South aussie

I am back from my holiday foray……we all met up for a little family holiday in South Aussie Last week…..all my beloved children bar my son who is filled with his 17 year old need to remain independent and who had commitments of his own…..but it was some family gathering because we caught up with the older girls father and his family and with hubby’s family too…lots of food and eating and good south aussie wine and catch up talk going on believe me….but in between we still managed to do a bit of tourist impersonation and lots of ‘old folk remembering’ you know, ‘when I grew up this wasn’t here it was a….’ and so on……..



For hubby and I it was good to be doing something other than work ……we spent some time on the beach and gung ho I sallied off without sunscreen or shade retorting loudly to cautious children that ‘I was used to this dry heat for goodness sake…I grew up here… and I didn’t burn’……oh well I apparently do blister and peal….ahmmmmmmm

Hot dry winds had blown copious seaweed into the shoreline and Miss nearly independent along with our youngest were a little shocked when their surfboard leg ropes were weighed down by clumps of the smelly stuff…they battled back to shore and waded knee deep through the fetid material whilst Miss independent and I had a pretty good belly laugh further up the shore, feet firmly planted on fine sand…..we were sorry to hear that the squeals of fun we thought were emanating from them were actually squeals of repulsion……

We did the city and shopped in 43 degree Celsius heat……and hubby and I had a little tiff over street directions given by the navigator ( me) and how well they were followed by the driver ( hubby)…..I still hold my ground, after all I was the city child and it hasn’t changed THAT much…and he was just a country boy…….we visited the open plain Zoo at Monato and did a little camel riding….needs to be seen to be appreciated!! Miss nearly independent was determined not to miss out even though she was a tad unprepared and wearing a skirt ( a little skirt)…it was fine till she dismounted……..We also did a Fairy Penguin walk at Night with Hubby’s Mum, who was fitter than us all I think…….we saw a few Penguins and two seals chasing some of them, which may be why we didn’t see more, but we all enjoyed the exercise…..and the wild beauty of Granite Island in Victor Harbour.

...And we really had a good time catching up with the past and family……it was well overdue. I think we can forget how important family in the wider sense is, and how necessary it is for our kids to see a little of themselves in others….both physically and personality wise….it sort of places them in the world. It’s also good to let go of the past and embrace the future….and to truly do this you do have to face the past first, incumbent as it can be with miscommunications and the baggage of our youth. Personally, I appreciate being part of a bigger family again and I appreciate that now I can be…..when all the threads come together a tapestry can be so lovely, and family is a lot like this…..

So as usual we packed a lot of layers into our moments and a lot of activity into our days…….even when we let go and try to be simple it seems we are overflowing with feeling and experience…..