HOME & HEART

I’m writing this blogpost from a bus to Paris. We’ve just passed under the ocean and small villages are flashing by my window as the sun’s fingers reach out between the clouds. It’s incredibly beautiful, I don’t think words nor pictures could quite do it justice. And let me just pause for a minute to say how awesome it is to have wifi on a bus!?

I’ve been taking pictures endlessly these past two weeks since we touched down on new soil. But I’ll share and write more on this later. For now I have one more post of our last month in Australia. I had such an incredible time seeing family and friends, and soaking in the sun of our beautiful country. It definitely made it quite bitter-sweet to be leaving after making some wonderful memories.

Just days after Christmas Martin and I packed up the car and drove to Whyalla to visit my Father. Whyalla holds a soft spot in my heart, even though many people have perplexed looks when I try to express my love for this dusty out-back town. I guess it comes down to memories, so much of my childhood spent growing up with the best cousins a girl could ask for (whom are more like my siblings than cousins). Martin had never had the pleasure of experiencing Whyalla, or the true Australian outback for that matter! So we went bush bashing (where you drive out on red dirt roads looking for wildlife and adventure), we got bogged, we went yabbie fishing, crabbed with nets waist-deep in the ocean by moonlight, we saw kangaroo’s, emu’s and lizards, we brought the new year in watching the ocean.

After returning to Adelaide we were soon off again on another country adventure, this time camping in the wind, rain and fog with some close friends. I was more than a little proud of my tent setup to escape the rain after our terrible last rainy camping experience!

We spent two nights in the wilderness. We hiked hours to see a small but breath-taking waterfall.

A day spent exploring the hills and visiting another of my favourite towns, Birdwood.

The Adelaide bushfires had burned through so much of the country-side I love, I felt my heart breaking at the black soot and scorched trees. I didn’t want to believe my forest had burned down, this majestic place I discovered with some of my best friends seven years ago.

After Christmas with Martin’s family, a Whyalla visit with my father, and great times spent with friends, I jetted back to Narooma, NSW to spend my last month with my parents in their country home. Martin remained in Adelaide with his family and we spent the next month apart. I knew I would buckle down this month and sell the remaining stock I had on @foradventures so we could get some final funds together for our trip.

It’s no secret…. I love cows. Okay I also love sheep, and goats, and pigs and well I guess pretty much all animals. So, sometimes I make my poor mother pull over just so I can stand by the fence and converse with a herd of cows while they stare at me absentmindedly…. and maybe take a photo or two 😉

One evening the fog rolled in over the ocean and filled the town with this eerie, cinematic quality. It was like living in a Gregory Crewdson painting.

Markets, markets and more markets. I am a huge fan of markets. Normally just as an admirer, and sometimes customer. I love filling my weekends with wandering fresh produce, handmade trinkets and vintage wares. This month I actually had two market stalls! And they were my very first. I’m totally hooked and can’t wait for the day we’re back in Australia and I can have stalls regularly.

A day spent with my Mama exploring the botanical gardens.

I missed Martin terribly that month but by filling my days with outings and makings, it soon passed and we were off picnicking by the lake counting down our final days in Australia on just two hands.

I think i’m learning now the more I see of the world, just how beautiful Australia really is, how incredibly lucky we are, and how I won’t ever take this country for granted again.

 

One last visit to the waves, one last collection of shells (because I just can’t help myself) and one final goodbye and we were gone. Just like that. So much waiting for something so simple. We’re two weeks in and I have a lot to show you.