Checking out NSW inland roads that we haven’t travelled!

We all felt better after a better night’s sleep.  I wouldn’t call it brilliant but anything is an improvement.  Now if we can just have some warmer mornings so that Hamish isn’t waking up at 5am cold.  Realistically if we just set the timer on the air-con/heater then that would probably solve the problem!  At least with the early wake up we are hitting the road at a reasonable time without even trying.  The destination for today is Tamworth which is a place we wouldn’t have stopped in but it is time for my next ultrasound so we needed to find a place big enough to do it and Tamworth was close enough. 

Another narrow bridge.

The drive from Bingara to Tamworth was really scenic and none of the photos I took do it justice.  I think we will be making this trip another time, to come and check out some more of the towns along the Fossickers Highway.  We arrived in Tamworth around 10am and check in was a breeze at the City Lights Caravan Park.  They are a bit out of town but they were so much cheaper than the others in closer who seemed to want a ridiculous amount considering it isn’t school holidays.  Again they didn’t allocate us a site and again we did three laps trying to pick a good one.   Maybe in future I should just tell them to give us a site as we take too long to pick!  They said that we could just make any site a drive through one as they aren’t that busy so that made it a lot easier to park and set up. 

Another pretty little NSW town.

The bright yellow fields were cool to see.

We then chilled for a bit, did some school, chilled for a bit more, more school then lunch and so on.  Eventually though we did head out into town but with no intention to really see anything as we have done it all before.  So we found a really beautiful coffee shop (yes surprise, surprise) and enjoyed an ice-coffee and cake outside in their garden area.  Such a beautiful little spot and we would recommend this place to anyone.  Then it was back home to finish of school, but of course we didn’t as we didn’t have white paint.  Yes lame excuse really but neither Jason nor I were really in the mood for doing more. 

Enjoying our treats.

Beautiful outdoor garden setting.

The front of the coffee shop.

That night we hired two DVDs and had a movie night with something new.  We really are getting into a lazy little routine, but it seems to be suiting us well and it saves us from rushing around everywhere.  I wish I could say Monday was a lazy day but it was quite the opposite as we had a fair bit to get through and I had my 18-20 ultrasound too.  The day started out so beautifully though with Hamish waking up (not so early) and calling out for Dad and saying they had to make me breakfast in bed.  It was so sweet but of course as I was awake I could hear everything but Jason did get up and help him and when Hamish saw my eyes were open he informed me that I was meant to be asleep. 

Once we were all up and had finished breakfast I sat down and did some school with Hamish whilst Jason took Kayla outside so she wasn’t distracting us.  Hamish even wanted to go and help hang out the washing rather than sit down and do school.  Really I think he just wanted to go outside on his scooter.  I then took Kayla to do the food shopping whilst Jason and Hamish did the on-air lesson and I was so happy to see them both smiling when I got home.  Jason said that Hamish did really awesome and did everything that was expected of him so we were both extremely proud of him and that it is all starting to click. 

I then had to duck off to my ultrasound in town which I was a bit nervous about after the issues with the 12 week one.  However I did not need to worry as it was all good and apart from thinking that I thought my baby looked more like an alien than anything (which I have always thought of with the pictures of the faces) I was relieved to hear that all was looking good.  So back off to the caravan I went and Jason said he was getting worried that I was gone for so long but of course they had been running late and I had text messaged him but he had my phone on silent so he didn’t hear.  Yes we had swapped phones as he is out of data download for the month and so I leant him mine so he could watch the US men’s final in tennis.  Total raw end of the deal for me as I was then stuck in a waiting room with nothing to do!

We all had some lunch before heading out to take the kids to a playground.  What we did find was part of the botanical gardens that had a free marsupial park which was way better than a playground.  The kids had fun checking out all the birds, hamsters, rabbits and kangaroos.  There were even chess boards and a large sandpit.  At the moment it looks like they are building an adventure playground so once that has been opened the place would really be a hot spot for families to come and spend a morning or afternoon at.

Chatting to the local wildlife.

Having a game of chess with Dad.

Kayla enjoying the sandpit.

From there we ducked into the shops to get some stuff we needed for school and more pregnancy vitamins, and then it was home to the caravan to do the last school session of painting and then some relaxing.  Of course relaxing is always disturbed by the kids wanting something or Hamish’s being scared in the van when left alone.  Then it was a matter of preparing for dinner and packing up to move on tomorrow.  We want to get about 3 hours down the road which is about 3 ½ in caravan speed but we will have to stop for Hamish’s on-air lesson and then his reading assessment so it is going to take us a long time to actually make our destination.  It will be nice to have the two weeks school holidays to not having to plan our travel around the on-air lessons and just get from A to B but really it just takes a bit of thought process to make sure you are going to be in mobile reception in time.

More beautiful drives.

The view from our campsite in Tamworth

Jason and Kayla enjoying happy hour.

Well we were on a roll getting going from Tamworth and managed to get away just after 7am.  From there it felt like the morning went downhill really.  Of course the navigator in the car wanted to take us the long way to Mudgee, which was two hours longer then what I knew google maps would take us.  Then of course google maps isn’t working on my phone at the moment so we went with Jason’s but his data usage is already maxed out again.  I had a map in the car but it was obviously not very detailed and has a few roads missing, so we took a scenic route through a town that we really didn’t need to and obviously that ate up all the extra time we had from leaving early.

