from the long weekend

Dear Olive,
If long weekends are for sleeping in, eating good food, enjoying the sunshine with friends, kids parties, and going out to adult parties and drinking champagne; then the one we just had was a cracker.

cottage point weekend

Dear Olive,
We had a beautiful weekend away; bushwalking, fishing off a tinnie, hanging out with mates in front of the open fire, and eating waaaay too much good food. Sadly, our friends daughter ended up in hospital so a few couldn't make it, but the rest of us soaked it up. (Thankfully, it looks like our little friend will be ok. You made her a get well card that said "Dear Quincy, I love you. Naughty pain. Love Olive".) I found such a welcome inner quiet looking out onto the river through the gums. 
I haven't been able to go near the Hawkesbury without thinking about the traditional owners of the land ever since I read The Secret River a few years ago. It tells a devastating and haunting story of the first white people in that area and it's really had a lasting impact on me. Shane and I were moved to tears when we went past red hand cave on our bush walk and saw the hand prints left by the people who lived in that beautiful and rugged place first.

Hip hip for Friday

Dear Olive,
It's Friday! I must admit, one of the major perks of working full time, is that fantastic feeling of elation you get come Friday. We've got a really fun weekend planned - we'll do our regular Saturday morning growers market trip, followed by a ladies lunch in Surry Hills. (Mexico Food & Liquor - yum!) On Sunday, we'll wake up and rejoice in all things Shane. That's right, our main man is having a birthday, and we'll be celebrating with a big lunch with a group of friends by the beach. Happy weekend to all!

In The Mountains

Dear Olive,
We woke up Saturday morning, and made a snap decision. We vacuumed, hung out washing and cleaned the bathroom in record time. And with much excitement (and in under two hours), we were playing ispy from the car on our way to the Mountains. Within 90 minutes, we were breathing in the fresh, invigorating, chilly Mountain air!
We stayed in the grand old hotel The Carrington, in Katoomba. It totally feels it's been left over from another era and it's so great. (Christmas in July festivities were in full swing and had you completely puzzled!)
We took a couple of short bush walks (amidst much whinging at times from you) - the scenery and views are just breathtaking. You had everyone at the look outs laughing at your loud appreciative "ooohhh's". It felt like we could have been looking at another world. We ate home made pies at a local pub, visited craft markets, drank champagne in front of the open fire and just relaxed and enjoyed the space to breathe. (Sleeping in a king size bed was also a highlight.)
The pressure on Shane and I this year has been pretty intense, for various reasons. But on this weekend, we found our spark again. In the Mountains.

Weekend

Dear Olive,
Tip-toe, tip-toe, tip-toe ... Boo! It's Mothers Day!
Was how I was awoken on Sunday. We had a great day (and weekend), hanging out in the sunshine with friends, wandering around markets and eating yummy food.
There is a lot of pressure on our weekends, now. Even when there are no plans, in two little days there's a weeks worth of washing and cooking and cleaning to be done, on top of the expectation of some fabulously bonding family time to make up for being apart all week. I know sometimes it won't work, but this weekend, it was lovely.

 

Big Wet

Dear Olive,
It's the most gale-force-windy, torrential-sideways-rainy kind of Saturday here. The worst sort of day to have no plans. There's really nothing else for it but to build cubbies. And paint. And eat pikelets. In the nude, naturally.

Water & Walks & More Kites

Dear Olive,
When the chips are down, and life's feeling crazy, it is so nice to have you around to remind us to find delight in the simple things in life. Like the fact that water comes out of the end of a hose. And that we live only two minutes away from the most beautiful place. And that the wind lifting a kite into the sky is incredible. But it's also great to be able to remember that it's ok to cry about some big, important things, too. Like your kite flying away and getting stuck in a tree. Or being hit in the head by a pine cone that you threw in the air yourself.