Cairns!!!!!!

I constantly woke up in the night thinking my alarm wouldn’t go off or my phone wasn’t on the right time setting.  When my alarm did go off I was excited to start my new adventure.  I took my time getting ready, I felt no rush and was completely relaxed the moment I got up.  It probably helped that I didn’t have to try to be quite and try not to wake anyone.

I stepped into the airport with an overwhelming amount of people swarming around me.  I found my way to the Virgin Australia airline only to be stuck in a massive line, I thought for sure I would be cutting my flight way too close.  I made in time with time to spare… I used this spare time to get a smoothie for breakfast.  Out of all the people flying this morning I ran into Sandy… the bird lady at the koala sanctuary in Brisbane, how weird is that?!  You can only expect from me that as soon as I got onto the plane a fell asleep, so there isn’t much to say about the flight.

Leaving the airplane I was prepared for the hot weather and I changed into shorts the moment I set eyes on a bathroom.  My shorts were a bit tight but I made them fit!

I grabbed my bag off the lift and tried to find the bus… the bus is a 35-minute walk away in the blazing sun.  A very nice lady directed me to a shuttle that you pay $5 for and it takes you where you need to go.  I waited 15 minutes and then it finally came, I was so excited to get to my hostel, the ride there wasn’t even that long.

I walked up a flight of stairs to find that the reception closed 20 min ago and wouldn’t be open for another for hours.  I accepted my new fate and waited in the hot kitchen with all my bags and a hungry stomach.  10 minutes later a heard jingling keys and rushed out to see them, luck seems to be on my side today.  I didn’t check in but I was given a room key and I promised the lady I would come back at 4 and officially check in. 

I unpacked everything I could unpack and reorganized it into my backpack; I have a 2 night diving trip tomorrow so I must be ready.  When I felt organized enough I freshened up and headed out to find food and explore.

I headed straight for Cairns central shopping mall and couldn’t wait to find food and get a pedicure… my feet are absolutely disgusting.  Before getting pampered I got some fruit for snack and breakfast tomorrow, then I headed to the nail salon.

The first color I chose was light pink, then I switched to a sparkly fire color because I thought something that stood out would be more fun.  The lady gently washed my feet but as soon as it was time to scrub all the dead skin off I had to hold my mouth because I would have burst into laughter!  My feet were so flexed in an attempt to not kick my foot out in any direction, the worst part was over and now she was massaging my legs.  I noticed I new color on the wall and decided to switch again, this time I chose and stuck with a dark sparkly blue color that looks like mermaid scales.  I figured it was the perfect color for diving; I am going to turn into a mermaid when I go diving now.

Feet time!!

Cuticle cutting scares me a lot.

My awkward flexed foot, it tickled so much!

The final product!

I wasn’t in any rush to get home so I weaved my way through the streets discovering new places I might want to go to later in the week… like a Mexican restaurant.

When I got back to the room it was still empty so I decided to do a bit of typing and possible watch something on my laptop.  I did this for quite some time before my first roommate showed up, her name is Nicole and she is from Colorado.  Her and I got to talking right away like we had been friends forever.  She leaves tomorrow like the rest of the girls, which will be disappointing but I’ll be on the ocean diving by the time that happens.  We chatted for quite some bit, Nicole invited me out for dinner with the rest of our roommates who had yet to show up.  Finally when they did show up we all started getting ready together.  Linda is in the bunk below me and she is from Germany, Sara is across from me and she is from… Montreal!  Her French accent is so funny to listen to because I was expecting her to sound more like me for some reason.

We got all our things together and headed across the street to Gilligans, a hostel/ bar.  We met up with some of Nicole and Sara’s friends they met volunteering, the only one I remember is Lloyd and he has an older brother that was with us and he is getting married in a couple of weeks!

The food here wasn’t expensive and I was excited for a veggie burger but when it came I was highly disappointed.  Veggie burgers here are not like the ones you find back home that are properly done, they are a potato patty that is deep-fried and served on a pitiful looking bun.  You can hardly call it a burger.  The only thing good about the place was the live music, Nicole asked the guy on stage to play his guitar for us and oh my goodness did he!  His voice was absolutely amazing and I wanted to marry him the moment he opened his mouth, I could have stayed and listened to him all night long.  The man I marry will be able to play the guitar and sing like that.