Still we didn’t get lost and we made it to Premer in time to do Hamish’s on-air lesson.  Kayla actually fell asleep on the way there so she slept for the first half of the lesson and then in the second half I took her out to the playground.  It was at least safe from the swooping magpie as it was under a shade cloth.  As soon as the lesson was over we were back in the car and had to make it to Coolah for Hamish to have a reading lesson.  That was a disaster as we had a harder, higher level book to try but he just wasn’t interested in even trying and kept looking for me to read it to him rather than attempt to sound it out and use the pictures as a clue.  Hopefully if we keep working on it we can get him reading better before his next assessment.  It will help if we make the assessment earlier and we pick a day that we are not travelling and rushing around on to try and have him focused and ready to at least try.  Still I was quite disheartened about it all for a while but I know with lots of practice and patience like the sight words we will get there.

Now as for the scenery whilst we have been driving today, pretty much all of it hasn’t been on the smaller roads and we have just been in awe of how beautiful the country side has been through here.  Then there are all the little towns that have so much character.  I really think you could spend a long time driving through the countryside in western NSW and by mainly taking the costal route you are missing out on all these hidden little beauties.  I tried to take photos, but none of them did it any justice at all.

From there we continued our drive down to Mudgee where we planned to stay for two nights.  I hadn’t made a booking but thankfully they could fit us in.  By now we were exhausted from the travelling and school and just wanted to unhitch and relax but of course it took us a while to reverse into our site mainly because the kids were over being in the car and just wanted out.  So Jason couldn’t hear my instructions over the radio, but then when we did finally get it right but realised it had a bit of a slope at the front that meant we would have to jack it right up and we weren’t that keen on that idea.  So Jason went back to the reception and checked to see if there was another site we could take and they gave us the one behind us.  The gentleman said it would be harder to get into but with eleven months under our sleeve we nailed it so I was proud of Jason and his efforts and we could finally unhitch and get setup.

We had some afternoon tea before I tackled a school session with Hamish before we went and checked out the playground in the park.  Then we decided to go for a walk along the river and into town.  I must admit I was falling in love with this town, it is so beautiful, everyone seems happy and friendly and it also just happens to be in the third largest wine region of NSW (funny that).  The coffee shops and little homeware and gift shops looked awesome (but most were closed by then) and the wines on display and breweries made me jealous of Jason as he can do all the sampling.  It was good to get out for a family walk again, even if we had to deal with a swooping magpie right near the exit of the caravan park.

Around the Mudgee town centre.

Looking out over the river.

Of course we need to stop and do our exercises.

We then got out the kids toy box and they were happy playing whilst we sat down and relaxed outside before moving inside for the normal routine.  The next day was filled with a little bit of excitement as it was the last on-air lesson for the term and we just have to finish the unit of work and we can be in holiday mode.  Well as much as we will let ourselves be in holiday mode anyway as of course we will probably still do some school so that we are a little be ahead for next term and when we stop travelling and Jason goes back to work which means I have to do it all on my own then I have a bit of a contingency plan in place until I work out how to do school whilst also looking after Kayla.

After Hamish’s on-air lesson I took the kids out for a scooter ride.  Of course it meant passing under the magpie that was protecting its nest.  It did swoop and get Kayla twice but she didn’t seem too worried at all just a bit more shocked wondering what on earth it was.  We went right along the river until we reached a playground which I thought would be nice and relaxing but it seemed that the scooters are a popular thing and we had kids just wanting to borrow them and ride them.  I don’t mind but then one little boy wouldn’t share and of course my rule is only if a person is supervising you and you wear the helmet.  But then one parent says their child doesn’t wear a helmet and so other kids don’t want to and Hamish was trying to enforce my rule!

The park along the river.

So in the end I decided it was just going to be easier for all if we left and went for morning tea.  Finding a place that look child friendly as the next step and walking down the street trying to make sure Kayla didn’t go too far ahead was also keeping me on my toes.  Eventually we found a nice little place with heaps of room to sit outside.  The kids enjoyed our little treats and I loved the time with them.  I get to spend some quality time with Kayla whilst Hamish does his lesson but I really need to also make some time for Hamish that doesn’t involve school.  We then headed over to Big W to get some harder reading books for Hamish as I find the ones the school sends out are not really teaching him to learn to sound out the words and also a maths revision book for the school holidays.  As we were shopping Jason gave me a call and came down to pick us up.

After lunch we headed out for a drive to check out the childhood home of Henry Lawson.  There really isn’t much left at all, actually to be honest it is only a chimney but still it served its purpose and Kayla fell asleep on the drive.  She had obviously woken up on the wrong side of the bed that day and was in one of those moods which meant nothing made her happy and she was determined to ruin anything her brother was happily playing with.  So we enjoyed the peace and quiet for a while but she woke up before she was ready so that was fun!  We decided to go out for another long walk along the river and down to the playground. 

The sign out the front.

All that is left of the old house.

We love these nice long walks just taking in the scenery and serenity.  This is what we are going to miss the most at the end of this trip, having all this family time, even on the bad days.  I think it will be hard on the kids the most and they will really miss having their dad around and then when the baby comes along I will be spread quite thinly across the three of them.  Still we will make the most of it whilst we can.  Eventually we had to head home before it got dark and start to pack away everything for when we move on the next day.  The caravan park we have stayed in is really pretty but a bit tight and it seems like a lot of vans arrived yesterday.  The road in and out of the van park is really only wide enough for two cars to just pass each other, so we need to get out before any vans start rolling in as I can see there can be some bad congestion with two caravans coming face to face and someone having to reverse!

