Happy ten year Anniversary to Mr Awesome and I!

And just between you and me I couldn’t think of a more lovelier place to celebrate it than alongside the the Pentecost River with the Cockburn Ranges as the back drop. Sure there will be no recommitment ceremony or party as I originally thought we would for this momentous occasion but it turns out I am more than ok with that.

This is day two at Home Valley Station and I am just loving it. This is exactly what I signed up for.

 In a bid to escape the crowds we elected to stay at the riverside campsite and in the generators allowed section. We are already working out that old Jenny is not necessarily appreciated by many so we figured that fewer people will be found where they are permitted. 

This meant we pretty much had the entire section to ourselves while up to ten other groups crammed in together on the other side. Totally winning.

As much as we had decided to be as far away as possible from the main homestead today being such a special day and all we figured it would be a good excuse to hang by the pool and go to dinner at the restaurant. It also provided me with the opportunity to catch up with some much over due washing.

Being the tropical kind of people that we are though and the weather being a good five degrees or more cooler than what we are acclimatised to the swimming part didn’t last too long. There was however a lovely playground that the children were happy to make good use of.

Dinner turned out to be a surprisingly expensive experience but this surprise may also have been on account of us not actually dining out all that often. Initially I was disappointed by the fact that kangaroo was not available that day. There was a rather deliciously sounding roo salad I was keen to try. My second choice was to have the barramundi, which normally I don’t do when eating out. Having had many a fresh caught one cooked at home rarely is it done better. This however was one of the rare occasions and oh my goodness it was just about the best tasting fish I have ever had the pleasure to put between my lips.

The real highlight of the night was the drive home. Not only did we get to see some wild dingoes on the road but the two little ones fell asleep on the way meaning there was no bed time fights! Which meant Mr Awesome and I had plenty of time to stare at the Milky Way and look for shooting stars.

Happy Anniversary indeed.

Hanging out at El Questro Station

Today saw us arrive at Home Valley Station. Situated approximately 120km south west of Kununarra along the Gibb River Road. It is full of wonder and beauty. We are in the riverside campground which means we over look the Pentecost River and Cockburn Ranges. Though before I tell you much about here it seems only right to fill you in on a where we were yesterday.

Yesterday (and a few days before hand) we were at the beautiful El Questro Station. Which is roughly about 30 kilometres from where we are now. I say roughly because essentially we are in the middle of no where and without any kind of internet or mobile coverage so I am just relying on my memory for most facts.

Being disconnected from the world at large is all kinds of awesome. Sure I miss having instant access to the wonders of Google but that is about it. The difference that it has made to Livvie is well worth it. I nearly fell off my chair the other day when she remarked how great it was to not have mobile coverage. Her reason being that without it there is so much less to worry about because you don’t need to keep checking your phone all the time to see what is happening.

Mind you when I asked her if that meant she no longer needed/wanted a phone her reply was a resounding no.

El Questro Station is a massive area of land that was once a pastoral lease. While there are still some 4000 head of cattle roaming the grounds it is primarily a tourist destination these days. At the information night on Monday I discovered that the company which owns the property is American. Had I have known this prior to arrival we quite possibly would not have arrived. Nothing irks me more than iconic Australian things being owned by the yanks.

Having said that though I am glad that we spent some time here. The country side is truly amazing. Even though we stayed for four nights there was a great deal that we didn’t get to see. Mind you the places we did go to were nothing short of breath taking.

The first afternoon saw us off on a sunset 4WD adventure to Saddleback Ridge. Teapot gave an insight to her adventurous side with her disappointment in not being able to go faster down the rather steep and rocky inclines.

The next morning we were up bright and early to venture off to Zebedee Springs. A thermal watering hole that was only open from 7am-12pm. In a bid to protect the delicate environment the powers that be have decide to restrict it’s opening hours to the public. As much as I am anti early morning this was well and truly worth the effort.

On the way home from the springs we discovered another 4WD track. This one lead to a place called Pigeon Hole Lookout. The view was beyond amazing. I am sure that the photos do not even come close to doing the reality justice.

This would have to have been some of the most intense 4WDriving that I have done. Thankfullly Patty handled it like a dream. Once we had gotten over some of the more hairy aspects of the road Mr Awesome asked if I was interested in having a drive, which delighted the girls no end. Just between you and me it made me pretty excited as well.

