Out and About

I love visiting different places but I’ve also come to realise that travelling is much more than that. It’s usually what puts me back in touch with nature and beauty after months of being cooped up at home and work.  I get to encounter fresh ideas in new places and find myself being inspired with the possibilities of life.

I relished the recent opportunity I had to go interstate with Mr S as we had not been out and about for some time. Mr S had been invited to the 50^th anniversary celebration of some very good friends of his so we made the trek across to South Australia.

We had two lovely days as Mr S caught up with his friends. After what has been a challenging year, it heartened me to see the light in his eyes, the glow on his face, as he was reunited with friend after friend. We even went for a bike ride/run along the track through the parkland and wetlands where he used to run every day.

We stayed in Hahndorf which is a highly commercialised, old German township, though, once you got past the tourist crowds and kitschy stores, there are many delights to be found.  I loved looking at the very old sandstone buildings, especially the old cottages, and picturing life going on there many years ago. They’ve retained a lot of character about the place.

Mr S and I also joined family down at the beach for a couple of days. We went to Barwon Heads, a seaside town, which was crowded with holiday makers. Like Hahndorf, it’s quite a small place with a main street which attracts many in the holiday period. I fondly remember walking back along the main street in the evening when the shops were closed and seeing how pretty and peaceful it was.

I’m certainly enjoying creating a routine for myself now that I’m back home. I do love homelife and I cherish this week where many people are still away or busy with family and I get heaps of “alone” time. However, the lure of travel always appeals and I’m already dreaming about possible trips for the year ahead.

Weekly Update

I attended the funeral of my friend's mother today and then stayed and helped with the afternoon tea. I enjoyed hearing the story of her life as told by her daughters. She had been a migrant from Malta so her story is very different from those of my ancestors. I am amazed at how people can give up their life and family to move to a new land and put down new roots. I don't know that I could ever do that.


I've just returned from spending a few days down at the beach with the family. Sometimes I find it hard to spend a lot of time there. It gets noisy. You can't watch TV and hear it. You can't turn on the radio and actually listen. There aren't too many comfortable chairs. However I do cherish the priceless asides and precious moments with family that could never be pre-arranged.

I managed to go bike riding for the first time in six years and it was so good having nieces and nephews on hand to help me work out the silly gears, adjust the height of the seat and  get motivated to do something which I've managed to postpone for about six months.


The place where we holiday is like a small coastal village which bursts out in summer. I  did buy two dresses and I did get to the lovely cafes twice. I rarely get a chance to go clothes shopping in a shop that is not a cheap, local, small-scale department store. Barwon Heads has some boutiques which have the sorts of clothes I don't usually come across so I think I am justified in my spending!  I bought a lovely green summer dress with a concealed tummy line (Red Dog) and a loose brown top with a simple frill, to wear over jeans (Ten Thousand Things).

 Holidays: time to enjoy the flowers blooming in my garden

 Holidays: fresh air, enjoying the sunshine, down at the beach

Holidays: time to cook, time to set new goals, time to achieve new goals