Which way shall we go.

Hiding from the magpie.

 

Back on the road to make the most of our last few weeks.

We got away from Toowoomba nice and early after a few quick family photos.  Originally we hadn’t intended to leave quite so early but Hamish had his sight word quiz at 11:30am so we thought it would be easier to be in the caravan for that.  The trip was long as we were all tired made worse by the fact we got a stone chip!  Again on a bitumen road by a truck travelling in the opposite direction.  At least we made it back to Moree with half an hour up our sleeve.  This allowed us to half unpack the car and set up for the quiz without rushing.  Jason then took Kayla to fuel up the car whilst I did the quiz with Hamish. 

I was so happy with how Hamish did in the quiz.  He still got some of the ones I know he knows wrong but that is okay, we can work on them but the main thing is Mrs Lockrey could see a huge improvement. So all our hard work is paying off - yay.  We had a chat after the session and I got a few more tips but it was so wonderful to get the positive feedback as I think Jason and I second guess ourselves a lot and maybe we need to give ourselves a bit more credit as really the main thing Hamish isn’t enjoying at school is writing and slowly he is getting there.  We are still behind on a few things but we are catching up and at the rate we are going should be caught up by the end of school holidays.

After the quiz we headed into town for some lunch and picked one of the local cafes.  Probably really wasn’t the best move as they didn’t have a table big enough for us to all sit inside so we had to sit outside in the cool air.  The meals themselves were nice though.  Back at the van we met our new neighbours who had pulled in and were chatting to him for a while before it was time to do some school.  Jason and Kayla went and grabbed some supplies from Woolworths whilst I did the school with Hamish.

Our crazy two.

Then when they got back I unpacked the car some more whilst Jason got to work on repairing the stone chip.  The last thing we want is to have another badly cracked windscreen and we bought that repair kit for these instances.  We also had to do some random guess work and book in for my 18-20 baby scan so needed to find a place big enough to do it and work in with our schedule, then we needed a CD for school to send to us so had to find a place to have that mailed to that we were going to get to.  So now we have to make it to Bathurst as we are going to have mail there waiting for us!

The afternoon was going well and we were getting on top of things and would be well and truly ready to roll out the next morning to our next location but then all of a sudden Hamish was sick everywhere!  At first I just put it down to him having way too much chocolate in the car coming back as Grandma had kindly given them a treat bag each.  But when he was a sick again an hour later and he had only drunk water I knew it wasn’t good.  So Hamish spent the rest of the evening in bed resting and had a few plain chips and water for dinner.  Then we transferred him up to his bed and got Kayla to sleep.

We then got some peace and quiet, so we got to watch an episode of Grand Designs Australia.  When that was over Jason went out to grab something out of the car and just as he shut the door I heard a gush of water and I thought we had a burst pipe.  Umm no, Hamish had been sick again and from the top bunk all the way down to the floor.  The poor little man didn’t even realise he had been sick as he went straight back to sleep.  So you can only imagine the mess we faced so we set about cleaning that all up off the floor and walls before we could even get near Hamish on his bunk.  At least we worked well as a team with Jason supplying the wipes whilst I mopped it up.

Then it was a matter of cleaning up Hamish and moving him to our bed.  He really was out of it, just so tired and sleepy he had no idea what was going on.  Then we stripped and re-made his bed.  Yep I don’t think we will be going anywhere tomorrow with the huge pile of washing that is now facing us, not to mention a little boy who probably won’t travel well at all.  We did joke that Kayla was very lucky she was actually in her bed that night, sometimes she sleeps half in and half out and then we tuck her in as we go to sleep.  Had she done that she would have got an unpleasant shower. 

Still once it was all cleaned up and beds stripped and remade, Jason went over everything with the disinfectant and we sat down to relax again.  I decided that Hamish should probably sleep in our bed that night as it would be easier to keep an eye on him and if he was sick again the mess would be easier to clean up.  Thankfully he wasn’t sick again but I can’t say I got any sleep.  Jason slept up on Hamish’s top bunk but I had Kayla join me early in the night and then Hamish was waking up asking for water.  I was hesitant to let him have too much but of course gave him some.    Oh what a nice start we have had to our last 6 weeks on the road!

So needless to say we decided to stay another night and get through the massive pile of washing that we now had from the night before.  On a good note Hamish seemed to be well and keeping his breakfast down.  So really the day was spent just chilling out and relaxing oh and of course since Hamish was well we did some school!  It was actually quite nice after such a busy weekend to relax and not rush around everywhere.  We also managed to start booking some places for the school holidays.  I am not a big fan of booking too far in advance but we need a plan of attack as we will be pretty much hitting the NSW East coast above Sydney right in the middle of the first week of school holidays.

We do not like our chances of just being able to turn up and get a site so we might ring ahead and book a few places to see what availability is going to be like.  Realistically coastal and school holidays means high prices and booked out a year in advance, well for the good spots.  I don’t know how we are going to handle next year when that is the only time we are going to be able to holiday!

