Is there a better word in the world? Home…. one of the top three words along with love and family. It is great to go away and experience new things, find inspiration to do things differently or finally start that hobby you’ve been thinking about for years but it’s also wonderful to come home to the familiar, your family and animals, your own bed and your favourite coffee. In fact if I didn’t travel I don’t think I would appreciate my home as much as I do. You see it through fresh eyes and your heart swells when you turn into the driveway, knowing all is as it should be. What was becoming slightly boring before your trip now  brings you joy in the everyday familiarity and security of being back in your own place once more.

Unfortunately along with those feelings of comfort came feelings of being unwell and within 36 hours we were down with Covid – a parting gift from either the plane trip or maybe someone in the 86,000 crowd at our last night’s game in Paris. We were literally like a river of people as we left the stadium so no real surprises if that’s where we got it! Luckily it was a relatively mild case and we were feeling considerably better after a week which was lucky as I had a couple of things in the diary for the following few weeks. First stop was a girls weekend in Callala Bay. We were celebrating 25 years of our bookclub which is no mean feat. A few people have come and gone, through relocation and sadly a death but most of us are still here and look forward to our monthly meetings. What was a respite in the past from parenting and husbands and work is now a celebration of friendship and growing families and therapy in this new stage of our lives and is as precious as ever. It’s a rare meeting that we are all together especially now travel is back on the cards but its always lovely and we are grateful to have it and each other. The weather was a bit grey so apart from a daily walk on the beach we were happy to stay inside the rather gorgeous house we’d rented and as we had all bought food and wine we didn’t even need to go out! MUCH chatting, laughing, face and foot masks, swapping of stories and relaxation was had and the consensus was we should do it again sooner rather than later!

Luckily the weather changed just in time for a beautiful lunch in Kangaroo Valley. Held on Melbourne Cup Day but renamed ‘Fill My Cup’ my lovely friend Leigh opens up her gorgeous house every year for a girl’s lunch to celebrate friendship and support for each other. Everyone brings yummy food and drinks and it was terrific to meet some really interesting local ladies with many different stories. Landscapers, Designers, Chefs, a film maker, a myriad of skilled women enjoying each other’s company over a delicious lunch – thanks Leigh!

The following day we left for a few days down at Potato Point, a few hours drive south of us and a place introduced to us by our daughter and husband who took us there after Covid to thank us for housing them during the lockdown. We fell in love with its pristine location and simple old school holiday vibe. Four couples got together for a few days of old fashioned fun – barbies, swims and walks, card games and drinks listening to the waves crash while old memories were rehashed and tall stories told! A nice surprise was a visit from our lovely friend Duncan – a Canadian who has lived in Switzerland for most of his life and made friends with our very own young MOTH when he did a stint working in the ski fields back in the day. They have remained friends ever since and we catch up whenever we can. He fitted in well with the crew and enjoyed meeting our eclectic little bunch! On our last day we had a nice outing to Narooma for a long lunch at beautiful Quarterdeck with its gorgeous view over the water and the food didn’t let us down – delicious as always. We left full and happy and ready for an afternoon snooze! We hope to repeat the trip away at a different beach location later this year.

The next few weeks were a flurry of activity as we got stuck into preparing the house and garden for Christmas and finally started our little conversion project of the old chook pen. The builders didn’t mess around and within 2 days everything was stripped out, insulated and new windows and doors installed! Two days later the walls were up, electrics and plumbing roughed in and we could see the studio taking shape. The trickiest part of the whole job ended up being the polishing of the concrete which proved challenging mainly because there was a 2 inch difference of the floor levels where the old laying boxes had been taken out. This involved a LOT of grinding down of the old concrete before we could even start the polishing. We guess that the floor was at least 40 years old and had no idea how it would come up and it didn’t behave as we had envisaged unfortunately. The middle of the floor looked great with a nice terrazzo effect but all around the edges it was a sludgy brown and it just looked wrong. The only option was for another layer of sealer which made it look more unified but sadly in the brown colour instead of the grey and white. The poor bloke was here every day in the boiling heat trying to make it behave but in the end I was happy to accept it the way it was – that is after all the story of the old coop and once the furniture was in it didn’t look too bad. The painters took over and miraculously just a few days before Xmas we had a finished studio!! Perfect timing for Tom to christen it whilst simultaneously evading the chaos of the main house with his 4 Nieces and Nephews under 5 years of age!

