Seaside dreaming

Our once a year weekend away with Geoff's family, this time to the Mornington Peninsula. I think I like this area more out of season, there's not of the craziness of summertime and I do love the light of winter at the seaside.

The cousins all stayed up far too late - the 2 year old having the same stamina as the 15 year old. Lots of lovely wine consumed by the biggest kids and food aplenty. It went far too fast and tears were shed, again by the youngest ones, when it was time to leave.

Beachcombing

Melbourne does have some nice bayside beaches. They're not so far from us in terms of kms, but it's straight across town so there's no easy or really direct way to get there. 45 minutes seems a long driving time when it's only suburb to suburb and the girls aren't so good on stop start drives. We had such a nice time though and Ella always says "I LOVE the beach mum", it makes me feel bad we don't find the time to do it more often.

Beach Baby Beach

Ella loves the beach. She loves the sand, she adores jumping in the surf with her daddy.

Leila freaks out when you put her on the sand. She claws at your legs and tries to climb up you like a cat sometimes does up a curtain.

Tomorrow we're heading to Byron Bay for a week and we were hoping to spend a lot of time on the beach. When we get back I'll let you know how successful we were.

Post Holiday Post

Dad went back to work yesterday so the holiday is officially over.

The girls travelled really well, although a flight at 6am was a bit of a struggle on the way out.
We've never been to Western Australia before and found it a real contrast to other parts of Australia we've visited. I think it helped me appreciate more the appeal this country holds for visitors from overseas. WA has mainly indigenous plants, the feel and looks is very 'Australian' I guess. I've never been so interested in the more remote parts of this country (the centre, up north) but after this visit I am so interested in seeing more. It's such a vast area though - you could easily spend 4 weeks over there and only skim the surface.

Highlights:

• Simmos icecream
• Our splurge stay at Bunker Bay
• The wine, the wine
• My day spa moment
• Little Creatures
• Watching ella loving the beach, the sand, the shells
• Being sneezed on by a llama at a petting zoo
• Having Geoff around with us all day every day
• Leila taking her first unaided step just short of 10 months

I wish we'd had longer. I wish every day could be a holiday. I'm not concerned with the treats of it, the going out for meals, the splurges. I just wish that Geoff could be home every day, in that respect that every day were a holiday. It feels 'right' when he's with us and the emphasis seems all wrong when he leaves for the office every day and comes home at bedtime.

I've come back refreshed and promising myself, and the family, that I will continue to be relaxed, less short tempered, focussing on the day not the week. Trying much harder to balance the things I have to do (the housework, the cooking, the shopping) with those I want to do (play with the girls, some things for myself). I have found over the past few days that simply remembering to focus on what I want to achieve with my day in terms of state of mind, as well as tasks, really helps. In this respect I hope the benefits of the holiday last long.