my-speck

i'm pregnant and it's going to be a rollercoaster

Girraween … May 30, 2012

Filed under: camping,family,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 2:47 pm
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Girraween National Park, on the border of QLD and NSW, south of Warwick, was the destination for our camping trip last weekend.

It was great.  Lovely crisp days with amazingly blue endless skies.  Freezing cold (like minus 3 or something) nights.  We were joined by some great friends, and did some wonderful walking on both days.  The photo below is up at the top of The Pyramid.  It is a steep climb/walk straight up a granite-faced rock.

 

Did I ever mention that I’m not so keen on heights?  Not petrified, but not enamoured with them either.  Climbing up for me was a big challenge.  I don’t like going up steep inclines where I feel one false move could mean I slip to my death.  Which is a bit of an exaggeration really, as the granite face of the rock is really grippy and if you fell you’d probably just end up with a lot of gravel rash.   But nonetheless, rationality doesn’t come into it all that much for me when I’m trying to climb.  Going down is fine.  I can see where I’m going to fall then so it’s not an issue.  Figure that.  Anyway, with a lot of support and encouragement (and assistance by handing the baby in the backpack right on over to G for the full trip up and down) I made it all the way up and that is us on top.  Glorious!

 

at the top of the rock - The Pyramid - Girraween National Park

It was absolutely freezing at night, and little Miss L came down with a bad case of gastro which made nights in the tent (wearing all our clothes and with limited bedding) pretty tricky (you can see where I’m going with this but I’ll spare you the details), but the days made up for it.

Yay for camping!

🙂

love M

P.S. and we still use our macpac backpack all the time – I just got another one so we can do stuff like this and carry both kids at once. wonderful.

 

Camping. Well, glamping. In a new tent. Hurrah. January 13, 2012

Filed under: activities for kids,camping,Parenting,Raising a Child — rakster @ 2:38 pm
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One of the first things we did after meeting (nearly 12 years ago now) was to go camping.

And one of our first purchases together was a tent.  We spent hours choosing a tent together.

I remember the occasion like it was yesterday.

 

I wanted a tent that would have enough room in the front vestibule that you could cook a meal, sit on the ground and hang-out if it just poured for the days you were camping.  Chris wanted a tent that you could almost/mostly stand up in.  We had very limited funds.  And no car: so whatever camping we were doing was by public transport or the generosity of friends.

 

Our first trip we lugged the new tent (more…)

 

camping – yay! October 31, 2011

We had a lovely weekend away at Lake Cootharaba – camping at Boreen Point.

Oscar ran wild through the bush around the campsite with the other two year old

Bush play – camping at Boreen Point

sparklers at dusk

and the two babes slept like the proverbial babes.

sleeping like babes in the bush

I enjoyed a swim and an unplug.  Mmmmm.

 

Beach Escape: Bliss June 6, 2011

Filed under: activities for kids,camping,family,Parenting,playing,swimming,walking — rakster @ 1:07 pm

Hello!

We had a wonderful getaway at the beach for the weekend – last getaway before the new baby arrives.  Time to chill, play, dig in the sand, walk, swim and just relax.

(more…)

 

Attack of the killer leeches: Bad Parent of the Day Award? March 20, 2011

Hello!

 

We braved the rainy weather this weekend and headed out to a friend’s bush block – about 2 hours drive from Brisbane, he has a little basic wooden hut on a co-op property in Northern NSW.   We figured that we had planned to get out of the city, and rain shouldn’t stop us as we had our wet weather gear.

 

So we suited up and ventured out into the wild:

Ready for exploring in the rain

(more…)

 

Camping! Hurrah!!! May 9, 2009

Filed under: camping,pregnancy — rakster @ 9:56 am
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Good morning big Speck!

We left yesterday and are now here, sitting in the front awning of our tent, looking out over the trees with a hint of blue sea beyond. The bush turkeys are pecking around, hoping for some of the custard apple I am having for breakfast. It’s threatening to shower again – it rained most of last night, thankfully starting in earnest only after we’d managed to get the tent up and had just sat down with a bowl of dinner.