We all headed out towards the indoor night market, it seemed to take us quite some time to get there but I saw new stores and things on the way there.

Linda had something very specific in mind, two really soft shirts and Australian made.  I knew exactly the shirts she was talking about because I had wanted some myself really badly; the only thing stopping me was they were $35 each.  After Linda got her shirts we trodded through the market a bit more, they didn’t sell veggies or fruit just cheap merchandise.

Outside the market most of us got crepes with ice cream inside of them, mine was strawberry flavored.  None of us knew where to go next so we just chose a direction and walked.  My thighs were getting sweaty and I needed to pee, that’s when I started directing everyone home.  We eventually made it there with some minor stops, Sara HAD to buy a two-person hammock, I have to admit I am kind of jealous.

Yummy!

That's Sara and the care we want.

Sara is the one that looks like she is dying, Lloyd is the one holding here, Nicole is cuddling Linda, Linda is being cuddled by Nicole and Lloyd's brother is standing by himself.

We got home and I firmly shook the boys hands and said goodbye.

In the room I reorganized my things for tomorrow and decided to give Nicole a henna tattoo on her hand, she saw mine earlier today and couldn’t stop talking about it.  I drew the most magnificent flower on the palm of her hand.  We all talk until it was 11 and then it was time for sleep.

I cant wait for my diving adventure tomorrow!!!!  I just won’t have any Wi-Fi…

Goodbye Mount Gambier...

In the morning I woke up and heard Sharon’s shoes pacing the hallways and thought for sure she was leaving for work, I leaped out of bed and walked towards her with a very sad face.  She wasn’t leaving and my sad face could wait a little longer.

I had toast for breakfast and tried vegemite for the first time… it was disgusting and I put Sharon’s jam on my toast instead.

I showered and packed up my things as best I could.  I took my time doing it, trying to prolong things as much as I could.  I ended up trying to help Robin with getting Wi-Fi on his laptop; I didn’t succeed and received a very large cut on the side of my foot from the table corner.  It bled quite a bit.

Soon enough I was done packing and it was time to say goodbye… Sharon and I got a little teary and I gave them both two big hugs each.  I have had such an amazing experience with them!  My trip in Australia wouldn’t have been the same without them and I am so thankful they are apart of my family.

It was bitter sweet leaving the Mount but my adventure must go on and I know that I will see Rob and Sharon again!

We left at 11 and arrived at the airport a little past 5.  Lyn and Vince made a few stops along the way to get food at Dunken and one other place near Melbourne.  I said goodbye to my two lovely new friends and headed to the hotel.

The moment I stepped into my room and dropped my bags I did the biggest happy dance ever!  My bed is huge and I have a bathroom all to myself, this is an insane luxury and it is all because of Robin and Sharon.  I unpacked everything I owned in attempt to reorganize it, I got distracted and decided to go to the gym instead.

I spent 30 minutes running and then couldn’t do anymore, my habits are going to change and now that I am out of Mount Gambier I no longer have to eat everything… not that I had to before, I just ate cause I could.  Afterwards I did some stretching and then headed back to MY room.

I ordered fruit for dinner and did some more packing before my fruit tray arrived.  Once it arrived I allowed myself to jump into the shower, I wasn’t going to be bothered starting my shower and then having to answer the door in a towel.  I took my time in the shower and after more than a week my armpits are shaved and my legs are beach ready!  I love rubbing my smooth legs together… so silky smooth!

I enjoyed my fruit platter while blasting music and dancing around my room.  Everything is now organized and I am ready for bed.  I will first watch a few episodes of Pokémon while creating a new masterpiece of henna somewhere on my body… probably my hand.

Tomorrow the last bit of my adventure in Australia will continue

Last Night in Mount Gambier...

This morning is a sad morning… I had to say goodbye to Fee, Jenna, Evie and Tom.  I got until 10:30 with them until I had to say farewell but now they have an excuse to come to Canada and visit! 