Okay take two on our departure day from Moree actually happened thankfully.  There has been no more sickness so we took the opportunity to continue on our way and get on the road to Bingara.  I thought we were up early but whilst I was still sitting down and enjoying my coffee the vans started to roll out already.  Yep there is no way we were even near ready, still it wasn’t long until we were and just as we were about to hitch on I noticed our hitch was a bit tight.  Jason agreed and said he would spray it when we get to Bingara.  I was worried it would be hard to get it to unhitch at the other end.  I didn’t even think about not being able to hitch it on easily.

More different countryside.

So yes we just couldn’t get the handle down and I was getting frustrated, so did what any good wife would do and left my husband in peace to fix it whilst I went to the toilet.  It obviously worked as he had sprayed and fixed it by the time I got back and we were on the road to Bingara.  The drive was really pretty and there was only one spot that worried me which was a long narrow bridge that could apparently (according to the lines) fit two vehicles on it but when I saw a caravan at the other end I got a bit worried.  Thankfully he had the same thought and stopped and waited for us to get off the bridge first. 

So many times we have driven south through NSW but we always take one of the main routes so it is nice to take the scenic drive for once and since it was about 113km for the day we were at our destination in no time.  Actually probably a bit too early really as it was before 10am which is check out time.  Still we did as the sign on the office which wasn’t manned said and found a spot, parked and then went over and paid.

Whilst we were really looking forward to discovering a new area where we have never been we were starting to wondering if heading south was really the right thing to do as it is still quite cold down that way and well we are seeing other families post pictures of them swimming up in Cairns and are a tad jealous.  We didn’t need to worry though as Bingara put on a beautiful day for us.  As soon as we had arrived and unhitched we all got changed in summer clothes and we didn’t need to put anything warm back on until after showers. 

Actually to be fair Bingara blew us away as we crossed the beautiful looking river coming into town and then later we discovered the main street was a bit bigger than we expected but everyone from the Information Centre to the Post Office and local IGA were so friendly.  There are some wonderful free camps along the river too with awesome views but as we need power for our heater we have opted to just stay in caravan parks for comfort.  I think in the future we will fit out the van more for free camping and solve our pump draining the battery issue but with only six weeks left we can live with it.  Besides here they only charge $30 a night for a powered site so really that isn’t bad.  Anything seems cheap after WA.

The kids rolling around.

This explains the next picture - love the idea.

Orange tree lined street.

The rest of our day we spent checking out the town, school and having a cheap lunch at the local café, even buying some of their chicken chips half cooked as Jason was told the locals swear by it as good bait for Murray Cod.   We checked out one of the close fishing spots and then went back and grabbed everything we needed to try our luck.  The spot was beautiful and we got the kayak down for a paddle.  The kids loved that and they both came out with me as we checked out the river and all the awesome spots some caravaners had on it.  Then when we got back Jason and Hamish took it out to fish from it.  Unfortunately we didn’t catch anything but talking to the nomads they have been catching fish and even using the local recommendation of half cooked chicken chips.  One guy sounded quite dirty as he had been out fishing from his kayak all day with all proper bait and lures and his wife throws in a line from the bank right in front of their caravan and catches a Murray Cod using the chicken chip. 

Hamish having a go at fishing.

Taking the kids out for a paddle.

Then it was the boys going out fishing.

We returned to the caravan and got the kids scooters out and then did some bush picnic games which we fun.  Then it was time for dinner, baths and bed.  Before bed we get Hamish to write in his diary and he decided to write the sentence ‘I like school because it helps me read’, or something along those lines.  It is moments like that when I just know we are doing the right thing and we are slowly getting there.   Yes he isn’t writing massive amounts like some other kids but Rome wasn’t built in a day and to me it is a start and when he is ready he will get into it more.   

So another day rolls around and quite frankly we didn’t do too much at all but that is the way we like it.  Just nice and easy and at our own pace.  It really is nice just waking up and going with how you feel rather than drag yourself off to something you really aren’t in the mood for.  Of course we did a bit of fishing after a quick pop in the local bakery for some yummy treats.  Our morning tea was delicious and a bargain which made up for the disappointment of not catching any fish.  We did go for a drive out to find a different fishing spot but the instructions from the Information Centre were a little confusing to say the least.  However we will give it another try tomorrow now that we have worked out when they say ramp they actually mean grid!  Seriously didn’t expect that.

Another day, another attempt at fishing.

The view under the bridge.

In the afternoon we decided to check out the lookout over town and my gosh it is one very steep drive up there, but the view from the top is spectacular.  I was certainly glad on the way down though that our breaks were very reliable as without them you would have no hope.  Even with the car in low gear it would pick up speed very fast.  Hamish also had the rest of his maths quiz today and did really well.  Mind you by the end of the day I was getting frustrated with all the revision work I was doing so I have now shared some of it with Jason that will hopefully take the pressure off me and I can just chill for a bit or have a break from teaching some things.  I don’t like it when I get frustrated as Hamish picks up on that and it isn’t good for his learning.

The kids at least went down easily and it felt like normality was restored for a while.  We even managed to book over half the school holidays so that takes the pressure off there.  I must admit though that most of the caravan parks prices weren’t as bad as I expected though there was one that was quite expensive so we cut that back to only two days.  Now all that is left is the dreaded long weekend at the end of the school holidays!  Might leave that one a bit longer before attempting to tackle it.