After a couple of nights in Athens we headed for Nice and our Rugby and Wine Tour. We were slightly trepidacious as neither of us had ever been on a tour as adults before and weren’t quite sure what to expect. We had a day to ourselves to explore Nice before meeting the others and starting on the itinerary and what a day it was. Beautiful sunshine, gorgeous colourful architecture and it was market day! What more could we ask. We lunched overlooking the flower markets, tucking into mussels, niçoise salad and chilled local wine listening to our favourite language – French – being spoken all around us. We decided to be brave this trip and use as much of our French as we could as we hardly get any opportunity to use it at home. They were so lovely and always appreciated us trying and when asked prompted us how we could have said it better!! Afterwards we ambled along the Promenade des Anglais enjoying one of the most famous beaches of the Cote d’Azur. They shipped in tons of golden sand to put over the pebbles during summer and despite it being nearly the middle of October there was still lots of beautiful people soaking up the sun!

Day 1 had us on the bus with a lovely tour guide who filled us in on life in the south of France and on the local history. We stopped off in Cannes and breakfasted in the market. Our trip up into the hills behind Nice to St Paul de Vence was perfect. We played petanque and drank aperol in the square outside the town, explored the tiny little cobbled laneways which were home to artists and teeny tiny shops selling Provençal specialties. A wine tasting at a 14th century cellar accompanied by charcuterie boards was fun and we quickly started to get to know our fellow companions – a great bunch of people with a good sense of humour and we started to relax – all was going to be well!

Day 2 saw us off to Cassis, a Mediterranean fishing port famous for its pastel coloured buildings, street cafes and it’s calanques. This is where the steep limestone cliffs plunge into the azure blue water of the mediterranean creating little sheltered coves which harbor many fish and make it a great place to dive or snorkel. We were happy to once again be there on market day and we had a lovely time wandering around and enjoying watching the passing parade as we lunched outdoors. We started to notice lots of rugby supporters from many nations and famous retired players too, we weren’t too far from Marseille and tomorrow night’s first quarter final match and we were starting to feel pleased we had signed up for the whole experience!

We arrived in Aix-en-Provence, a charming colourful city in Provence which was made famous by local artist Paul Cezanne who popularized the landscapes of Provence around the world (his little atelier is still here and open to visitors). Aix is a beautiful town which we quickly got to know. Everything revolved around the huge fountain in the main square and the whole place was heaving with rugby tourists! We could hear the Brits and the Welsh singing in the pubs and every restaurant was booked out. Luckily together with a group of our newfound friends we found somewhere to eat at about 9pm and enjoyed the local steak frites and red wine before heading back to the hotel eager to explore more the next day. Market Day!! (Do I sense a theme here??) and I finally got to buy some gifts and also my traditional French gift to myself – local Provençale fabric which I make into a tablecloth! I have already got yellow, red and blue themed ones and this time I found a beautiful green one to take home.

By 2pm we were all in the foyer awaiting our coach transfer to Marseille and our first rugby match between Wales and Argentina. As we arrived in Marseille it was hard not to get swept up in the carnival atmosphere with everyone wearing their country colours and singing and dancing. Everyone was happy and we didn’t see any trouble despite most people drinking. A fabulous atmosphere and as we entered the stadium we could only imagine how the players were feeling.