Soon the Indi and Bell came over to have a quick play time before they to had to leave for home, I gave them great big hugs and told them they have to watch the fairy movie! 

When everyone had finally gone for good we headed out to the grocery stores to get all the different ingredients we would need to make our veggie pie tonight.  We must have gone to at least half a dozen different stores to get what we needed.  The fresh buns for lunch that were sitting in the hot car made everything smell god and I couldn’t wait to eat them!

Didn’t take us long to prepare lunch, which was just sandwiches we fixed up ourselves and the clean up was even faster.  Cleaning the house from Christmas was something I am sad to say I left for the others… I tried to pack as much as I could and create an organized mess of my bedroom.

Dinner prep now awaited us but with three experienced chefs in the kitchen it didn’t take us long and I was able to help Vince with his crosswords and word jumbles before I hopped into the shower… for the last time.  When I got out I helped make the salad and waited for the pie to finish, which took forever.  Good thing the Hobbit was on!  I passed my time watching the movie with the others while the pie remained in the oven.  When the pie was done I made sure everyone stayed in the living room watching the movie, I have seen it countless times and could afford to miss some scenes but no body else could.  The pie smelled so good that I didn’t think people would mind if they got a bigger sized slice of it.  Pie was served with salad and we all sat around the TV watching another of my favourites.

Always something to do.

Always smiling!

Busy as a bee!

Yum

YUMMMMM

Best pie ever!

At each commercial we would get more pie and salad and then sit back down again.  We finished the last of the ice cream cake that night but the bigger treat was finding out that I was watching the extended addition of the movie!  We stayed up till 12:20 and Sharon and I shared a blanket with popcorn the whole time.

This was a pretty fantastic last night here in the Mount.

Boxing Day at the Beach

Today we slowly woke up and got started on food for today, we are spending most of the day at the beach house with the rest of the family and must be ready for the hungry mouths.

This morning I Skyped mum and dad before we left… I also woke up at 2 am so I could talk to them and be there when everyone opens their presents on Christmas, the time change isn’t ideal but I made it work!

We raced Fee to the beach house and of course we won… we knew of a secret short cut!  Janice was already there with her kids but Tara, Joe and the kids had left for the park; they would meet us soon.  Unloading all the food was a breeze and we started preparing lunch the moment we got there.  We had sandwiches and homemade veggie sausage rolls… Lyn made the rolls and oh my goodness did they taste magnificent!  I couldn’t stop eating them, I did eat fruit that day… not all rolls, except for my stomach.

I sat down on the couch and got Evie to fall asleep in my arms once again.  While she slept I talked to her and she started smiling!  I quietly yelled to Jenna who ran over to watch, this wasn’t her first time smiling but I was super excited to have made her smile.  I watched her for another 45 minutes after that and then we headed out for a walk along the beach.

How lovely is she!

I walked barefoot all the way to the new jetty, I thought my feet would be able to handle it but they are the same as they use to be.  They have become sensitive and halfway through the walk I had to retreat to the softness of the grass, my feet have shamed me.

The new jetty everyone is so proud of!

Back at the house there was company!  Two couples that I forget the names of but both from South Australia… I think.  It felt like they stayed and talked forever… I just wanted to start dinner but the girls found me and kept me occupied.  We played with their new toys for quite some time and before I knew it we were being called down for dinner.  All that need to be done for dinner was to heat up soup and butter buns.  The girls and I gracefully walked down the stairs like princess at a ball and then sat for food.  I had two bowls of soup and I enjoyed every mouth full.

The girls dragged me back up stairs after I got them to help in the kitchen.  We played a little more but Bell decided she wanted to braid my hair and give me a princess hairdo.  She didn’t get to finish because it was the time of day where I had to head home but before I did I showed the girls a preview to my favorite movie.  It is called Fairytale; A True Story, since the girls love fairies and so do I, I told them all I could before I left.

We gave each other big hugs goodbye and then we were off.

At home we had nothing to do but watch movies, I don’t remember which one we watched but I do remember that I had a slice of ice cream cake before I went to bed.

Tonight is the last night Fee and I share a room, tomorrow everyone except Vince and Lyn leave for Melbourne… it will be a sad day.