Well our last day really was a lazy one.  We ventured out a little bit in the morning to the local park but that was about it really.  I felt absolutely exhausted and just couldn’t shake the feeling all day.  Poor Jason also had bad hayfever so neither of us felt in the mood for anything except relaxing.  That is a nice thought but the kids seemed to get cabin fever in the caravan so it felt like they were constantly fighting.  I did try to have a nap in the afternoon but yeah that didn’t work with two young kids fighting all the time. 

Oh what to go on first.

Why can't I have just half of his energy.

In the end I ended up in bed asleep before them and Jason did Hamish’s writing with him and put them to bed.  I was worried I was getting sick but I think it was just exhaustion as I felt so much better in the morning when I woke up.  I probably need to get out and do a bit more walking to help with my energy levels and maybe lay off the treats from the bakery, but we all know the second one is not going to happen!  All in all Bingara is a great place to go and relax.  Just sit around enjoying the beauty and try a spot of fishing. 

Busy, busy, busy in Toowoomba

Well I am happy to report we got away well and truly before the nomads beside us.  I don’t even think the lucky things were even awake!  Oh well at least we could get to Collarenebri well and truly before Hamish’s on-air lesson which allowed us to have a cup of tea before commencing.  There wasn’t too much for Kayla and I to do and it was a bit cold so after a while we just sat and waited for the lesson to end.  It was a good thing really as Hamish needed to ask us a few questions as part of his lesson.

Loved the drive with all the pretty flowers.

Another set of traffic lights in the middle of nowhere.

Once it was over we were back on the road and heading to Moree.  Jason filled me in how during the lesson he was moving his hand to point to where Hamish should start writing and Hamish turned his head and moved at the same time so he accidently hit him in the head.  Of course Hamish got upset and apparently Mrs Lockrey saw it and said ‘oh no Dad’.  Jason was mortified as even though he knew it was an accident he could only imagine how it must have looked through the webcam! 

The kids and I checked out the river at Collarenebri.

We rolled into Moree just in time for a late lunch.  I had done some research and found that we could get a power and water site for only $22 a night, but if you stay for a week it is only $110 in total.  So considering we needed somewhere to store the van it is a bargain to be able to stay and then leave it there for only less than $16 a night.  Mind you the people to the left of us don’t exactly seem too thrilled that we parked where we have but what do they expect.  This site had power and water so of course we are going to take it as opposed to others that only had power. 

So it is just a basic setup as we will aim to get early the next day so why setup heaps to just put it all away.  After lunch we started the process of moving things to the car that we want to put into storage in Toowoomba and getting some of the Birthday and Christmas presents we have been given as they will also go into storage.  I also did a school session with Hamish before deciding we should take the kids out for a play on the massive rocket slide.  Of course we had a drama before we headed off.  Hamish dropped his matchbox car into the toilet!  He was so upset about it and wanted us to get it out for him!  As you can imagine there were no volunteers.

The awesome rocket slide in the park.

So we decided to deal with that problem later and still headed out.  Once back Jason took the toilet to the dump point, and no he didn’t fish out the car, instead opting to put it in the bin once it fell onto the dump point.  However on the way home he stopped into the shops and bought Hamish a new white matchbox car!  As parents you really need to think outside the square, and well I personally wasn’t touching it, yet alone washing it in my saucepan!  The rest of the afternoon was spent finishing off school which included making a mask for the lesson the next day.  Then dinner, packing the suitcase and the rest of the car!  So much to take it is not funny.  I think I will have to take a photo to show you the back of the car as proof!

Well I forgot to take that photo, but it is safe to say that the car was loaded.  Mind you I was happy we could still fit the mop into the back of the car.  We have lugged that thing around for the last 10 months and honestly only used it once.  Not because we don’t clean our floors but it is too wide for half the spots in the caravan so it is easier to actually just get down and wipe it all over by hand!  Still Jason wouldn’t just let me donate it to a camp kitchen. 

We were up nice and early and decided that we might as well hit the road because that way when we got to Goondiwindi to stop and do Hamish’s on-air lesson we would have some spare time and potentially get to have a coffee before having to sit down and do the lesson.  I think we had over an hour spare by the time we arrived so we pulled up at the McDonalds so the kids could have a play and we could have our coffee in peace.  It didn’t quite work that way as the playground was a bit wet and it wasn’t until other kids went out there that our two finally ventured out and stayed on it.

Then it was a quick trip to the chemist as Jason found a tick on himself.  I can’t express how much I am over these damn little things making an appearance but funnily enough now that Jason has had one we were straight at the chemist getting something proper to remove them and he re-searched what to look out for!  Kind of like man flu really, it is no big deal if others have got it but the moment he does suddenly it is a big deal.

Before we knew it we headed to the library to set up for Hamish’s on-air lesson.  He didn’t do very well at all to start with and I received a text message from Jason asking me to come back.  Needless to say neither of us was happy as I was enjoying my time with Kayla and getting out and Jason wasn’t happy Hamish was playing up and the way I came in and made him feel.  So I took over, sent Jason and Kayla out and Hamish actually did a brilliant lesson and recognised his sounds, matched up the words nicely and did some wonderful writing.  I was very proud of him.  Needless to say though that the continuation of the car trip to Toowoomba was a relatively quiet one as neither Jason nor I were happy with each other and how we had individually handled it.