The next day we piled into the bus to discover Avignon, the City of the Popes where we immersed ourselves in the thousand year old history of the city and marvelled at the largest gothic palace in Europe. Back in the 1300s Avignion was the centre of the Roman Catholic world and though it’s stint as the seat of papal power only lasted about 7 years it has been left with an impressive legacy of ecclesiastical architecture, most notably the soaring fortress cum palace known as the Palais des Papes. Avignon is also more commonly known for its famous bridge. We grew up singing “sur le pont d’avignon” in French classes and here I was seeing it in real life!!

This afternoon the MOTH fell in love with Provence. We had a few hours in Isle sur la Sorge, an enchanting little town in the heart of Provence. Sitting upon the River Sorgue it is a mecca for people looking for French antiques and artisan products of the region. The brocante is famous and utterly charming, individual stores set up in the Autumn sunshine and I so wished I could take some of the beautiful pieces home to Australia but it was totally impractical of course. We treated ourselves to lunch instead, set amidst the bustling market (you knew it!) with smells to die for and beautiful colourful fabrics blowing in the breeze I felt like I was in a Willy Wonka movie with a total overload of the senses. Cam was captivated and has since said to me at least a dozen times that he wants to return there before he dies (slightly dramatic) and live like a local for a few months. I would definitely enjoy that too so you never know! We were feeling very relaxed and happy when we boarded the bus for quarter final number 2 – we could only hope that it would be as good as game 1. Tonight it was England and Fiji battling it out and once again we were not disappointed!

We left beautiful Aix and headed to Toulouse – a city neither of us had visited before. We had a full day, stopping en route for a three course lunch at Fontfroide Abbey which was just what we needed to prepare ourselves physically for a long tour of Carcassonne. We had THE most passionate guide I think we’ve ever met. She knew EVERYTHING about every part of the history of Carcassonne and much more to boot and didn’t hesitate to share it ALL with us. It took 2.5 hours and I think we were all rather relieved when we got back on the bus! Don’t get me wrong it was interesting and Carcassonne is beautiful – it is the best restored medieval citadel in France and is steeped in history and medieval charm. The imposing crenellated walls bear witness to centuries of struggle and defensive strategies. The thing I found most fascinating that there was an entire town within those walls – like a giant ancient dolls house with gargoyles posted as sentinels!

Toulouse – often referred to as the pink city – was huge and vibrant. It is known as a centre for art, heritage and also the air and space industry. Its 2000 year history and beautiful mansion houses and manicured gardens call to mind the golden age of the renaissance and the pastel trade. We took our favourite little HOHO bus tour to acquaint ourselves with the city and noted there was a huge cycle path down near the Canal du Midi and later we rented a couple of bikes and did some much needed exercise for a couple of hours! It was so tranquil there considering we were in such a big city and reminded me again that we have always said we’d like to take a boat down that very same canal!

We did a spot of shopping with the MOTH needing a few more tee shirts (no laundry facilities on this stage of our trip) so we popped into ZARA and picked some up, dropping the receipt into a bin in the square. I happened to notice a hole in the shirt so we returned to the shop where Cam had to strip and wait 15 minutes for a member of staff to exchange it!! Lucky he’s not shy! Then of course our tour leader Matt Hodgson took a pic of us delving into the bin retrieving the receipt – we looked like a homeless couple!!

Toulouse provided one of the MOTH’s bucket list items – cassoulet!! We had been excited to visit Entrecote, a lovely restaurant where we had had some lovely meals in the past and which has a special association with our very missed BIL – JC. I was so looking forward to their amazing steak frites when Cam saw this other restaurant where they proudly proclaimed that cassoulet was their signature dish – and my steak frites were gone! To be fair he loved every mouthful and it was a lovely restaurant – 85% full of rugby mad men - so I never had a chance! The next day we checked out the huge covered market and ate upstairs in the restaurants that support the stalls downstairs, cooking the day’s produce in style. we had an awesome lunch that included duck and foie gras and walked around town enjoying the famous French carousels which were in every square and had coffee in little cafes watching the world go by.