Christmas Games!

On Christmas morning I didn’t wake up to any snow or a little brother pulling me out of bed, I woke up to a warm day surrounded by loving friends.  The morning was slow and we had breakfast before sitting down to open presents, when we did sit down Fee called into the kitchen saying that I was waiting to open presents and that I was getting impatient…. things are going to be blamed on me a lot now because no one can get mad at the guest.

Lyn and Sharon soon rushed out of the kitchen and gifts were handed out.  I was expecting absolutely nothing, I was just happy to be spending Christmas in Australia but Fee handed me a little box… then is was Lyn and Vince that handed me a card.  Fee got me a beautiful gold bead bracelet that I put on right away, I knew that I would be sharing this bracelet with Devi when I got home but I would have it to myself for quite some time.  I was so happy to get anything this Christmas that I almost started tearing up but when I opened the Christmas card from home that I’ve been carrying around since the beginning of my trip, I defiantly started crying.  It was just from mom and dad but I was so happy to finally open it.

This is the dream catcher I made for Robin and Sharon.

I Skyped home later that morning and started crying the moment I saw my mum and dads face.  Even though it was Christmas here, back at home it is Christmas Eve and apparently everyone was missing me… don’t really blame them though, it’s my first Christmas away from home.  My dad said I have to have Christmas at home from now on and that I have to live close to home as well, like walking distant from my parents.  I guess I’ll have to take my parents with me whenever I go off on another adventure.

Fee and I organized the tables so everyone had a designated place to sit.  Made tons of punch and did as much prep as we could.

Punch!

There is much more chocolate than this.

How cute are the tables!

Christmas cake

Santa was here...

Soon Tara, Joe, Mason, Indigo and Isabella arrived and then the party really started.  The girls were really excited to see all their presents and Indi got a new bike from Santa!  The girls tore open there presents and I started preparing lunch in the kitchen.  At one point Bell came in to throw away here garbage and that’s when I moved in to make a new friend.  I commented on her lovely Frozen pajamas and how much I loved Frozen and that my sister and I watch it all the time.  She told me Anna was her favorite and then she took my hand and asked if I wanted to play with her and Indi… I casually said yes like I hadn’t achieved something great.  The three of us painted the plastic charms with sticky color glue for what seemed like the whole afternoon.  They kept giving me new charms to paint, giving me ones they had painted as presents and asking for ones that I had painted.  Then I got to watch them race around the driveway with their new bikes and helmets, Bell is only a year younger than Indi who is 7 but she is tiny you would think she is much younger.

Indi is on the left and Bell on the right.

What we did practically all day together.

Sharon and Lyn’s sister Janet showed up with her kids and husband and soon after that it was time for lunch.  I filled my plate with frittata, beans, peas, carrots, crunchy yellow potato and cauliflower with a delicious creamy cheese sauce baked over it.  I most defiantly went back for seconds.  After course 1 we got to open our Bon Bon’s, which are presents that look like the surprise Christmas crackers on the dinner tables at home.  Except these Christmas crackers were much bigger and had the best kind of goodies inside them.  Mine had Haighes chocolates, Dehydrated socks, a cute little makeup bag and two felted penguins in a nest… they are by far my most favorite gift.  For dessert we had Sharon’s pudding with homemade custard and double thick cream… I did not feel guilty having a second one of these Christmas puddings.  Only when Christmas games started did I start to regret having that heaping second serving of dessert.

Bottle feeding Mason before the games.

Christmas games here is a very big deal… there is a trophy and the two winners get their names put on it.  Janet’s daughter Mel was my partner for the games and we stared with playing mini golf against Joe and Indi.  My first hit of the ball sent it way too far into the trees… Joe and Mel laughed at me but Indi was the only one who appreciated my golfing skills.  We played two rounds at each station and every second turn I got better.  First time I played golf I sunk it in 6 hits but the second time I did it in 4!  The next station was netball, it is kind of like basketball but the net is much higher, there is no backboard and you have to stand behind the rope around the net.  Indi distracted by counting every time I missed which was 9/10 times… I am sorry to disgrace my family so much.  Next game was darts and we absolutely sucked at this, the object of the game was to hit each number in order… we only got up to 3 where as the people (Sharon and Lyn) who spent their free time in bars playing darts got up to 15 and 17.  After darts it was bocce!  I rock at this game and we scored 7 points in one game and whooped everyone’s bum.  When we played ping-pong we won the first round but as soon as we played Sharon and Vince the game got serious.  Sharon was whipping the ball from side to side always on her toes with a serious face on, if you can imagine that.  She turned into an absolute lunatic and it was the funniest thing to watch, even funnier when her and Lyn played against each other because they both turned into crazy women.

