Well now hello....

It has been aaaaages since writing here. The last time I can see was way back in Darwin days when I was relatively fresh in the pregnancy of our fourth child. Boy did that hit me like a tonne of bricks. Not the falling pregnant part, as each baby of ours has come when we planned (literally first go each time....too much detail?) but the caring for the 3 other very very needy siblings while mama was sick as a dogg for 6 months. Really, I do get that sick. It is oure insanity that I went back each time again and again. Insanity of really just loving pregnancy and babies and happy families - that was my motivation.

So 2 years has past - yep - those 2 years I just buckled down and looked after everyone, all while moving yet again each 12 months in between. So we have gone from Darwin, to Brisbane and now to Melbourne.

Life is so different here. I never thought i'd truly feel it but I miss Darwin so much. I miss the lifestyle and the relaxation and the beauty of the landscapes. I miss being able to swim everyday.

Melbourne right now I have to say I am not a big fan of. I really am trying to get my head around how long it takes to get places...and then how cold and rainy it is all the time, everything is so expensive - hardly anything kid friendly and free to do. There's cool stuff to see but I guess I am living in a different fram of mind. So I am trying to see past all of what I am perceiving as negative. I am learning to embrace the changes. We did spend a lot of time visiting the snow this past winter and that was incredible. The children are really so lucky to have experienced so many different climates and natural beauties in all the different locations we have lived. (I always say we are like the travelling families who pack up everything and go around the place in caravans - except we just live everywhere in normal houses for 12 months everywhere we visit - packing and moving is sooo stressful!)

We also visited the amazing 12 Apostles during the last school holidays. We spent 3 days camping at Johanna Beach. 3 days doesn't seem like much but it was just a quick trip in between Johnny's flying. I loved loved loved this camp spot. It was right on the beach but next to incredible hills and country paddocks full of sheep and cows. We went walking at night hunting for crabs and building sandcastles in little rock caves with the children. During the day the weather was sunny for day 1 and we just walked and played along the beach setting up camp. The children played chicken against the waves....oh my goodness this water may aswell have had icicles floating in it. It was like the antartic! Asher accidently got dunked by getting toppled over in the waves at one point as he was standing on the waters edge. It was hilarious and thankfully he tought it was too, although freezing!!

We drove down to the 12 apostles on day two. The children were really sick of driving and didn't find the huge gigantic rocks in the ocean as spectacular as we did. But in the end they made their own fun down by the bay of one of the beaches in between the rock formations. We saw a huve blow hole too - something I had never seen before. The whole area is breath taking. Next it was Port Campbell for fish and chips. That was a suprise - I just thought it was a country town nearby but it was a beach with spectacular views and scenery.

On our trip home to Melbourne we returned via The Great Ocean Road again. I can't begin to talk all about the memories we made on both car trips down and back. Too much fun and too much "folk of the faraway tree" on the stereo.