It is a bit of a sodden mess around the tent but the beach is beckoning and I’m going to go for a walk after I’ve lazed about some more. and guess what? That means that you’re going for a walk on the beach too!

 

grumpy and emotional February 1, 2009

Hi Speck,

I am grumpy and emotional today.  Your dad is really annoying and has yelled at me and made me cry.  And I told him I hated him.  Which I don’t.  But I was upset at the time.  Anyway.   Hopefully it will abate by tomorrow.  If its not all your dad’s fault it must be all your fault.  Not mine at all.   (kidding).

Otherwise.  It has been very busy here over the past few days.  Your Aunt 3 arrived on Thursday night and has been staying, and then Aunt 2 & D arrived for a night on Friday, and your dad came home too.  So there was a full house and we had a big breakfast all together in the garden yesterday morning before I headed off to yoga again and Aunt 2 & D went on their way.  They took away the little green car that your Dad and I bought when we were both at university and had been going out for just over a year.  It was a bit of a funny feeling to see it go.  Your dad lived at the Gold Coast and I lived in Brisbane when we first met, so we were forever catching the train and bus to each-others houses for the weekend and during the week, and borrowing cars whenever we could.  But it was a lot of travelling, so we looked forward to getting a car together.  Your Grandad lent us the money and we bought the little green car after a month or so of research.   It had been owned by an old lady and not driven much, and was in pretty good condition.  Anyway, 7 years, lots of camping, shopping, holidaying and general driving around later, it got retired a few months ago when we got a new second-hand car.  Not in your honour, we’d planned to anyway, but the new car has air-con (essential in Brisbane with a kid) and is bigger and has 5 doors so easier to get you in and out of.  So not sad to lose the old green car, but a little nostalgic.  We gave it to your Aunt 2 & Aunt 3 for Christmas.  Hopefully your Aunt 3 will get her licence so she too can drive it.  ‘Cause we don’t actually drive all that much, we tend to bike and walk quite a bit and bus and train and what not, although its pretty old now it doesn’t have many kms on it, so they might get some good use out of it.   See, I am somewhat emotional for some reason.

Yoga makes me feel a bit better – its been really nice this week to finally be able to get off my bum and do some exercise after being chair-bound for the past few weeks with my ankle.   Its making me feel more like a human and less like a lump that is incubating an alien and getting fatter by the day.   Its a strange feeling to be getting big – exciting cause I’m growing with you, but scary at the same time as I need to start thinking about the fact that while the fact that you’re getting bigger is good, the bigger you get the harder it is going to be to get you out.   I have started reading the Janet Balaskas New Active Birth book more earnestly than my previous cursory glances.  And have found a few places in Brisbane that offer Active Birthing classes for me, you and your dad to go to before you’re due to come out.  So we can practice and learn more about it.  I think we’ll book in for some soon.  Your dad is keen too.

your home - week 19

your home – week 19

Yesterday was pretty active.  Yoga, then me, your Dad, Aunt 3 and Deano went snorkelling at Gordon’s bay.   Your Aunt was very excited to see some Groper as long as her arm.   It was pretty cold in the water though, apparently there was a north easterly swell which brings cold water from somewhere.  A bit brisk.  But beautiful  – blue and aqua-green and a lovely day at the beach.   We then went for lunch & GOOD icecream at Pompeii’s in Bondi Beach.     Mmm.  I definitely need a new icecream maker though.  Mine just isn’t working as it should.  Not freezing properly anymore.

Cokemeister came for dinner and your dad made lovely moroccan fish with a rub he made and some hommus and a fennel and cabbage salad.  Yum.  And a berry (strawberry, raspberry and blueberry), biscotti and hot chocolate sauce thing for dessert.  Very replete.

Hope you’re well and not picking-up my grumpy vibes.

love you

mum