Such intensity!

Who do you cheer for?

We took a bit of a break after this to tally up the scores to see which two won the trophy.  Lyn and Jan’s husband won the trophy this year… sorry I let you down Canada, maybe next time.

Then it was dinnertime, a variety of different salads and a bit of leftovers from lunch.  This was still really good but I was waiting for dessert… the ice cream cake Sharon and I had worked so hard on.  It was finally time to serve it up and I cut as much fresh mango as I could to dump onto the tops of each slice.  It tastes absolutely amazing!  My favorite bit was the mango and coconut layers… not so much the middle, it had a funny taste to it but I loved it all.

Half eaten ice cream cake.

       

Look at those layers!

For some reason there were still presents being handed out and my presents weren’t finished either.  Janet and Merve got me a lovely box of chocolates and their friend that I’ve only met once got me chocolates as well!  It was so nice to know that I have such good friends over here.   

Soon everyone left, Jenna and I cleaned the kitchen and then settled down to wait for everyone before we watched Miss Congeniality.  I was excited to watch this cause I’ve never seen it right from the start before.  The movie took us to about 11:30 and everyone couldn’t get into sooner, we were all tired from a big day but tomorrow awaited.

Christmas Eve.

This morning Robin and I slept in a bit, neglecting our duties only slightly.  We headed out to pick up some last minute things like food and a little Wi-Fi box.  I now don’t have to go to the library anymore to get Wi-Fi!

We took our time getting home and once we got there it was time to start decorating.  I put ropes of tinsel on every single door to make things look more festive and more like home.  Then it was time to set up the tables, my job was to iron the table clothes and make everything look pretty, which wasn’t difficult for me.

I chilled out for a bit before Sharon came home at 3:30 and then the real work began.  Sharon was running down one hall and then back again, grabbing things she had forgotten and setting new things up.  If you asked her what you could do she would say she had it under control so I would have to watch closely to find something to do.

We had just finished making pizza dough for dinner when Vince and Lyn showed up with all the presents, which we set up under the tree.  We continued to cook with an extra hand in the kitchen, just when the pizzas were about to go in the oven when Jenna, her husband Tom, Evie, and Fee pulled up in their car.

Fee and I went for a quick walk to the top of the Mount to the tower and back down, we made it home just as the fourth pizza was coming out of the oven.  Lots had been eaten already but Fee and I had plenty to eat.  We tidied up the kitchen and I headed for the shower.

I had totally forgotten and only when I sat down to watch a Christmas event in Melbourne did I realize it was Christmas Eve.  It didn’t quite feel like Christmas Eve here but I was excited nonetheless for the day that awaited tomorrow.

Day Before The Chaos Begins.

I woke up early again but decided to stay in bed and watch Pokémon… I stayed in bed till 9.  I got up and had breakfast again with Robin before starting my chores.  Robin is going to do garden work until lunch, I took it upon myself to also do garden work… even if Rob didn’t tell me what to do.

I raked leaves at the side of the house while Rob trimmed the edges of the lawn and when he was finished he told me that he is going to mow up the leaves anyway, thank goodness I only did the side yard and not the whole yard.  I was given a new job of sweeping up all the cut grass and leaves on the pavement.  This job took me a good hour to do… I had to do it perfectly!

I felt like doing a bit of a workout after this but in my room, I am too lazy to go outside right now.  I did my yoga moves and by the end of those I had quite the sweat going but that wasn’t enough!  I did pushups, crunches, squats, wall-sits, plank/side plank and attempted one arm pushups… I felt like throwing up after this.  I was happy to have an early shower and freshen myself up before doing anything.