We farewelled Toulouse and headed to Bordeaux. We had a lovely day trip organised by the tour and first stop was Agen Rugby Club in Lot-et-Garonne. ARC was founded in 1908 and has taken part in many prestigious competitions and has been part of the Top 14 – France’s elite championship. The club currently plays in the second tier of national rugby competitions in France – Pro D2. We had a tour of the club and the grounds, watching the Captains run for the team before we enjoyed a cocktail lunch. The MOTH was a little starstruck when Phillipe Sella (who has 111 caps for France) came to meet us and talk about the history of his club – he is now on the board. Cam remembers watching him play back in the day and he was very charming taking all our questions and speaking his best English! Ajen won their game the next day with us all cheering them on from a bar in Bordeaux!!

The afternoon took us to Eyran Chateau and their vineyard where we had a tour and a tasting. They use regenerative farming methods which was very interesting to learn about and even gave us a few ideas for our garden at home and made us feel better about our little family of microbats that cohabit with us! The vineyard brings them in especially to deal with the bad bugs and to keep the eco system happy! They make a range of red, white and rose wines in the Pessac Leognan and Bordeaux appellations and we enjoyed the tour very much. Our first night in Bordeaux saw our group wander down to the nearby square and have dinner listening to the obligatory guy playing the accordion – oh so French! Not the best meal of the trip but a nice atmosphere at least!

Our final day tour of the trip was fantastic. Quite a few people opted to stay and explore Bordeaux but we have been here before and opted to venture to new locations. our first stop was the Dune du Pilat – Europe’s highest sand dune! The dune is impressive not only for it’s size but for the breathtaking panorama it offers from the summit over the bay of Archachon as far as the Cap-Ferret lighthouse and the coastal forest as far as the eye can see. The lure of this view got me up the hill (my lungs really hate hills) and with a few rest stops to suck in some air I made it! A beautiful and unexpected natural delight and worth the climb.

We continued down into Arcachon, a popular seaside town on the Atlantic coast and famous for its oysters from the local oyster farming ports of the southern Arcachon basin. We played tourist on a little train that took us all around the town and up into the hills above where we saw the most beautiful houses all painted in different colours and with walled gardens all trying to out do each other!

A lovely walk along the promenade had us imagining how the beach would be full of people in the summer and the little town full of holiday makers. We enjoyed the most delicious lunch at Les Terrasses du Port, a lovely restaurant overlooking the ocean and the marina. As so many people had opted out of the tour we literally had dozens of oysters each and with the most delicious hand made local butter and bread (plus wine of course) we were as happy as Larry, but that was just the entree and after two more courses we were literally bursting at the seams by the time we stood up to leave. Back to Bordeaux and our first rain of the trip so we all did a mad dash to a fabulous pizza place next to the hotel and it was so cosy being inside as the rain lashed the windows and all we could hear was laughing and different languages and people enjoying themselves. You certainly don’t have to be in a gourmet restaurant to have fun!

Our last section of the trip and another experience as we caught the fast train from Bordeaux to Paris. Our luggage had been sent ahead the previous day so we had nothing to do but make ourselves comfy and enjoy the 2 hour trip. The train flew along at 300km per hour but was surprisingly smooth, not that you could discern too much out of the windows as we were going too fast. Luckily the trains all have good free wifi and we all caught up on our communications and our books! Pulling into Paris is always amazing. It doesn’t matter how many times you visit there is always a little frisson of excitement as you see the magnificent buildings and the corner bistros, the shutters and the avenues of trees. Our coach took us on a quick tour around the sights en route to our hotel which was a perfect way to get our bearings.

Our hotel was super, very well located just near the Gare de Lyon and within walking distance of everything we wanted to see. Our first stop was to Notre-Dame to see how the restoration was going. Last time we were here was just after the fire and Paris was still in mourning for its beloved Grande Dame, things were a lot more upbeat this trip and they really have done the most amazing job restoring it as authentically as possible and hopefully its re-opening date in 2024 will come to fruition.

