Monday, July 22, 2013

Mother Nature Saves The Day


Today is Monday and Term 3 of School resumed today after a two week break. Except the darling children didn't return to School today because it was a Pupil Free Day, a fact that only came to my attention over the weekend. It was enough to make a grown woman cry!

We have had a wonderful two weeks together, let's just be clear about that. We have stayed home and not gone anywhere, which is quite rare for us. No road trips. The 4am Feed which I have been doing every night for the last 7 and a half months has caught up with me now and I really just wanted to take it easy. I'm tired. We have relaxed and had pyjama days and movie marathons. There has been UNO, Chess, dress-ups and we have played Monopoly until no one wants to be the Banker anymore. The boys have ridden every inch of the property on their bikes and the house has been turned upside down in an effort to create Forts befitting of each of the 4 Kids. The days have been fun but have also left me exhausted at the end of each day.

BUT, I thought they would be back at School today and as a result I was very much looking forward to having just a teeny little bit of solitude and uninterrupted conversations with baby Flynn. Did I mention I was tired?  The Kids also thought they were going back to School today so were disappointed to not be seeing all their friends. Cabin Fever set in this morning, as it always does in the last days of the School holidays regardless of how long or short the holidays are. So we decided to go for a walk to collect the mail. We have a Rivulet that runs through our property but it rarely flows. The above picture shows our usual walk through the Rivulet. It's a rare, once-a-year kind of event and after a couple of days of rain, it flowed today. And if there was ever going to be a day for it to flow, today was it.  








It was such a thrill for everyone.  Walking along the 100 year old Elm Trees with a little brook babbling along felt as if we were in the English countryside instead of our drought-ridden patch. We finished the afternoon with the obligatory Hot Chocolates and Marshmallows and it was declared the best day of the School holidays by far. I'm looking forward to a quieter week ahead even though I know I'll be sighing over the School Lunch Boxes first thing tomorrow morning.






Joining in this week with Maxabella Loves



35 comments :

  1. what a lovely little gully...did they gather rocks and try and make a dam? we used to do that at my grandmothers house, we spent hours down at her rainforest creek doing that (not all that successful, but it was great fun building them!)

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    1. They did Sharon, and they also made little boats that kept sinking but they just kept making more and more :-)

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  2. What a beautiful spot! I bet it was cold though! Those hot chocolates look so inviting right about now, we are freezing here in Canberra too! It sounds like you had loads of fun in the holidays but also that you are very deserving of a bit of rest and quiet now.

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    1. Hi Janelle, It was 11 degrees today so really not too bad. I lived in Canberra while I was at Uni so I know how cold it gets there! Here's to a quieter week ahead and thanks for stopping by :-)

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  3. Sounds like a lovely end to the holidays... getting outside in the fresh air is always the best remedy for cabin fever. Looks like such a lovely spot to walk too. Hope the school week goes smoothly... Grace's first day back is tomorrow for us. I'm not looking forward to having to get up earlier etc... has been lovely having lie ins lately and hanging around in PJs until later than normal :)

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  4. you're such a bloody fabulous mum x

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  5. I'm glad you were able to turn that last day from dreary to delightful!

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  6. It looks like a fun day out, messing about in the woods - and looks just like you've popped over to the UK! I have 2 children already finished for the summer and 1 little one with just a day to go - then six weeks off and a cricket tour to contend with! ;(

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  7. That does look like fun! I understand how you felt though; 22 days left for us...then we get back to normal. I'm just a little bit (okay, a LOT) excited to return to normalcy. :)

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  8. We re just about to start the long summer holiday in the UK, and while I look forward to it, I can completley empathise with the cabin fever thing. Olly used to wake severl times in the night until he was about two, and has only just started sleeping solidly for the past couple of moths. There is nothing like sleep deprivation.

    You sound like a fantastic Mum, Mel. Honest self-depreciating and hands-on. Your children are very lucky.

    Leanne xx

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  9. oh how i remember those days, is that snow in the creek?

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    1. It's just foam Lori. Nothing nasty, just formed naturally from the water mixing with all the leafy stuff. It does look like snow though. We don't actually get snow here, sadly. We've had a dusting once in the 7 years we've been here but it disappeared pretty quickly x

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  10. Good 'ol Mother Nature! I always felt a bit about school holidays as my mother reckons she does about house guests ... lovely to see them arrive and lovely to see them go.

