At the end of a Pier on the deepest Lake in Australia nestled within the pristine Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area sits the old Pumphouse. It has rarely been used since its construction in 1939 and was decommissioned in 1995. The Pumphouse and the main Substation at the edge of the Pier have remained derelict since then but are now about to be part of a very exciting Tourism Development. Building works have begun to turn these two buildings into a stunning boutique Hotel which will be sympathetic to their gorgeous Art Deco features as well as the surrounding natural beauty.
We have been very fortunate to have spent the last 4 days staying in the old Manager's cottage adjacent to the Substation before the site goes into full construction mode. The cottage will soon be the home of the new Hotel Manager.
To have a piece of World Heritage Area completely to ourselves was pretty amazing. But to have all of that without any of the additional 'white noise' was sheer bliss. No telephones, televisions, computers, ipads, iPhones, xbox, and more importantly, there were no requests for any of these things because the Kids knew they were not available. Honestly, 4 days under these conditions felt like 4 weeks and it was the perfect way to end the two weeks of School Holidays which were otherwise spent at home. If you asked me what I needed right now in terms of a getaway destination, this would be it - no noise, no people, just the 7 of us together with no outside distractions. It was completely wonderful.
We relaxed and took in the serenity. We enjoyed a spot of fishing and some bushwalks. We awoke to the sound of birds, watched the wildlife creep in at dusk and fell asleep to the sound of rain hitting the tin roof.
After some decent weather on our first day, the rain set in so activities turned indoors. There was a lot of tea and coffee drinking and board game playing. After dinner, I got a burst of inspiration being in a different kitchen and set the table for breakfast, something I have never done in 9 years of parenting. My Grandparents used to do this and my Grandpa still puts his bowl of porridge in the microwave the night before ready for the morning. I think I might make it a regular thing. The Kids were most impressed with my new organisational skills. "What are you doing Mum?". "I'm being organised gorgeous one, just humour me!".
On the third day of rain we had to spice things up a bit. The Kids had played countless games of Monopoly, Scrabble, Chess and Checkers and amongst the six of us every single permutation and combination of teams and players had been exhausted. But then someone designed the great Jenga Tower competition and this bought a few more hours of fun.
We went to the local Pub for dinner one night to play more games and sit by an even bigger fire. It was very child friendly and the food was fabulous, which was great because it is the only place to eat in the entire area. Everyone had a game of Pool, with even baby Flynn not wanting to miss out!
And I made a hat! Capucine. A simple but super sweet pattern that I decided to make with the remaining Noro Kochoran skein I had leftover from the cushion. I'm sure I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of striped clothing but this yarn is so luxurious and squishy with it's combination of Angora, Merino and Silk that I think I can make an exception for a hat. It is also so warm and came in very handy over the past few days. I'm a little bit in love with it actually!
Yes, I know it's just a hat but there has been very little action on the knitting front lately and it was such a joy to finally be able to sit down in the evenings by the fire and not only start something but also finish something in 2 nights. It has been an unusually busy School Term where the domestic stuff overwhelmed me and the majority of my days were spent chasing my tail but with the added frustration of the millions of interruption that go along with running a household of 7 people. So it may only be a little hat but it is an accomplishment nevertheless. My Ravelry notes are here.
We arrived home late last night full of happy memories. The Kids went back to School today and I can't believe there is only another 10 weeks left until the end of the School year. This will be the final 10 weeks of Kindy before the Twins start full-time school next year. A few months ago I would have gasped at that thought, the thought of my little boys being ready for "Big School". However, these past few days more than anything I've realised just how much they have grown up. They are more than ready. But first, let's just enjoy the post-holiday glow and get through the rest of this year.