That night was the first of the semi final matches and in traditional French style it started at 9pm! This meant the coaches had to be there by 6pm to get parking and then a 2km walk to The Stade de France. There were roadside stalls selling beer and merchandise stalls were teeming with tourists looking for souvenirs. There had been a few lone wolf terrorist attacks in France in the previous few days so everything was on heightened alert and there were Police everywhere both on foot and horseback but despite the huge presence they were not called upon thank goodness. Security was stringent with all of us receiving at least three different pat down searches on entering the stadium surrounds. With such a long wait before the game we ate, drank and shopped and the boys made use of the “outdoor” facilities which had us all crack up, having never seen anything like it before.

The other thing we had never seen at any big game was the lack of wine for sale. Only beer, soft drink and water was available and we were so bemused that the country most known for wine in the world wouldn’t have tapped in to what surely would have been a huge financial income for them. The answer was so obvious once we knew and so French – they simply refuse to drink wine out of plastic glasses which were compulsory at these huge games for obvious reasons. I both admire their dogged attachment to etiquette and despise their lack of commercialism as I hate beer! I tried one and it took me 2 hours to sip my way through it! The game wasn’t as exciting as the previous ones as Argentina seemed to have played their big game in the quarters and New Zealand sailed through to the finals. We arrived back at our hotel around midnight and luckily our beautiful hotel bar was shut and we had no choice than to go straight to sleep!

Our last day in Paris and of our trip dawned and we decided to stay local and book ourselves a fancy long lunch. We were overjoyed to book a table at the beautiful Train Bleu in the most unlikely location in the Gare de Lyon, it has often been described as the most beautiful restaurant in Paris and we were genuinely excited to experience it. We rocked up promptly at midday to find a brace of police surrounding the entrance as apparently someone had left a bag there and it was being treated as a potential bomb scare. The restaurant was now closed for the lunch service, and we were so disappointed. The staff offered us a table for the dinner service but of course we were going to be at the rugby and had to decline…pretty much our only disappointment of the trip. Here she is in all her glory….

So our last few hours in Paris we wandered the streets, down to Saint Germain and another market to buy some baguettes to eat at the rugby (footy food is no better in French stadiums than in Aussie ones!) and stumbled across a lovely old school bistro for lunch where we had a last delicious although much less salubrious lunch and cheered to our fantastic holiday that took us from the UK to Greece to France and we loved every bit!

Onto the coach for the last time and everyone was in good spirits to see the England v South Africa game and enjoy our last night together. Again the game wasn’t the best and the Brits on tour were very disappointed although South Africa were realistically the only team that could actually compete with the Kiwis in the final so maybe things worked out as they should. We said our goodbyes to everyone as we were leaving in the morning before the official end of tour lunch (I stuffed up the dates) and we felt like we’d made some good friends. We hope to do a road trip to Toowoomba to see two couples that we particularly got on well with later this year. Thus endeth our tour and we would definitely consider another one as long as it contained specific things we and therefore the others on the tour liked and in that way you are more guaranteed to enjoy each others company.

                     Le Fin…………

So we went from our simple little Cycladic apartment to the rather splendiferous Hotel Tagoo just outside of Mykonos Town. It was everything I could have asked of a hotel in Mykonos. It’s a small recently renovated multi-level hotel complex designed in traditional Mykonian architecture and decor and as such overlapped my sister-in-law’s desire for a hotel experience with my desire for something traditional and not too 5 star (which I hate) and it fit the bill beautifully. As you walked through the front door you were mesmerised by the billion dollar view from our roof top pool, with the Aegean Sea stretched out beneath you. Paradise with no infinity. The Pool Bar was the ideal place to unwind and enjoy cocktail after a refreshing swim (yes Sue-Ellen I’m looking at you!!) and breakfast was served here in the mornings too which was perfect. Our rooms were gorgeous. SO simple and serene and with a panoramic view of the ocean and the town. I was in heaven.

The next day once again grateful for our car we set off to explore the island. Our brother and sister duo are great lovers of swimming and they were keen as mustard to get some salt on their skin so we headed to one of the better beaches. As it was early October the beach clubs and restaurants were either closed or in the process of shutting down for the year so we pretty much had the whole beach to ourselves which was a bonus.

