Greetings all,
'It's about the journey, not the destination' well, not when the destination is gorgeous & sunny Brisbane in Summer & 2500km of the round trip is in torrential rain. It was tense!! All these images are taken in the middle of the day, in Summer, crazy right??!!
We had 3 weeks of glorious sunshine then 10 days of rain, with more & more rain forecast (poor Queensland) so we left early, as the highways kept closing due to flooding. The children were fantastic, they are great travellers & read, chat, sing & sight see. Note: they all have a spare seat between them!! Bringing the dog was the BEST distraction for our 3rd girl who doesn't love car travel, he also made a comfortable cushion.
This darling puppy spent his 4th birthday looking out the window in the centre row of the car, bless his heart. He even had a sleepover with his puppy cousins (Boxer dogs Lily & Saffron) on the way home, saved me finding an animal friendly motel. The children sprayed him with air freshener & he didn't even smell like wet-dog, brilliant!!
At one stage on the New England Highway, after 100km of pot holes & heinous driving conditions with mist, road works, rain & P platers flying past me . . . there was a sign saying "Warning Oil Spill". Are you kidding me, what else could you throw at me??!!
I stopped by my brother's place for dinner on the way home & his wife presented my son with a helium filled remote controlled shark, LIFE SIZE (almost) & i was just thinking, 1000km to go, now, with a shark floating around the car!!
So with all that road side rain, our pit stops were few & short. Needless to say, we travelled with towels & had the parks to ourselves!!
We also stopped by my parents new cottage in the country, so cute, look at this view out of their kitchen window onto the side drive. Leaving busy Sydney was the best decision, the calm has given them a new lease on life.
Oh hello, i wanted to rip this oven from their cooking nook & take it with me!! My parents are so happy here, under my doctor brother's care. They live in a 2 bedroom cosy cottage (which my brother owns & maintains), they walk into town for coffee each day, Dad has lost 15kg & reduced his drugs by 75%, amazing. Mums seems happy, she's past the horrible Alzheimer's stage & is now very clingy with Dad, which he adores, constantly holding his hand & whispering to him. 57 years of marriage people!!
I am thrilled to wave the flag for the ACT, as we crossed the border from NSW, we had dry roads & sunshine, it was overcast but finally, unpacking the car in dry weather!! I was happy to come home to a spotless house, so glad i made the effort, knowing we were going for 5 weeks over Summer . . . our lovely neighbours even parked their uncle's car in our driveway as 'faux inhabitants' & collected our mail (which included a $7.69 fine for using the Go Between Bridge in Brisbane) on our way to South Bank, ooppss. Love Posie
PS thank you all so much for the girl-power-happy-thoughts & love in my last post, things are still on track (real estate wise) so we're holding our breath.
PS thank you all so much for the girl-power-happy-thoughts & love in my last post, things are still on track (real estate wise) so we're holding our breath.
31 comments:
Wow 5 weeks!! What a great trip, and what an adventure! You guys must have been a sight with that enormous shark on board. I bet it feels great to be home again,and thank goodness for the clean house, well worth your efforts I'm sure!..x
With all that rain am so glad to know that you are all home safe and sound!
That is a huge trip.
You are braver than me, I am hopeless in the car for long journeys. But a 5 week trip would certainly make it worth it.
And, ahhhh, how is the fish surviving?
What a journey!!
So great to hear that your parents are so settled and happy. It sounds ideal where they are.XX
I bet it must have been wonderful for all of you to be reunited again and hang out and have fun as a family. It sounds like you definitely had a bit of an adventure on your trip. I'm glad to hear that you arrived home safely, the weather in 'sunny' Queensland has been pretty terrible lately again.....Have a lovely week. x
Oh, sorry lovely folks, my husband is still in Afghanistan, this was just a holiday to escape my own life for 5 weeks!! We stayed at his bachelor pad, it was a break none the less, love Posie
Oh & the bikes are in for a service, after all that travelling & rain!! Love Posie
Far out, I would never in my wild mind attempt something like that. YOu must really feel like you have achieved something!!x
So glad you're home safe.
That is so wonderful about your parents' new outlook and lifestyle.
Happy homecoming.
:-)
It's good to hear that your parents are happy and doing really well. It must be a big weight off your shoulders knowing they are good :)
Far out you're a brave woman! x
Can you believe the amount of rain we're having this summer? We got out of Brisbane a couple of weeks back, before it really set in. Our son and his family were isolated for several days in their Gold Coast hinterland home, but they are fine now. I really take my hat off to you, travelling through that terrible weather with your four children and the dog thrown in for good measure. It must have been a relief to arrive home safe and sound.
I hope Canberra is a little brighter than soggy Sydney!
Oh Posie, warms my heart reading that part about your parents, true love for sure :o)
You poor things having to travel all that way in those conditions. We were so lucky to avoid bad weather on our road trip to Sunshine Coast and back. But it sounds like you all made the journey a safe and bearable one for each other.
Your doggy is adorable, what a sweet shot of him gazing out the window.
Oh and those blessed toll roads, talk about annoying. I had to phone up while we were up there and set up a temporary e-pass. Not very fair to fine people when they're not aware in the first place.
Glad you're all home safe and sound lovely :o) xo
Oh and the helium balloon! THAT would send me into a frenzy, can't stand balloons bobbing around in the car while I'm driving. Mean Mama or not!
I love that stove and the window box with hydrangeas but the car ride with the shark....made me smile!
Woooah! That's o much rain - it's almost like Monsoon weather!! I'm glad you were okay with it all - and at least you got lovely sunshine too!
Sarahx
thanks for taking us along on your trip (even if it was harrying at times!)
Such a small think. ;-) But such a great idea
Sounds like quite the trip Posie. Glad you got back safely - and the shark made it too:)
The rain would have made for an interesting trip home!
I am sure the kids would have loved their adventure.
we live in Central QLD and drove a round trip to Canberra. My husband drove and we took two of the four kids. Well done on driving all the way as the only adult, and with a dog!
So glad you made it home safely!
Hello Miss Posie, happy Feb to you.
wow, look at that trip, looks amazing!
you are very brave with the kids on your own.
hope you got some well deserved rest before the school year is under way.
many hugs to you ♥
What a trip. It's so nice to catch up with family. That shark was just the touch you needed wasn't it? It's good that you dog could join you too.
I'm glad to hear that you parents are doing well. My Nana cooked the best cakes in the world on a stove just like that one. Thanks for the memory.
Glad you are safely home and also had a great trip and family time...here's to a new school year and all the adventures a family can bring. x
Driving under such tough conditions couldn't have been good for your hands!!!
I laughed out loud re: the floating shark in the car.
great name for a blog!!
you are brave (and a bit silly)
xx
Yikes!
You've got to love those thoughtful gifts of helium sharks to guide you through the watershed moments of a big trip [sorry bad, ban pun].
xx
Looks like you had a great road trip Posie what a horrid day to be driving though so glad you made it back safely i love the hydrangans out side the window I have so tried to grow them but its just too hot in Mackay :( so the local florest just keeps me a supply when in season Loving the stove & its great your parents are all safe, did the fish make it home in 1 piece hee?
sounds very scary so glad you made it home safely xx
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