The moment I got into the dining room and sat down Robin was almost ready to go into town to meet Sharon for lunch… I decided to take them out before things got too hectic.

We waited for Sharon at this lovely café that her and I had eaten at last time I was in Mount Gambier.  Robin and I decided to order before she arrived, quite a risky move if we ordered the wrong thing for her but we knew we would do fine.  I ordered an eggs Benedict thing that is served with tomato sauce and a thing of cheese instead of hollandaise and Rob ordered an egg brochette and a pumpkin potato soup.  After Sharon arrived we only had to wait a few minutes before our meal came and oh my goodness did it look and taste so good!  I slowly devoured mine, trying to savor each bite.

It wasn’t long till we parted ways; Sharon went to work, Rob went to the hardware store and I went to the library to get Wi-Fi.  I got one blog loaded and talked to everyone I could while I had the gift of Internet.  I got everything I needed done and just in time, Rob did what he needed at the hardware store and then came to retrieve me. 

We did some quick running around; I got a beautiful box for the dream catcher, tissue paper, ribbon, and food for dinner.  Tonight I am making random pasta.

We got home and I chilled out on the couch watching Pokémon for a bit, then I decided to start dinner.

I continued to watch Pokémon as I boiled water, chopped mushrooms and stirred sour cream into pasta sauce.  I was getting so absorbed in cooking and watching my show that when Rob stepped into the kitchen I nearly had a heart attack when he spoke.  Right before Sharon arrived home I threw together a salad and got the table all set up.

I am in love with food and I couldn’t wait to start eating dinner and neither could Robin but Sharon was busy on the phone so we had to wait. 

She sat down and we consumed everything on our plates!

After dinner we didn’t have to clean the kitchen because I had already done it but we had lots of cooking to do before Thursday.  We began making more pudding and adding the second layer to the ice cream.  This layer had coconut shavings and coconut milk in it… I couldn’t stop eating it and the leftovers in the bowl were quickly consumed.  This layer froze really quickly and we were able to do the last layer that night.  Sharon picked a ton of mint and we stuffed it into a blender to be torn to sheds so we could get mint juice from it.  Once we had it, we mixed it into the ice cream with limejuice, filled the center and Ta Da! The ice cream was complete and I was ready for bed!

Tomorrow everyone shows up and that’s when things really get busy!

Happy Birthday Merve!

This morning I woke up at 7:30 and could not get back to sleep, I decided to do something productive with my time… finish the dream catcher.  I spent little over an hour taking things off and adding things… finally it was done!  I’m sad to be giving up my feathers but I would have just been carrying them around with me my whole trip, might as well have made use of them while I’m here.

I had a quick shower, got dressed and fit into my jeans I thought would be too small now and then made myself some more toast for breakfast and sat down with Robin to eat it.  We have a plane to go down to the beach today so Rob can get chores done and I will give Kel a very long walk around the beach. 

He said we would leave at 10… then it was 11 and now it is 1.  I have been sitting on the couch journaling this whole time, I did clean the kitchen and get a few things done but Rob won’t give me any jobs.  All I can do is sit on the couch and do things on my laptop.  Sometimes I purposely let my screen go blank so old and new photos will come up.  I did browse through them all at one point, I just felt like revisiting all my Australian memories.

Now I play the waiting game for Sharon to get home for lunch or for Robin to finish doing whatever he is doing… something outside I think.

Finally Sharon arrived home for lunch!  The three of us ate wraps that Sharon had prepared earlier in the morning.  We caught up on what we had done so far today and then Robin and I were off to the beach.

I packed plates, bowls, forks, and knives into a pink container and loaded them into the back of the green truck.  My next job was to give Kel a walk on the beach, shouldn’t be too hard.

The two of us didn’t even get a quarter way before Kel bolted back to the house, I sprinted after her hoping a car wouldn’t hit her when she left my view.  I ran to the back of the house to find her sitting on the lawn watching Rob cut it.  Robin said I didn’t need to take her for a walk after that but I was determined, I grabbed her lead on trotted away.  I kept her lead on the whole time so she wouldn’t run away this time.  I collected cuttlefish bones while Kel smelled everything she could.  Kel fought me the whole walk and I finally gave up halfway through and turned around for home.  She practically dragged me back to find Robin but I had a handful of cuttlefish bones so I didn’t care.