Still once in Toowoomba we stopped for a late spot of lunch and grabbed some fruit that we needed for Hamish’s school lesson.  Then we popped in to visit my friend Naomi and had some afternoon tea.  Hamish eagerly made his fruit sticks and offered them to everyone.  When I say offered them he was pretty much shoving them in your face so you had better eat them, but he was very proud of them.  It was great catching up with Naomi and she had made and decorated the most delicious red velvet cupcakes for us. 

Before long we had to head off and get over to Jason’s Mum’s place as that is where we are staying for the next five nights.  Of course the kids were excited to see their Grandparents again and we spent the evening catching up.  Hamish crashed in bed easily after Margie read him a few stories, and well Kayla was up and ready to be the last one awake due to her sleeping most of the way from Goondiwindi to Toowoomba.  I retreated to bed so I could read but was fast asleep when Jason came in and broke the news that the Broncos had lost. 

My sleep was broken at 2am when the kids woke up scared, being in a new place and at the other end of the unit from us, so I went and collected them and took them back to our room.  I guess they are used to us all being close in the caravan.  The only problem though was that there was now no longer any room for me, so I moved out to their bed but couldn’t sleep so I was up at 3am typing a blog. 

Well sometimes you are glad when you see the sunrise.  I mean if you aren’t getting any sleep anyway you might as well get up.  Coffee was certainly my friend that day.  Still the one advantage of getting up early is that you get to start school earlier, however that kind of backfired really as Hamish was enjoying checking out Grandmas’ place and happen to find a set of kids dvds so wanted to watch all of them.  I thought I would let him watch one and then we could do some school but really school should have been finished first.

I think it is hard when you have finally gotten back into a good rhythm and then you have to adapt to a new environment and distractions are our worst enemy.  Still we did eventually manage to get there and then we headed out to try and knock over our large list of shopping that we had to do.  First and foremost was a good cup of coffee.  I mean I didn’t want to face shopping without having my fuel for the day!  Then it was onto tackling Kayla’s birthday present and then some maternity jeans for me as my ever expanding belly was outgrowing everything and trackies really aren’t appropriate wear for going out.

Thankfully the shopping was really easy and whilst Hamish and I did the shopping for Kayla’s present, Jason took Kayla and they went to put my phone into the same day repair place.  I don’t know how we did it back in the days when we didn’t have mobile phones.  I had told Jason where I would meet him as it isn’t like he could just call me when he got back to the shopping centre.  We did manage to find each other easily and just at the perfect time really.  Jason then took the kids to the car whilst I went and bought some jeans that fitted.  They feel so much better and now I can at least go out to Father’s Day breakfast looking respectable. 

We then popped back to Margie and Peter’s place for some lunch and to offload some of the purchases.  I really felt sorry for Peter as he went to have a nap and well my two weren’t exactly quiet.  They weren’t screaming the place down but when you aren’t use to having the noise in the unit it must be harder to get your naps or sleep in as my kids and I are up with the sun.  After a while we decided to duck out and grab the last of the things we needed for Kayla’s cake, her present and to pick up my phone.  Well the shop I went to didn’t have the cake supplies I wanted!  Brilliant I will have to be inventive.  Then my phone wasn’t ready.  Umm, what part of same day didn’t they quite get?  At least Jason was able to get the tennis racket and balls that he wanted to get Kayla as part of her present.

Feeding the Kookaburras at Margie and Peter's.

We then headed back to Margie’s and said a quick hello to her as she was now home from work before heading out again to catch up with the Steve, Carolyn and Dahlia who have just moved to Toowoomba from Canada.  Little Dahlia is nearly one and this is the first time that we have met her and she is just so adorable and handled my kids coming in and being quite full on with her toys so well.  She wasn’t the least bit phased by then.  It was so great catching up with Steve and Carolyn and we take our hats off to them for taking the big step to pack up with a little bubs and move out to Australia (well Steve was coming home to Toowoomba). 

By now it was starting to get late and as we were hopping in the car I admired the beautiful sunset that Toowoomba was putting on for us.  Unfortunately I didn’t have the camera in the car and well my phone was still in the repair shop so I didn’t get a photo.  Thank you Steve and Carolyn for your hospitality and allowing our kids to make themselves at home.  Back at Margie’s we were treated to a delicious meal.  It is great when we come home after a big day out doing things and have a delicious home cooked meal prepared for you.  The kids of course loved their extra big bowls of jelly and ice-cream that they got for dessert.

Now it was just a matter for waiting for Kayla to go to sleep…. and waiting… and waiting.  Yes as you can tell she had managed to fit in an afternoon nap so was ready to stay up and see in her birthday.  I however had other plans and needed her to go to sleep so I could decorate the room a little bit for her and put out her presents.  Not to mention I was shattered from the lack of sleep the night before.  Eventually we did succeed but it was in our bed which did make sense as the kids were sleeping out in the lounge room so it was too busy out there.  So I quickly put everything out and then went to get some sleep too.  Of course I didn’t want to move them back out to their bed in fear of waking them so we slept in their bed.

All set up and ready for the birthday girl.

Though during the night the kids woke up scared so I ended up sleeping at the end of the bed they were in for the night.  Yep it was cold and not much sleep.  I think we might need to put up the air mattress in the office which is the room across the hall as then it isn’t far to walk between beds, but more to the point they can hear me call out and tell them to go back to sleep, which seems to work just fine in the caravan!  Still we did manage to get some sleep before biting the bullet and accepting the fact it was time to get up. 