The next day was our gorge adventuring day where we decided to tackle El Questro Gorge. The signs had said that the first half was relatively easy and only about ab hour long. The second half was much more strenuous and at least another hour. 

We only ever intended to do the first bit but you know what happens o the best of intentions don’t you?

After about fifteen minutes of walking we passed a more mature couple on their way back to the car park. They informed us of how lovely it was but there was no way Teapot would have been able to make it past the first part.

Despite not having a single mouthful of food on us Mr Awesome heard that as a challenge to see just how far she could go.Which turned out to be about twenty minutes of before the end.

Oh me oh my were there some big old rocks for us to get through though.

Thankfully we had our camel packs with us and had plenty of water to keep us keeping on.

At the time I was a little disappointed with the end waterfall. The two big girls and I left Mr A and Teapot at a rather beautiful little place while we attempted to make it to the end of the walk. The last 30 metres were incredibly challenging. Especially since I missed the route markers showing the easy way. With hindsight and without exhaustion though I am able to say that I am glad we made it to the end. 

Days five to eleven

Day five.

So my writing every day has not exactly gone to plan. Which I am sure does not actually come as a surprise to anyone who knows me even a little.

It is currently day six and I have just written up day four. Clearly not all that much of a tragedy but I had expected to fall behind a bit later than this.

Crazily though as much as it has only been a day or two without writing I can barely recall exactly what we have done. Obviously my mind has had no troubles settling into holiday mode. In fact I have struggled to even recall what day it is.

View of Kununurra from a lookout just outside of town

Day Eleven.

So it’s been a while between drinks (posts). The whole writing every day thing has turned out to be a bit beyond my capabilities. When last we met it was day six and I was catching up on days four and five. Though I only got as far as a few paragraphs into day five before I was forced to make small talk with the mothers of some kids that Zany had befriended. Yes I know forced sounds a bit harsh but sometimes I feel that the whole human interaction thing to be a bit exhausting. 

On this particular occasion Zany had decided that she wanted to go back to the swimming pool with a boy that she had met there earlier in the day when Mr A had given me a bit of shush time and taken the girls for a swim. Despite just having settled down for some writing time I reluctantly agreed to escort her. I figured that could take the lappy down there and kill two birds with the one stone.

As it turned out that when we got there my mind went blanker than blank and I was unable to recall any events from the previous days. Though there were a small series of events that unnerved me  as I was setting myself up that may have had something to do with it. 

Things like when I dragged the plastic table over to the shade it lost two of it’s legs which meant it then became unbalanced. Which would not have been such an issue if I wasn’t juggling the lappy and a plastic cup of cider all while wearing a big floppy hat that greatly reduced my eyesight. Needless to say I managed to lose half my drink and a small amount of pride as I was certain that all in the area were watching and highly amused.

It just so happened the women that I was *forced* talk to (because despite trying to write I was the only that had been able to regularly keep track of where the children where hiding) were actually quite lovely and at various stages of adventures similar to ours. We ended hanging out at one of their vans later that afternoon to exchange tales and I was pleasantly reminded that despite being exhausting the whole human interaction thing was more often than not quite worth the effort.

Zany clearly does not share my feelings on making new friends and meeting people as she is constantly putting herself out there and chatting to anyone that will listen or pay her the slightest bit of attention. Teapot is much the same though a little slower of the mark and has told me a few times that she is actually a little shy. This is also short lived and before long you would thing she has known her new friends forever. When we left our campsite this morning she actually got a tad upset about the prospect of not seeing her friends, the kids from the next site over again.

Lovely on the other hand would not talk to a stranger if her life depended on it. The other night her and I went to an information night that was held at the station where we were staying. Halfway through this lovely young man child came and asked if the empty seat next to her was taken. Based on the look on her face I thought she was going to hyperventilate. Smiling at him I shook my head and told him he was welcome to sit with us.

Before long he started trying to make some small talk about how long we had been there for and what we had done that day. Turns out he had seen us during our gorge walk earlier that day. In order to break the uncomfortable silence that followed each question I felt obliged to answer. Lovely told me afterwards she didn’t feel the need to answer because I got in first but I really doubt that was the case. I joked me needing to leave the moment he sat down and the look in her eyes was one of pure fear.

