We took a week off to go to Queensland and celebrate the MOTH’s sister’s 70th birthday. We could have flown but a road trip is always such fun, giving us an opportunity to visit places we hadn’t been for yonks or that we’d never been to before. We overnighted in Port Macquarie, lunched in Yamba and then caught up with old friends in Byron Bay where they have a lovely house above ‘The Pass’ which is a stretch of beach between Clarkes Beach and Wategos and a very popular spot with surfers and swimmers alike. We thoroughly enjoyed our beach walk after so much driving and equally enjoyed our sunset glass of wine overlooking the bay from their veranda! A trip into town and a delicious dinner at their favourite restaurant Jonsons before heading home and chatting until we fell asleep exhausted in their beautiful treehouse! They rent the house out so if you are ever looking for a great spot in Byron have a look at https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/42258391 We could easily have stayed another day or two but we had a party to get to!

It was a special reunion as the four siblings had not been together for years thanks to Covid and one of them living in Switzerland! She flew in and surprised her big sister Jo and our nephew and his family had also flown in from Calgary in Canada so it really was a wonderful reunion when we arrived in Sovereign Island. Jo’s partner Ivan has a lovely home there and in the afternoon we bundled up a few bottles of champers and headed out on his boat to look at all the amazing homes and gardens in the area. Needless to say a good time was had by all and it felt just like minutes rather than years since we had all last been together which was wonderful. Thanks Jo for giving us all a reason to reunite!

The next day we decided to give TopGolf a go. It’s a bit of a new “thing” for people of all ages and skill levels – even non-golfers – to come together for playful competition. From your very own bay (from where you can order food and drinks) you hit a golf ball containing a personalised microchip into one of 11 giant targets on the outfield, ranging from 25 to 190 metres away, scoring points when you hit them. Every section of each target has a reader that detects the microchip in your smart ball, which computes your scores based on the accuracy and distance of the shot and sends your results to the bay screen. Despite being pretty hopeless it was lots of fun and we all thought it was a great concept and not a bad way to improve your accuracy and practice certain strokes. There were also a lot of bucks and hens parties so it doesn’t have to be too serious!

The day of the party dawned sunny and beautiful as always in Queensland and we got stuck into the food preparation and making the place sparkle. A DJ arrived to set up his station, the boys bought their weight in ice and chilled numerous bottles of champagne and beer and we all frocked up for the celebration. Jo and Ivan had invited friends from New Zealand and from Jo’s expat years overseas as well as the extended family so we were a perfect amount to mingle, chat and dance before some great speeches and a fabulous cake. It was a great evening and we ended up in the kitchen finishing bottles of bubbles and eating prawn baguettes at midnight like a bunch of naughty school kids raiding the pantry! It was a quiet start to the next day that’s for sure…

Back home and we had plenty to do. The new chook house is up but we haven’t transferred the girls just yet, we still have to re-do the fencing and create a new shed for all the gardening gear before we can strip out the chook house, with only 3 weeks left before I go overseas I can’t see too much happening prior to my departure. Luckily it is a straightforward job once we get all the permissions in place and should happen magically while we are away. It will be a fun project for me once I get home to do the styling stuff and do the landscaping etc. The grandsons came for the weekend and we had fun with a new soccer net (the women’s world cup had inspired us all obviously) and after a big day scootering at the skate park, where Papa kept them fuelled with piping hot cinnamon donuts from the Berry Donut Van, we had a big bonfire before they collapsed into bed at 6.30!!! The TV didn’t feature all weekend which was great, Cooper loved the bike we rescued from the side of the road and has instructed us to remove the trainer wheels for his next visit!! Ollie insisted on going on it too even though he couldn’t reach the pedals – he just wanted it to be his turn to be a “big boy”!! They are all growing way too quickly!

The MOTH’s favourite Aunty has been a bit unwell and we decided to make a flying visit to Wagga to see her and the extended family. We had a delightful time catching up with everyone, especially Joan and Terry who still tell the most wonderful tales of their years on the land and of country life, keeping us in stitches with stories of some very unique country characters. It seems road trips are our thing at the moment! Its always nice to head out on the open road and with just a 5 hour drive each way it wasn’t too intense. What made it even lovelier was we were surrounded by yellow! The wattle was in full bloom along the roadside and was further complimented by fields of bright yellow canola. Splashes of sunshine everywhere we looked and you couldn’t help but feel happier for it. Wattle gets a bad rap as lots of people are allergic to it but as Australia’s national floral emblem it is also a well loved and oft used symbol, there are over 1000 different types of wattle and they are a very welcome sight in the middle of winter when things are cold and typically bare. It has been in Australia for over 65000 years and Indigenous people were always pleased to see it as it was a sign that the whales were migrating, mullet were ready to be caught and eels would start to appear in the rivers. National wattle day is celebrated on September 1st – the first day of Spring which reinforces the flower’s status as a symbol of new growth, renewal and fresh beginnings. It’s funny how nature has a colour theme at different times of the year. From September onwards it’s all about purple – it starts with the wisteria and then is followed by Lavander, irises, hydrangeas, daisies and salvias. The Queen of all though is the Jacaranda – which paints both the city and the bush with pretty purple puddles of pigment – providing a beautiful contrast to the millions of eucalyptus trees and something for the nectar loving creatures to enjoy! What a beautiful country we live in!!