So Hamish and I got up and did his reading eggs and study ladder sessions whilst Kayla slept, and slept and slept.  Hamish even offered to go and wake her up but that idea was shut down straight away as we all know what she is like if she is woken up when she is not ready to be awake.  Eventually though she did get up and we started opening a few of the presents.  We only got through the ones from Hamish and Margie and Peter before she was too distracted to open any more.  

Kayla starting to open the presents.

Of course she had the ever so helpful brother right there.

Getting to open the present Dad picked.

So I deemed it the opportune time to have some breakfast and get a few other things done before attempting to open a few more.  We were all mindful of the time as Nanna’s party started at 11am and we needed to duck down to the shops to grab a few things for Kayla’s little do in the park afterwards so wanted to head out around 10am.  Getting Hamish to do school was again hard and in the end we had to take him into the study as he was just getting way too distracted out in the main area and we needed to take him somewhere quiet and away from everything. 

Yep she knew exactly what to do.

Who needs presents when you have a card that plays music.

Or balloons to run around with.

I can understand his frustrations though, I mean why should he be the only one sitting down and doing school when Kayla gets to play with toys and the adults are watching TV.  Normally in the caravan one of us is sitting with him doing school whilst the other one takes Kayla away and entertains her or she sits up and draws beside us.  I am thinking that whilst we are here we may have to retreat to the study and shut the door. 

Still we got there and even managed to get in our exercise routine which was part of another lesson.  Then it was time to get all the family dressed, clean up our mess of presents and head out.  We ducked into the shops quickly and then made our way down to the restaurant to meet everyone for lunch.  We were the first ones there but that allowed us to pick a nice corner to set up the kids with their few toys we had brought along.  It was great catching up with as many people as I managed to chat to but to be honest I didn’t get around much and in the end I took the kids across the road to the park so Jason could chat and not worry about the kids for a bit.  I think Nanna really enjoyed her party and I am glad we made the effort to be there for it as 80 is no mean feat.  Yet alone to be so agile and independent is fantastic, I really hope that we can make it to that age and be like that. 

Nanna with her cake.

A picture with the great grandchildren in the park.

The kids loved the park and just kept running from one place to another, burning up their energy.  It was also a lovely spring day in Toowoomba so a light cardie was sufficient to keep me warm and I didn’t have to worry about Hamish in a t-shirt as with all the running and playing he was doing I was pretty confident he was keeping himself warm.  We then had the family photos and a little cake for Kayla before chatting to everyone a little bit more.   If I was wise I would have put fluoro jackets on them, but no of course they were in respective pink and blue tops, the most popular coloured clothing!  Still I was grateful they never went far.

Nanna and Pop with their grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Nanna and Pop with their five girls.

Kayla blowing out the candles on her cake.

By now it was starting to cool down and it was getting late so we headed back to Margie and Peter’s unit and settled in for the night.  None of us bothered to cook any dinner and the kids were fed a fruit platter and then chips when they said they were hungry.   That is sort of like a balanced diet right?  We all stayed up and watched a kid’s movie before putting them to bed.  I ended up sleeping with them out on their bed as I fell asleep there putting them to sleep and well with two kids snuggled right up close to you I wouldn’t dare move them.  Mind you they were like two hot water bottles against me.  I guess I was also giving Jason part of his Father’s Day present early with a good night sleep.

All tired after a big day.

So the kids and I were up and I managed to get them to write on their Father’s day cards and sort out their presents in time before Jason woke up and came out.  There was no need to rush around and cook up a breakfast as we were going out to the Café Valetto again for breakfast so had to be down there by 8am.  The kids were a little disappointed I didn’t bring the toys I had the day before but I must admit I just didn’t think of it and of course they got bored pretty fast.  So in the end I took Kayla outside and we looked at all the flowers, plants and colours in the garden until Hamish came out and told me that breakfast was ready.  Again they served up another delicious meal and I was so full by the end of it.  Then I took the kids across the road to the park so that Jason could chat more with his family. 

Happy Fathers day Dad.

Enjoying a swing in the park.

Kayla even let me put in a hairclip.

The kids had a blast running around and I felt so exhausted by the end of it.  I think all the lack of sleep is really starting to catch up with me.  It also felt so odd seeing all these other kids playing with their Dad’s on the playground and it felt like people were looking at us with sympathy that the kids Dad wasn’t there.  So after a while I took the kids back to the café which was perfect timing as everyone was ready to head off.  We were moving onto the other side of Queens Park to check out the beautiful flower gardens.  I think this is where the day really started to go downhill.  The kids were already over it all and ready to head home.  I tried to get out a big ball for them to kick around but they just fought over it.

My big boy.

Hamish took this nice photo of the flowers.

I loved the garden beds.

So I sat down to rest and let Jason play with the kids but it wasn’t long until I had Hamish coming back to me in tears as he had hurt his hand.  I then had Kayla all upset by the flowers so I had to go and get her.  There went my rest.  The kids just wanted to go home and were bored.  It didn’t help that Hamish had either been bitten by something as he had bite marks on his knee and back so he was itchy and whingy.  I sent Hamish to get Jason so we could head off and asked him if he had heard about my phone.  The response was no so I got him to call them.  I mean same day repair and now we are up to the 3^rd day and we still hadn’t heard anything.  I was kind of getting over it.

