiAM played a game all over the pool. Millie and I got out and sat in the fading sunlight once we'd had enough, and eventually we all headed back to the tent and into warm dry clothes, then went into town to get groceries.

I cooked butter chicken for dinner while the kids played in the playground and rode scooters and played giant chess. We talked to some other people using the camp kitchen while we ate - they were here as part of a group and were playing Hand and Foot Canasta - a game I used to play a LOT when I was younger and hadn't thought of in a while - I might refresh my memory on the rules and show the kids how to play. We had ice cream and ice blocks for dessert, then back to the tent after I'd cleaned up. We set up our beds (me on the mattress, kids on thermarests on the floor) and I read Eldest until everyone was ready for sleep.

NSW Trip Day 19 - Sydney

We spent a quiet morning in the cabin, playing with Barbie and lego and iPods etc. Caitlin rode her scooter for a while – this caravan park has lots of hills so she’s practicing riding at speed and then stopping at the bottom. Our plan for the day was to go to Observatory Hill and then maybe Darling Harbour. I remembered that I also wanted to go to Chinatown to see if I could get a new bottle of herbs that I ran out of last week, so we decided to go straight to Chinatown to have lunch.

We set off and got to the city all right, then became bamboozled and cranky at the no right turns and one way streets around Chinatown, and we couldn’t seem to find a way to get close enough. I gave up and suggested we go straight to Observatory Hill and have a snack there, and come back for lunch later (I was also concerned that the blue sky was turning into thick grey clouds, so I wanted to do the outdoor stuff first). So we made our way (with still a little bit of frustration, I had forgotten how crazy it is to navigate Sydney streets in a car) up to Observatory Hill and climbed up to the park. I’ve always found this a beautiful spot with its large trees and views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the wharfs and the harbour, but it is more especially exciting now as its one of the frequent settings for Caitlin’s favourite show, Dance Academy. We ran around under the trees and on the grass where the characters often hang out, and Caitlin and Millie danced in the rotunda where Tara dances in several scenes. It was exciting even walking around the streets nearby, to think that all the actors had walked around there too. After a snack and a play and lots of photos, we walked down to the foreshore and prowled around the wharf buildings where a lot more of the show is filmed. Sydney Dance Company does operate out of one of the buildings there, although it looks like the next wharf over is the one they use for the show. It was cool just walking out on the wharves, even without the Dance Academy association. On the way back in we saw a guy who had just speared a fish which was interesting given the kids’ recent first experience with fishing.

Observatory Hill

Caitlin dancing in the rotunda where Tara dances

Caitlin in front of the Dance Academy building

We decided to skip Chinatown and just go to Darling Harbour. The first carpark we went into cost $30 for the first hour, so we came straight back out of there. We ended up in the Darling Harbour carpark right next to the Sydney Entertainment Centre, which is right across the road from Chinatown, so figured we actually could go with our original plan and have (a now very late) lunch there. The first place we saw was a food court called Eating World, which we all thought was a definite choice as the place to go. We got 3 dishes between us, all cooked fresh, and all amazingly tasty. It helped everyone calm down and feel much happier, we’d all been a bit past it by the time we got there. Once I’d finished eating I went exploring to find my herbs. I found a chinese beauty shop that sold health products, and asked if they sold herbs (and showed them my empty bottle) – they said no, but directed me to the nearest Chinese Herbal Shop. I found it easily thanks to their directions, and was able to get a new bottle – hopefully having the herbs again will help with my energy and anxiety levels (which have been flagging and peaking a little bit, respectively).

Lunch in Chinatown - Honey Chicken in the shape of the kids' initials (and Caitlin ate that entire plate of pork and noodles herself!)

From Chinatown we walked up to Darling Harbour, playing near or on several of the water features on the way. Halfway there we found a magnificent playground, one of the best I’ve seen, so we stopped for a play. There were amazing climbing features and big wide slides – the biggest one was designed so that the kids kind of rock climbed and/or used a rope to climb up to the top. There was a flying fox and swings – my favourite bit was the water play area which had streams of water running between man made rocks, with gates that you could swing or lift up to divert or trap the water – Caitlin and I had a quick play before we left, I’d love to go back and spend hours there!

