Thursday, January 21, 2010

Day 1- Coffs Harbour

We've been on camping trips in northern NSW before but I really wanted to go to the Blue Mountains (with ulterior motives as you will later find out) and the girls wanted to see Sydney, which is about a 12 hr drive.
We left home at 5:30 in the morning so hopefully the girls would sleep part of the way. Our first stop for the night was going to be Coff's Harbour which is about the halfway point to Sydney. A seven hour drive...hence wanting to keep the girls quiet for as long as possible.



We stopped on the Gold Coast for a late BBQ breakfast and a swim (and climb)



then proceded on our way. I love the freedom of the road and the passing scenery which is so beautiful in northern NSW.  We got caught in some slow-moving traffic outside Ballina, but that's not really a hardship when you've got views like this out your window.



Driving down the highway we'd pass through these tunnels which are built solely for the purpose so that koalas and other native wildlife can have safe passage over the top from one side of the road to the other. I love that! They should have them in Qld.

We'd also pass under possum bridges (like rope ladders) for the same purpose.

Yay, it's the Big Banana at Coff's Harbour.



We're here....oh, our booked accomodation is a dodgy motel that smells like stale cigarette smoke. Dinner, at a pub, isn't turn out much better.
We were excited by the two for one meal deal but when our $14 steak burgers turned out to be a burnt, tough piece of steak on a miniscule bun with only some limp lettuce to brighten it, you can imagine we weren't happy. But true to form, we didn't complain or send it back. (Is anyway brave enough to do that?) And I guess, what else could you expect from a 2-for-1 deal?

Recommendations - avoid the Golden Glow Motel and the Lucky Grills Resturant.
But that's all part of the adventure, isn't it.

 

Monday, January 18, 2010

Welcome to our slideshow night - drinks optional




Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted. Nearly two months, to be exact. Am I the only one that can find holidays stressful, not so much the "keeping-the-kids-entertained"stress but the "now's-my-chance-to-do-everything-that-I've-been-putting-off-until-I-had-more-time-but-darn-it-these-are-my-holidays-and-I-want-to-laze-around-and-read,-not-clean-walls" stress.

I always seem to walk a tightrope between doing too much and getting annoyed that I'm not taking advantage of the holidays and relaxing, or else lazing around and getting annoyed that I'm not taking advantage of the holidays....you get the picture.

Earlier we had decided to spend our money wisely by using it to enjoy ourselves and do a NSW road trip which we've only just come back from, so that's what how you're going to be entertained over the next few sessions. This will be my version of inviting you over for drinks then boring you with a slide show of our holiday snaps. Prepare to be riveted.


Get to know me

  • I love the smell of cinnamon and vanilla.
  • My favourite flowers are daisies.
  • My favourite trees are pine trees.
  • I always like to have the bickie jar full and a cake on the cake stand. I know...not that healthy, but so good to look at.
  • Autumn is my favourite month, although I do wish we had more of a change of colours up here in Queensland.
  • I love Anne of Green Gables and Laura Ingalls Wilder. They started my love affair with "old-fashioned" stuff.
  • I'm a boots and jeans kind of girl, but also love vintage skirts and dresses.
  • I like sewing and am in love with quilts at the moment.
  • I love reading. (I have a weakness for archeological thrillers and historical romances, but not Mills and Boon-type ones.)
  • I love old houses with character. No new estate houses for me. (Sorry Rosie.)
  • I love vintage/cottage/farmhouse decorating and pretty pinks and blues, with a splash of red for colour.
  • Polka dots can make me sigh with delight.
  • I have 4 chooks. They are MY pets. Another tick on my dream-come-true chart.
  • I don't eat dessert much any more. I'm not dieting, I just don't want it. (Does that mean I'm growing up if I say no to an icecream cone?)
  • I'll still always say yes to chocolate though!
  • I like to sit on the front stairs in the sun, to drink my morning cup of tea, while I contemplate what to do in the garden.
  • I've got the gardening bug again recently. It comes and goes with the weather. I'm envisioning cottage flowers in pink, blue and white to go with my green picket fence.