All in all it was just a combination of tiredness, boredom for the kids and frustration, but I ended up taking the kids home as I was exhausted and needed a rest but had to deal with the kids and they were tired too.  So back home we just chilled on the couch and suddenly everyone was happy again.  Mind you I got a call from Jason about my phone.  I just wanted it sorted and told Jason to deal with it.

When he came home with Margie and Peter he wanted to pack up the kids and take them there but I told him they were bored in the park, so taking them to the mobile repair centre wasn’t exactly going to go well.  So Jason headed off on his own.  When he called I was not happy as he said I had two options, pay the $50 deposit and they will investigate further my broken phone (which still might not be fixed by Monday afternoon) or take back my phone.  So naturally I said take back my phone, but then he said it was in parts and I went nuts.  Apparently they have thrown out the screen and so my phone would be coming back in pieces and not workable at all!  How am I expected to be happy about that?  I can’t believe this repair place.  So needless to say I was quite pissed off and Jason was on the receiving end of that phone call.

I don’t miss my phone for the internet nor Facebook, but it is the calendar I live for.  It holds everything for me in regards to what needs to be done when and I divide out what school to do what days so we don’t fall behind. So yes my mood for the day had dramatically taken a turn for the worst as I was frustrated and annoyed.  Jason then tried to do school with Hamish but that made the day worse as it ended up with them having a big fight, because now Jason wasn’t in a good mood and Hamish picked up on it and wasn’t co-operating.  So yes it was a lovely Father’s Day.

In the end I made the call that we need to get out and savour the rest of the day.  We went and got some lunch and took it to a local park so the kids could run around and have fun.  Finally we all started to relax and enjoy the day.  We then decided that we should be explorers and try and find the waterfall that use to be in that area.  Hamish thought this was a wonderful idea and we went in search of it and thankfully for me it was just up the hill a little bit. 

Off we go exploring.

Oh we found the waterfall.

Somehow I don't think these are real.

We checked it out for a bit before heading off to catch up with one of Jason’s friends who is also called Jason and his wife Deanna and son Diego  It was so nice catching up with them again and our kids certainly made themselves at home with all of Diego’s toys.  Soon though it was starting to get dark and we needed to get back home for dinner.

Not that any of us adults felt like dinner. Margie just gave the kids some cheerios and tin spaghetti for dinner and then it was really whatever you felt like for the adults.  I was so full I opted out of any food and just had a hot milo.  Jason finished off the last school lesson, which we have now decided to do in another room when everyone is home so then he isn’t distracted by everyone else.  That worked a lot better and there were no arguments.  I let Jason put the kids to bed as I had been up with them the last three nights, I think it is time I got a good night sleep.

Well I managed to get a really good night sleep and I think we all did and it really showed as we were so much happier.  Jason slept with the kids and I slept on my own.  School was a breeze and then we got the call that my phone was all fixed, but I couldn’t get there to pick it up straight away as I had my doctor’s appointment.  So I thought I would go to that, pick up my phone and then still get to my friend Amanda’s place in time.  Well without a phone I had no idea what the time was and I didn’t finish at the doctors until 10:55am and I was due at Amanda’s at 10:30am.  I couldn’t believe it, and felt horrible but the worst thing was that I had no phone or way of contacting Amanda.  So I dashed back to Margie’s and used Jason’s phone to explain everything.

So we organised to meet up later that afternoon and that way I could complete Hamish’s reading lesson and then do a session of school before heading out to do some of the jobs we needed to get done.  First was picking up my phone!  I was still not a happy customer and really their service was not good but I just wanted my phone.  The main thing was it was fixed.  Then we grabbed a few other things before heading back to Margie’s place so they could show us the way to our storage unit here in Toowoomba.  There we managed to fit in the things we had to store and it was quite scary seeing all our stuff in one little shed.  Even scarier seeing the removalist had put the box marked bowls and glasses at the bottom and the box was looking very squashed.  Obviously they weren’t the brightest of people; I just hope that the antique chest of drawers and Jason’s family piano which we couldn’t see are in better condition.

From there we headed straight out to Amanda’s place to catch up with her, Emma and William.  The kids had a great time playing outside together and the time passed so quickly that before we knew it we needed to get going and go and catch up with our other friends Geoff and Kylie.  So we pulled up there a little late but still it was great to catch up and the kids played so well together it was like we hadn’t been away for a year.  That is one thing we are really blessed with here in Toowoomba.  We have such a wonderful bunch of friends here and you don’t have to see or talk to them for a year and yet when you do catch up it is like you have never been apart. 

Kayla having some dinner with Grandma.

It was dark before we headed off back to Margie and Peter’s place but we were greeted at the door by the wonderful smell of dinner all ready for us.  Both of the kids were exhausted but so hungry, so downed their dinner, had baths and then pretty much crashed.  We normally do a few things each night for revision with Hamish but we could tell he was so tired we gave him the night off.  I think we are all so exhausted from a very busy five days here in Toowoomba.  Thank you Margie and Peter for your hospitality and feeding us.  Thank you also to all our friends who made time for us to visit, especially as most of it was so late in the day.

Family photo with Grandma McCulloch and Grandpa Peter.