Water features at Darling Harbour

We reached the water at Darling Harbour just as it was starting to get dark, so we saw all the lights reflected in the water, it was beautiful. We went up to the shopping area (Caitlin really wanted to check it out) and had a bit of a browse then bought Danish ice cream and sat on the steps overlooking the water. Caitlin and I popped back in briefly to buy a birthday present for a friend.

We headed back to the car, rather tired, and when we got there I realized I’d lost my water bottle somewhere – feeling a bit sad about that as I’ve had it over 5 years and I really loved it. From there we drove to my brother’s place in Balmain (which is the reason we took the car into the city rather than public transport, as we needed to get to Balmain and then home to Dural afterwards). He lives in an apartment overlooking the ferry terminal and where the tugboats dock, with a view of the top half of the Sydney Harbour Bridge – a great location. We had a lovely baked dinner, and great company from P and C.  The lamb we ate was from C’s parent’s farm and was delicious and tender. We played Chinese Whispers with hilarious results and some of us met C’s very shy cat (a beautiful Burmese Blue who hid under the pillows as soon as we arrived). P showed us (LiAM in particular) their video of when they went snorkeling with whale sharks and we shared travel stories and other news.

Back to our cabin quite late and crashed straight away – feeling a little sad that in the morning we’ll pack up and begin our 2 day journey home. 

NSW Trip - Day 18

I was up early this morning to do my monthly shift on the Breastfeeding Helpline – I had thought about swapping but that’s always a bit tricky and being an early morning shift (6-10am) it was easy enough to fit it in to our holiday, especially on a morning when we weren’t leaving to go to the next place. I took 8 calls in between hanging out with the kids and Tony, and they watched tv and used their activity books and played with Millie’s birthday toys.

The rest of the morning was spent in the caravan park, catching up on a bit of housework/laundry, and playing. The kids rode their scooters and played in the playground.

After lunch we got ready and went to Homebush Aquatic Centre. This was intended to be Millie’s birthday activity, but the Centre wasn’t open on the long weekend Monday, so we postponed until Tuesday. I had taken the kids here 2 ½ years ago and everyone was excited about going back and playing at Splashers and on the slide.

We arrived just before the water play area was turned on, so started off in the small pool and then went into the rapids pool for a couple of rounds. Caitlin was the first person down the big slide when it opened, then LiAM then me – it was a bit scary but lots of fun. It was especially exciting for LiAM because he was only just over the height limit of 120cm so it was the first time he’d been able to go on this slide. For the next couple of hours we all moved between the little pool with fountains, the adventure water playground, the big slide, the rapids pool, the spa and the lap pool. The rapids pool was a lot of fun – a channel of water that is running fast enough to propel you around without having to swim – and it was also really exhausting. LiAM really loved (as always) the massive bucket of water that tips onto the roof of the play area and splashes over in a huge wave. Tony thinks it would hold about 500L. Everytime the bell rang to warn it was going to tip, LiAM tried to get there in time to be dumped on. Sometimes he sat there waiting for it in between times so he didn’t miss it. Millie used the warning bell to help make sure she was far away in the other direction before it tipped. I was starting to wonder how long I wanted to stay and what inticements I could offer the kids when it was time to get out, when all of a sudden the water was turned off, and the lifeguards asked everyone to get out of the pool. They said it was a water quality issue (probably translation – a bit of poo leaked out from someone’s nappy into the water) – I saw them cleaning it up and it looked like a very tiny amount – but it meant that we were out of the water so it was time to get dry and dressed. Afterwards we went upstairs for hot chips, and on the way out we stopped briefly to watch the divers training on the big diving boards and high platforms – quite impressive.

On the way home we stopped and picked up some groceries for dinner and Tony cooked a lovely butter chicken type meal. We watched some TV and had another very quiet evening.