A somewhat beautiful day at the beach.

Taking Kel for a walk...

Kel taking me for a walk.

I went for another walk after this to collect more things from the ocean.  My walk wasn’t long but I got many different colored seaweeds ranging from dark purple to neon pink and lime green.  I also collected a deadly jellyfish called Portuguese Man-O-War; it was half dried out which made it half safe for me to pick up.  I didn’t get stung or anything so there’s no need for anyone to worry, the best way to touch a jellyfish is on the top part of its body… that’s how I picked it up.

Back to the beach house I went to wash my new collectables that didn’t smell too well.  After washing I went to watch Rob install new blinds on the top floor, I fell asleep watching the ocean and its different movements.

Soon I was woken up and it was time to go back to our other house.  We reloaded up the car and I made sure my new treasures would be safe during the trek.

I didn’t have time to have a shower when I got home because we went straight to Merve and Janet’s house the moment Sharon got home.  To day is Merve’s birthday… not sure how old he is turning but when you get past the age of 50 you should just start counting down.

I stepped through the door and my feet were attacked with slobbery kisses that got right between my toes… they were warm wet kisses.  We sat down for dinner, Janet made a special Frittata for me and everyone else has to eat it too.  I had two servings of dinner… then Janet brought out a broken glass jelly mound.  There was a mound of whipping cream on the top and she served it with fruit salad.  You would think this would be the dessert but it wasn’t, in the fridge there awaited a double layer strawberry sponge cake with more whipped cream.  We waited some time before eating this; Merve and I went and sat on the couch because the movie Australia was on… I watched Australia in Australia; I can check that off my bucket list now.  Janet served me the sponge cake and this time I took my time eating it, I left the strawberry for last.

Robin and Sharon said it was time to go, just in time because I was starting to feel tired and the movie had just ended.

When we got home Sharon and I headed to the kitchen to start baking for Christmas.  We started out with cutting mangoes up, squishing passion fruit and blending it all up into a juice.  We added this to thawed ice cream and I got to vigorously stir it together.  The whole kitchen smelled like mango, if I were to smell like something for the rest of my life it would be the smell of that kitchen when we were making the mango.  After attempting to spread the melting ice cream up the sides of a bowl we started making pudding.  This pudding is made with flour and you surround it with boiling water once it is in a custard dish.

Our very messy kitchen.

Sharon the Chef!  She is making pudding in this photo.

After making some final touches on the first step of ice cream cake making I was ready for bed.  I had a late shower and fell into bed thinking of what I could do tomorrow to help.

Drive to Mount Gambier!

Not such an early morning but I was happy to be going to a market!  Had the usual breakfast of toast and then waited for Fee to get ready and as soon as she was we headed out the door to the market.

The walk there was shorter, probably because we all wanted to get there quickly.  The moment we arrived Fee took me to a Belgian pancake place that sells super tiny pancake ball things.  If you’ve ever been to the Linden Fair over the boarder you’ll probably have tried these, they reminded me exactly of when I use to go there with my family.  Fee and I shared a plate and headed over to find everyone else, they are getting scones.

We found Robin and Sharon buying the scones that looked absolutely delicious and out of nowhere Lyn popped up to buy coffee.  The only thing we did at this market was buy scones and pancakes, find a place to sit and then feast.  Tara and Joe showed up with their kids, Indy is very shy when she is around me but I vow to change that this weekend when they come to Mount Gambier.  We lounged around a bit more before we took Mason for the walk home, Tara and the girls would meet us at the house but they are driving.

The walk home seemed to be much longer than before and it was starting to get hot outside.  Tara and the girls drove passed us halfway home and I felt like I should have taken the car ride instead of walking.

When we arrived home we were locked out until Bell and Indy said we could come in; they were preparing a nail salon inside the dining room.