Though truth be told gorgeous young boys from Switzerland are not really the friends I want to encourage her to be making. But that is probably just the over protective mother in me wanting to preserve my child's innocence forever coming out. While I didn’t find our his age he did seem a few years older than her and obviously a lot more confident and probably experienced if you know what I mean.

For now though I must leave it here. The sun has begun it’s descent and dinner needs to be cooked. 

Day Four

We tried to be up at the crack of dawn this morning in the hope of an early get away. Mr Awesome had hoped that we were on the road by 8 which I took as meaning 8.30. In reality it was a bit before 10 before we were on our way. 

Originally after Flora we were going to stay at Gregory National Park for a few days only our fresh food supply didn’t appear as if it was going to last long enough. Also another camper (one of the few that we saw I might add) mentioned that there had been a death in the area recently. So we powered on to Kununarra. Which also meant time to cross the border into Western Australia. This thought excited the girls no end.

I however was not as excited about the prospect. The distance was a fair bit greater than what I wanted to travel in one day. Mr Awesome tried to compensate by going faster only that made me rather uneasy as well. Turns out that day I had my fun spoiler pants on.

Thanks to the time difference between the states we turned our watches back by an hour and a half when we crossed over. This meant that despite our late departure we still arrived in the early afternoon.

Being the creature of habit that I am we decided to stay Kimberleyland Caravan park. A place that is familiar to us from the last time we were in the neighbourhood (about three years ago). The views across the Lake are kinda amazing and it is super kid friendly.

Once we were set up it was time to make a mad dash down to the local supermarket to gather some supplies for dinner. Cooking was the last thing on my mind but apparently even when on holidays the kids still expect to be fed.

Tonight’s cooking was particularly tricky because it was a one pot wonder. Mr Awesome had made the executive decision that we were not unpacking our entire kit and caboodle so all I had was a single gas burner and one pot to sort dinner. Thankfully Zany is a super thinker and suggested gold old spag bol.

Even though I had been here before I had totally forgotten that the sun sets ridiculously early. And by that I mean around six o’clock. The girls must all be running on a body clock that aligns with the sun because shortly after it went down every one was ready for bed. Early nights for the win though.

Snapshots of Us - Weeks 25 to 31

Gosh! Talk about along time between drinks. You will of course be forgiven for thinking that this little feature had gone behind the wayside. As you may well be aware there has been more than a lot going on the land of Rhianna.

For those who haven't been playing along since last I shared some Snapshots of Us I have had my kitchen removed. And a new one put in. Not to mention painted a whole heap of walls as well.

I also packed up the shoebox. Which involved a skip, a lawn sale and lots of donations to charity stores with the abundance of crap I seemed to somehow of gathered over the years.

In between all of that we moved Edna the caravan to my mother's driveway and took up residence there. But all of that makes for rather boring photos.

What doesn't make for rather boring photos though is what happened next.

Finally, only a week or so later than hoped for, we began #ouradventureofalifetime.

We have now been on the road for two weeks I still can't get over just how amazingly blessed I currently am.

I mean getting to spend 24/7 with Mr Awesome and the girls is blessing enough.

But in places like this...

Our first campsite at Flora National Park

Flora River

 ... makes it even harder to believe

Exploring Flora, looking for the boat ramp

Driving through a creek bed

Zany enjoying the view

Watching the sun set over El Questro

A beauty surrounded by beauty

Boab tree

Living the dream

El Questro

The view from Kimberleyland, our first stop over in Kunurra.

From giggles and laughter to the ending of worlds and the catching of fish

The morning started rather chillily. Thankfully we were all snuggled up under layers of blankets and donnas so didn’t notice too much until the need for a wee became to strong to ignore. 

Mr Awesome was super excited to get a chance to wear his new beanie. Being the tropical acclimatised people that we are beanie wearing is something we rarely get the chance to do. Upon stepping outside Edna however a fellow camper walked past in nothing more than a singlet and shorts. Needless to say Mr A decided he needed to toughen up and promptly threw the beanie back inside. He did not however remove either of the long sleeve garments he was wearing.