    I really hope you can get a bit of rest this week x

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  11. Oh you do deserve a rest ... well done for keeping the little ones amused ... I am finding our holidays here much easier this year ... the sunshine makes it easy ... we still have six weeks of summer holiday left ... I have all my limbs crossed that the rain stays away ... Bee xx

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  12. It does indeed look like a walk through the walks in UK, except of course we have no elm trees left because they were decimated by Dutch Elm Disease. I think our brains wind down to a stop - the end of the holidays, a walk or whatever - and it's very disconcerting when the end point moves either way.
    Hope you get some rest.

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    1. Anne, we are very worried about our Elms too. The Elm Leaf Beetle arrived in Tasmania in 2006 and is slowly working it's way down to this part of the Island. It apparently doesn't carry the disease but it is just a matter of time and it will be a costly exercise to cure the disease once infected. The Elms are already looking sad because of the drought....

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  13. the one thing I don't really enjoy about winter- not being able to get out, enjoy the fresh air and go for a walk.
    it's been freezing here in Goulburn. x

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  14. It's certainly sounds like you managed to turn a potentially disastrous day into a complete winner. Being couped indoors is one if the hardest things and i have to confess that it's been one if my worste struggles since falling ill especially during school hols and not being able to get out and go for walks with the kids or just go to thd park. I love walking and always use to find that it just alters everyone's mood, sometimes not for the better I have to add. You sound like an amazing mum, our hols are about to start and we have six weeks, which is such a very long time! Lets hope the rain goes away. Enjoy your peace and quiet and I hope you can recharge those batteries xoxo

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  15. What a beautiful place to explore. My kids would simply go nuts over somewhere like that. Rest up sweet girl xx

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  16. Oh but I feel so thankful for the green summer here in the US when I look at your wintery pictures! But what a fun place to explore! :)

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  17. I read your blog often but this is the first time I have commented I think. The Winter school holidays are tough. I live in the Blue Mountains and it gets too cold somedays to get out and about. I keep a school holiday folder and every time I come across a good idea I pop it in. Then when we reach desperation stage, about the first Tuesday in the the holidays, LOL, we search the folder for ideas. Luckily we are only an hours train ride from Sydney which is a goldmine of stuff to do. I am also a teacher so I threaten the kids with school work if they start complaining about being bored.

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  18. That looks like so much fun. How wonderful to have such adventures on your own property!

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  19. Wow. Such a magical spot you have. I love exploring our land too, sometimes it's nice to see things from a different angle. I hope the kids are all settled into a nice routine now. xx

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  20. Sounds like a pretty perfect sort of day, relaxing and energetic at the same time!

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  21. How lovely. I crave for a more 'rural' lifestyle. It seems the city has become too fast paced for this old girl.

    This looks just lovely. :)

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  22. Seriously what kid opulent love a stream and woods like that to have fun in, explore and collect interesting nature bits and bobs in.

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  23. You know what, she always, always does.

    These shots are great. I want to come along with you. A stick and a creek and a couple of rugged up kidlets is heaven to me. x

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  24. Great shots! My kids just love playing in the creek behind our house!

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  25. There's nothing like a creek to keep kids happy. Mine spent hours damming and undamming our local trickle. As for the lunch boxes...I've started dumping it all on the bench and telling them to fill a bag with their foods of choice rather than the assembly line. It is the BEST thing about holidays!

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  26. Beautiful photos - I like the look of that hot chocolate! Hope the first week of term wasn't too painful for you all (I survived it too!!)

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  27. So glad you salvaged the day, Mel. If I'd known, I would have brought our tribe to visit yours! J x

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  28. Gorgeous photos Mel! It sounds like a lovely day - although I hope you're getting a bit of a break now :-)
    Sarah xxx

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  29. I know the feeling Mel! Thank goodness for the little river that sprung up. Quite a beautiful spot and I can only imagine how pretty it must be when those elms have their leaves. Though there is something starkly beautiful about them in their leafless state. Hope you were able to grab a bit of rest and quiet time the following day. I love the school holidays too, at least the start of them, but by the end I can feel a little worn down. It is then that I am most grateful for the hours they are at school!

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  30. Wow, what a place you live in! I know exactly what you mean - the holidays are special but the return to normality is equally welcome. Can I just say that your hot chocolate mugs are fabulous. xx

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