the end of an era: packing up our home

It's D Day. 

Today the packers arrived and all our belongings are being thrown (or gently placed, rather) into boxes. I spent the morning at the house while our big kids played at a friend's place. On last count my humble little kitchen was packed in to 12 or so big boxes. I can't believe it! 

Today I woke up strangely calm. I'm not sure there's a lot more we could have done to prepare for the move and it gave us a great excuse to throw away more stuff! 

Well, you may not have been the prettiest home. You weren't mould or dust free and you'll need a big renovation before another family can move in but then again, house, you were our home. Our children may not remember living there but their early years were spent digging in the dirt, jumping on the trampoline, cuddling the guinea pigs and chasing the chooks in the backyard. You were a place we felt comfortable and a place where we could be us. From this house we were a few minutes to half a dozen of Sydneys finest beaches, bushwalks &  cafes. 

If you had the time you could look beyond the peeling paint & find the character of our home with its decorative ceilings & Roman-arched bathroom. I'm so pleased we had five of the best years in that place. 

We're going to miss our neighbours and the other firm friends we've made. We've made lifelong friendships and some of these people plan to meet us on the road which is exciting!  

the big lap: ticking boxes

21 December, 2014: 

I wrote this post a few weeks ago....

We've ticked off a few jobs this past fortnight. Considering we leave in three weeks it's probably a good thing! 

We've put our car on the market which is fairly sad. We bought the VW van three years ago and just love it but we can't tow with it so sadly she has to go! Fingers crossed for a quick sale!

A fortnight ago B and I went in to the school of Distance Education where we met with Bs new teacher. She'll send us work fortnightly including the materials needed to complete tasks. I'm so impressed with this system. As many of you know I'm a teacher and anxious that B doesn't miss out on formal education. Some of you may not know but our NSW curriculum is on a continuum so it's important children don't miss chunks of work as it may mean they don't grasp concepts further down the track. 

I'd like to hear from any other families doing distance Ed. There is a lot of work to get through - as much as there'd be in any classroom - but there will be many distractions on the road. I like the idea of doing work early in the morning after brekky so we can get on with the day. I could coincide this with the baby's sleep because I'd have to be at the van anyway. Watch this space!

We're having a little get together with a few friends early in January before we go. It's going to be sad to say goodbye but we'll be back!

Here's another little thing I did this week. 

My friend Kate is a Tupperware consultant and I've bought a few lightweight, compact containers & useful kitchen equipment for the trip. You can just imagine how excited I am about getting the kitchen sorted! 

Yesterday our annexe was ordered! J drove to Calga to Express Annexes. For some reason the caravan company couldn't give me the dimensions of the van including the awning so he had to take the caravan too. Winston talked him through all the options - fabrics, colours, layout etc. Winston has been recommended by a few people onFacebook forums and he's been great. We were conscious that we wanted to use quality products and Australian canvas. http://www.expressannexes.com.au

Finally, our removal date has been confirmed and we'll be out of this house before the 10th January! We can't quite believe it. I must remember to inform the utility companies! While we won't miss aspects of this house, namely the deteriorating interior, it has been a great house for kids. We are close to J's work, the local shops and school, preschool and so many great beaches! The yard has been perfect for the kids, chooks & guinea pigs. Our children have spent their infancies here and I've been pregnant with two of them in this house so it will always hold special memories for us.  

overnight trip: Lane Cove National Park

November 10, 2014: I just can't believe it's taken us this long to visit Lane Cove National Park! The park is only about 35 minutes drive from where we live so we decided it would be a great option for a one-nighter in the caravan while we're learning the ropes.

Our kids are making themselves at home in the new caravan.

As well as being so accessible from the city (Sydney) the other beauty is that, once there, in the bush, you can forget that you are close to the city at all!

The flannel flowers are out in full bloom at the moment and the forest is full of Xanthorrhea Australis' (grass trees). 

Lane Cove River Tourist Park 

Upsides

* The river is a short, easy walk from the caravan park. You can meander along the banks of the Lane Cove River or pack a picnic & have lunch at any of the many picnic areas along the riverside. You can access these by car too in a day trip. 

* The caravan park is surrounded by bush. 

* The amenities in the park are clean and there is a small playground. 

* Powered and unpowered sites are reasonably priced. See the website for details.

Downsides 

* If you've promised your kids a swim in the pool you need to know that it is unheated. You'd probably rather get out and walk instead of being stuck by the pool anyway! 

Tip:

* The CP is spread over a large area. You could end up with a site at the top of the park but I'd recommend asking for a site with a view of the bush to take full advantage of the surrounds. 

And who says you can't eat well when you're on the road? well we fired up the Weber for the first time and this was our smorgasbord: steaks (thank you Millin's Fine Food Butcher for the 8 week aged steaks) on the bbq with homemade sauerkraut (remember this?); a beetroot, avocado and carrot leafy salad dressed with lime juice & olive oil; snappy blanched beans & asparagus with lime juice, salt, pepper & olive oil. The kids had beef chipolatas with the salad and veg.

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October 2014: Melbourne to Sydney

Some of my loyal readers have been sent here from my Miss May Blossom blog or Facebook page. How ever you've come to find me, welcome! You'll notice that I have a keen intersperse in food but this is interspersed with other things and will definitely include travel now that we've finally hit the road!

This is a post from October 30th which will give you a bit of background but I'll elaborate more in future posts. As we've just unhitched for our first night of our big lap of Australia I'll have a little more time. 

I'd love to hear your stories of travelling through Australia so please feel free to share! 

October 30, 2014: t's been busy busy week for us. We collected our Elite Caravan & stayed two nights in it in Melbourne before heading back to Sydney.

I have to admit that I was surprised that our favourite meal of the week away (including the food around Fitzroy) was dinner at the Snowy Mountains Historic Bakery in Orbost. These guys opened in Orbost a few months ago from the Mornington Peninsula & I just hope they do well. 

When I hear "Woodfired Pizza" I expect gourmet. The seafood was fresh and local and gorgeous! Can you see the sea veg? 

They don't just make bread and pizza. I picked the winner! This was my fritto misto with flash fried prawns, mussels, scallops & topped with sea veg which is farmed locally in Newmerella. I can't describe how satisfying this meal was!

And before we left town the following day we grabbed coffees (great!) and an organic sourdough loaf! 

Orbost is on the Snowy River Cycling Rail Trail. I'd love to hear from anyone who has been on the trail which includes sections of track along the old rail bridges. It would be a beautiful ride.

We had a quick overnight stay on the family farm in Tanja on the way home and stayed with friends further north. And we ate dinner on the van two nights ago because we can't get enough. Ask us if we feel the same in a year after our big lap!

P.S. I have to add that the Orbost Caravan Park was a great spot to stay. Greg was very welcoming. An added bonus to the clean amenities block was a bath (at waist height) for the kids which our littlest boy loved. 

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