Truth be told though Mr A wasn’t the only one excited about the cooler weather and the clothes it allowed us to wear. I too had with great excitement whipped out my R.M. Williams jacket and boots. Sadly though I discovered that initially the jacket is quite cold to wear and needs to be worn for a few minutes to warm up. A mental note to purchase a thermometer was also made so in the future we can have more of an idea as to how cold it actually is.

The two little girls accompanied me on the toilet run and then hightailed it back inside Edna. Lovely had created a warm little haven and invited them to come and join her. The laughter and giggled that ensued warmed my heart endlessly and confirmed that this trip was exactly what we needed to strengthen our bonds.

Of course all is not always perfect. 

Listening to their giggles is what prompted me to start writing. By the time I got to the part about them giggling Teapot was standing next to me telling me that Lovely was being mean to her and destroying her world. 

And by that she meant her Minecraft world on the iPad. Sadly the girls are yet to grasp the lack of electricity and that electrical devices need to be used sparingly. As much as Edna has a battery and solar panels and all the rest of it, it is not to be used for charging toys. Well at least not their toys, it could be a different story when my toys go flat.

----------

I started writing this in the morning while drinking my coffee. Ironically when I came back to add more later that evening my laptop battery had mysteriously dropped from 88% to 12%. 

The rest of the day had gone rather enjoyably.

We wandered down to the river and read about the Aboriginal creation stories for the area. Which will be covered in a post all of it's own. From there we started walking down to the boat ramp only to decide it looked like a bit of a hike. So we turned around and returned with out bikes. Twenty minutes or so later we were rather glad to have made that decision. 

Another ten minutes down the road and there was still no boat ramp (or river for that matter) to be seen. Mr Awesome turned back with the girls in tow and I powered on through to see whether or not there was actually a boat ramp. 

There was and it was another ten minutes of rather fast riding away.

The seemingly elusive boat ramp. Doesn't look like fun thing to operate.

When I finally returned back to camp Mr A had the girls lined up to do a spot of fishing down on the river. Leaving me to sit under a shady tree and crochet in peace and quiet. Which was pure and utter bliss.

This is the life I have been dreaming of

The fishing expedition was not successful enough to feed us but it did leave one young lady rather pleased with herself.

Not nearly big enough for dinner, and somewhat
camouflaged in the photo, this little beauty
was thrown back in the river to keep growing

A bit bumpy, but all's well that ends well

By the time we reached Katherine Mr Awesome and I had decided that our best option was to bunk down in a motel for the night. Not exactly the start we were hoping for but the thought of unpacking everything just for one night was a little daunting. Especially since we were both on the verge of exhaustion and running on empty. By not having to pack everything up the next day we would be able to get the elusive early morning departure.

As it turned out staying in accommodation for the night was the best idea we could ever had had.

Shortly before we arrived at our destination Zany started to mention that she felt a little unwell. Being the parents of the year that we are we paid her no heed at put it down to motion sickness and staring at her iPod screen for too long. By the time we were checked into our room and showering for dinner Zany was curled up in a ball and fast asleep. 

Hearing the chatter about our options for tag teaming for dinner though she woke up and declared she was feeling well enough to come with us. Sadly her recovery was only short lived and before we had even ordered she was asking to return to the room. 

Mr Awesome left me to order and escorted her back. By the time he returned my stomach had decided to go out in sympathy with Zany’s and I was forced to make a quick departure. Before long I was curled up fast asleep as well hoping that the little food I had managed to consume would stay put. Sadly it was not to be though.

What ensued felt like one of those nights that just never seems to end. If I was jumping out of bed to race to the bathroom for my own needs then a child was calling out across the room asking for a drink or something or other.

So much for our early morning getaway.

Shortly after 7.30 I gave up with trying to rest and decided to face the day. Zany was feeling marginally better than the night before which was pleasing. I felt almost human which was even more pleasing. Sadly though Mr A was not feeling so crash hot.

Eventually we managed to sort ourselves out enough to hit the road. Knowing that we only had about a two hour drive made things easier. We had decided to head to Flora National Park. It is situated about 135 km southwest of Katherine. 