Finally we were allowed inside and had to pay 20 cents to get our nails painted, a very good deal I think.  Everyone was in line before me so I got my packing done before I had to leave.  Eventually it was my turn and Tara painted me nails instead of Indy, Tara is a professional and she did such a great job on my nails!  She uses these metal stencils to paint designs on; Indy helped me pick out a lovely little feather that was placed on each of my thumbs in black.  My nails look like pieces of pink bubble gum and they are so smooth, Sharon and I were both excited to have our nails done, it makes us feel special.

Soon it was time to say goodbye to everyone and off to Mount Gambier we drove.  It is a 5 hour drive from Melbourne to Mt. Gambier and surprisingly I only slept for and hour and a half.  The rest I spent trying to write down the days events, starring out the window absorbing everything I could and talking to Rob and Sharon about random things like the names of different clouds. 

We stopped for an iced coffee brake along the way and I got a chai latte instead.  Sharon was harassing Robin about stopping for hot chips… he gave in and we all ate delicious chips on the last few hours of our journey.

Felt so nice to finally be home with them.  We didn’t stay long because we had a dinner to go to at the neighbor’s house so off again we went.

For dinner we ordered from a place called Fasta Pasta, I ordered a vegetarian pizza that tasted so absolutely delicious.  I was eating it so quickly until I found a piece of ham on it and then another and then another.  After that I carefully dissected each piece of pizza but lost my appetite thinking about possibly having a dead animal in my stomach floating around.

A nice hot shower was the only thing I looked forward to when we walked back home.  We stole some peaches from the neighbors before we completed our walk home and then it was shower time!

Somehow I managed to stay awake till 11:30 without even noticing; way past my bedtime!  I curled up into bed and fell asleep quickly.

My Baby Evie.

Woke up in the morning feeling no rush at all to get my day started.  I had a shower and then some breakfast, toast with Vince’s homemade peanut butter and Sharon’s apricot jam.  Then it was off for a walk with Evie and Mason to get coffee.

The walk was really nice and the weather was perfect, we went all the way into town to this café that use to be a preschool.  I forget what it was called but it was really nice there and the scones were to die for!

On the walk back we went to the grocery store to buy the ingredients I would need to make the veggie burgers that everyone finds so delicious.  After a bit of puttering we made our way home, I led the pack with Mason in the buggy in front of me.

When we got home I went to the couch with Robin and turned on the cricket game.  It wasn’t long before I got Wi-Fi and Skyped my mumma back at home!  I was so happy to see her and when Devi came onto the screen I almost started crying.  Now that Christmas is coming up almost anything can make me start crying, even a Christmas commercial makes my eyes start watering.  Dad wasn’t home yet so I would have to wait an hour to Skype him.

While I waited I got to hold little 4-week-old Evie on my chest while Jenna was out shopping with Sharon.  Eve looked so peaceful, her whole body just curled up on my chest with her hands clenched into small fists.  Jenna came home and it was just about time for me to give Evie up but I hadn’t Skyped dad yet and I really wanted to show him my new baby.  Just as Jenna said it was time to go mom messaged me saying dad is home, I wasted no time pressing the call button.  Their faces appeared and I was so happy to see them together!  Dad was even happier to see me with a baby.  I figured at that moment that I wanted to have a baby girl…. If I ever do have kid, which according to my dad I will.

She is so precious!

The moment Evie left I headed to the kitchen to start dinner.  Took me a couple hours to get everything ready but not long to cook the burgers.  We had Tara, Joe and her kids over, who include Mason, Bell, and Indy (the oldest).

I wasn’t sure how the burgers were going to turn out but everyone kept eating and eating them so they must have been good.  Bell, who is an extremely picky eater, even said she liked them.  I was quite proud of myself.

After dinner I Skyped my bestest friend Cheyanne!  We talked for ages and finally Tim came back from his nature walk and I got to talk to him as well.  I was informed about everything going on in everyone’s life at the present moment and felt a part of my small family once more.  I really wanted to watch the movie that would soon be chosen so I had to say goodbye to my best buddies, something that is not easy.

We watched The Family Man that night with Nicolas Cage.  It is a pretty good movie but Lyn and I ended up falling asleep because we were so tired.  In the morning we are going to the market so I must get my sleep tonight.