We arrived just before lunchtime. Though because we had skipped breakfast everyone was ravenous. Unpacking as quickly as we could, it wasn’t long before Lovely was in charge of cooking some sausages. For some reason though by the time they were cooked everyone’s hunger had somehow disappeared. Apparently a stash of mandarins had been located and devoured while they waited for the snags to cook.

Mr Awesome then took the two little girls to get firewood and I used it as an opportunity to catch up on some of the sleep I had missed during the night. It never ceases to amaze me how that the girls always prefer to ask me the questions over their dad. Even if it means waking me while he is sitting there bright eyed and bushy tailed.

Once I came to terms with the fact that I was still not go to get any sleep we headed down to the river for a bit of a gander. Unfortunately it is populated by crocodiles so swimming is out of the question. As is the inflatable canoe and dingy.

By the time we returned from our little walk it was time to start dinner. A nice and easy pasta, that halfway through cooking Zany informed me she would not eat on account of not liking it. Which apparently she has told me on numerous occasions so why do I not remember these things? 

Ah well, I don’t remember these things because last time I cooked it (not two weeks ago as well) she hoed into it like there was no tomorrow. Which normally I would not be bothered about in the slightest but I had not accounted for eating any this day as I thought she didn’t like it!

Kids huh?

I momentarily contemplated reminding her of all this but then couldn’t be bothered. It was just as easy to open a tin of spaghetti and give that to her. Which with her upset tummy still threatening to explode seemed like a much more feasibly option than a rich and creamy pasta.

After dinner Mr A lit the fire and the girls found sticks for toasting marshmallows on. Suddenly it felt like we really were on holidays.

And we are off!

After what feels like forever we are finally on our way! What started as a pipeline dream that I never really expected to come to fruition has actually began.

As I type we are heading down the Stuart Highway with Edna in tow and packed to the hilty. We have been on the road for all of an hour but that is only a minor detail. The headline is that we are actually on the road and #ouradventureofalifetime has officially begun.

The last few weeks, and especially the last few days feel like they have been an endless battle of that have seen us running round in circles chasing our tails. It just felt like despite being constantly busy we weren’t actually achieving anything. The fact that the things we had to achieve were incredibly tiresome didn’t make matters any easier.

Thankfully though that is all behind me now. There are no toilets, showers, walls and floors  that need scrubbing so they look like new. Nor are the mountains of clothes and toys that need to be culled and re-homed. Instead all that lies before me is the freedom of the open road.

Kind of.

The freedom of the open road is currently hindered by a convey of American Army vehicles that appear to be in even less of a rush than what we are.

The convey we were stuck behind for far too long

At this point we haven’t decided on where our first night will be. It was so exhausting trying to squeeze in all that we thought we needed that Mr Awesome and I have contemplated staying in a motel tonight. Especially since we didn’t finish squeezing till nearly midnight and got up before the crack of dawn to tie up all the loose ends we hadn’t got around to.

As lovely as Edna is she is not without faults. The main one being it is very much a case of unpacking everything if we want to have a sleep. If only we had of thought things through a bit more we probably wouldn’t have sold our tent the moment we got Edna.

The fact that it was nearly lunch time before we actually managed to get away doesn’t help case either. The thing about the Territory is that there is lots of nothing. Lots of long empty roads with not a town or a place to stop to be seen. 

We had hoped to get at least past Katherine on the first day. Generally about a three hour drive. Given our excessive weight and a desire to not go fast, not too mention the aforementioned traffic, it will probably take about four hours today.

For now we will just wait and see how everyone is when we get there. While we are in no rush and plan on spending a few days at every stop we have been to Katherine plenty of times before. As far as it might be from home it is still a little too close to let us really feel like we are away.

Surrounded by a crowd for a quiet moment for me

Sounds crazy I know, submersing yourself in a crowd in a bid to find some peace and quiet but given how crazy life feels at present it actually seems to make perfect sense. Well to me at least. 

As I type this I am sitting on my Pat Malone on a soon to be crowded beach. There are already a quite few others wandering down, dinner in hand, to watch the amazing view unfold before their very eyes. 

Normally I would avoid here like the plague. The crowds of people ambling through the market stalls puts me on an edge I would rather not be near. Tonight though my inner being pleaded to get away from normality. So here I am. 

The Mindil Beach Sunset Markets are somewhat of an institution in Darwin. They rate highly on the tourists must see list and are apparently world renowned. 

Given that this time next week we are supposed to be on the road I figured I should head down one last time before we go. Soak up the unique atmosphere of multiculturalism blending together to create a harmony found in few other places. The fact that Mr Awesome said he would hang at home with the two little ones made it all the more appealing. 

I am not coping well with the whole getting ready leave thing at all. Not even a little. 

We already have a lot less money than we had expected. Getting the house ready has been more expensive than we had thought. Which frustrates me no end. It was fine for us to live in why can't it be fine for someone else to live in?

Deep down though I know the answer. It was fine for us because we were paying off our mortgage. Who ever lives here next will also be payin off our mortgage. Of course we should make it a but nicer for them. 

The sun is now even closer to hitting the water. The crowds of people on the sand has nearly tripled since I sat down. I find the hoards of people stumbling over the soft sand dunes midly amusing. Cameras in hand to take the perfect shot of the setting sun. Anyone would think it is a once off event never to be repeated again. 

I will slip away from the beach before the golden ball meets the water. Getting something for dinner will be easier while the masses wait for darkness to descend. Plus tonight is an unusually cloudy evening. Making the view not as spectacular as some I have seen. 

Dinner consists of a Thai pawpaw salad. One that is a little too chilli for my liking but what can you do? At least there was no cooking on my part nor dishes to be done. The burning in my mouth will justify the ice cream I will seek before my solitude it brought to a halt and I am forced to return to the normality of my life. 

Getting closer

Sigh.

My head is all over the place.

I have been trying to write this post since Monday afternoon. I have hoped to have something ready for Tuesday so I could join in with IBOT over at Essentially Jess. Obviously though since it is now Thursday and still not written that did not work out so well for me.

Double sigh.

When last we met I was explain how the crazy times were just getting crazier. I was also still ever so patiently waiting for my kitchen to be installed.

Since then the crazy seems to have multiplied even more, I do however almost have a new kitchen. The cupboard shells are in and the bench tops are sitting in place. They are not yet attached or have spaces for the sink or cook top to go but they are only minor details. I am most certainly a lot closer to having a functioning kitchen than what I have been for a very long time.

Mind you it is not a kitchen I will get to use while it is still newer than new. Which I must admit I am a bit bitter about because it looks all kinds of awesome. Even half finished it looks awesome. A kind of awesome that I never really expected to have I might add. Though it has also end up costing a little more than what was expected. I complain not though because it has still been a lot cheaper than what it could have been.

Crazy times just getting crazier

With work well and truly down with now all my spare time can be directed towards the final stages of house packing and renovating. Though even just typing that out leaves me feeling slightly exhausted. There is just so much to do and be done.

The kitchen has not progressed since we last met. Well that is not exactly true, the walls have changed colour but that is about it.

Halfway through packing up on the weekend Mr Awesome and I realised that the walls just and to be painted. You know because we didn't already have enough to do. Anyways since we are still waiting to have the kitchen installed it seemed to make sense to get the kitchen walls out the way now.

A quick trip to our local hardware store and and even quicker stay in the paint aisle and before we knew it two cans of paint and a whole heap of painting paraphernalia were on the way home with us.

Now if I was a good home renovations blogger I would be able to tell you what flash and fancy names were on the paint tins. Instead all I can say is they are a lovely shade of yellow and very very light blue.

The kitchen is a pretty simple and white so I am hoping it will blend well with the yellow walls. As much as everyone who walked into my old red kitchen said it was awful I really loved the brightness of it all. Hence the yellow walls.

Fingers and toes crossed that as you are reading this my lovely kitchen boy is busily installing my kitchen. With less than two weeks till are planned departure date it feels like we are quickly running out of time.

Our beds and most of the stuff we plan on keeping have now been safely popped into storage (mental note I must still sort insurance). There are so many thoughts buzzing round my head that sometimes I find it hard to keep track of them. Nothing really new there I know, but this time round they are all kind of important.

Since all our prized possessions are packed away and we have no workable kitchen we have decided to move Edna to mum's and take up residence there. It also gives us a chance to start packing Edna and work out what fits where.

Exciting times abound.

Joining in the IBOT fun with EssentiallyJess