Having earned their lunch we headed inland to a little hill top town and had a delicious lunch under the shade of a bougainvillea. This time an octopus salad, grilled sardines, stuffed veggies and fritters followed by the thickest creamiest greek yoghurt topped with sweet syrupy carrots which was the most delicious thing I’ve eaten all trip! Sounds weird but trust me – it was GOOD!

Another day and another drive around the island – this time we found a fabulous little restaurant right on the waters edge near a popular beach. Being October there were no crowds, just enough people to give the place a little buzz and keep most of the restaurants open. They all loved us as we asked them for something they would eat with their families and that way we got to try things we would never have otherwise ordered! Despite being very traditional there is a huge range of different foods on offer and for the most part I think it is a very healthy cuisine and definitely tasty. Eating yet more seafood and slurping delicious French rose to the sound of water lapping has to be the most divine way to spend time and we loved it!

The next day we drew a deep breath and walked into Mykonos Town to explore the capital of the island. The reason for us girding our loins was that every morning when we drew our curtains there were at least 5 or 6 huge cruise ships “parked” outside. The little tenders were zipping madly back and forth between the ships and the town, heavily laden with cruise passengers eager to part with some cash and buy souvenirs galore from the myriad of shops lining the beach and in the laneways of Chora. The prices reflected this with a severe increase from similar things in Paros but YOLO and all that jazz so we joined the masses and with just a few deviations from the main laneways we found some lovely shops and a great restaurant tucked away in a little square, its brightly painted chairs and checked tablecloths drawing us in for an hour of relaxation and wonderful mezze until we felt suitably fuelled to go and “see/do” Mykonos.

Despite the tourist crowds (let’s face it we were tourists too!) it was worth it to see the famous windmills, the obligatory donkey and so many whitewashed houses and staircases each decorated in their bright colours with tumbling bougainvillea, all under that perfect Greek blue sky. A highly coveted seat by the water with a view of the windmills would cost you an expensive bottle of champagne but with our very own wonderful pool bar with its gorgeous view we decided to head home for our last afternoon of R&R and planned to walk back into town for our last dinner – why not go out with a bang eh?

The town is completely different at night as all the cruise people return to the ship after 6pm for their all inclusive dinners and entertainment leaving the township to the locals and tourists staying on the island. Lights twinkled and music and laughter permeated the winding lanes as we found a nice place for our last supper! Afterwards we sipped cocktails at a nearby bar and managed to keep Sue-Ellen from dragging us out to “dance” somewhere! She is a party girl that’s for sure! Some last shots of the fab 4 before we headed home to pack up for our trip to Kythira. What a lovely few days we had together in another beautiful island – Mykonos isn’t all bars and beach clubs, especially in October, and if you have a car you can easily get around the island and see the real Mykonian way of life. They must all breathe a sigh of relief when the tourists leave and they get their island back but without tourism they wouldn’t have an income, a dilemma common to many beloved places in Europe. I think the Mykonos we experienced was definitely different to that of the cruise ship passengers – they literally get a few hours in the major town and that’s it whereas we felt we got a real feel for the place. Our next destination couldn’t be more different as we head to Kythera….

Its 1979 and I’m living in Athens and working as a live in Au Pair for a Scottish-Greek family with two boys age 5 and 10. They are a busy family and as a result I spend a lot of the time with the boys moving them around between their (divorced) parents and in between their holiday houses on Patmos and Paros. I have MANY wonderful memories from those days. The houses were typically Cycladean – white with blue shutters and doors and very simple. Eating was mainly outdoors and with a very bohemian group of potters, artists and cheffy types. Long tables laden with large platters and bowls of local produce – the sweetest tomatoes, local lamb, lemons and figs from our trees and our neighbour’s olive oil. Nothing flash but eye opening for me and a lifestyle I fell in love with. For 40 years I was too scared to return to Greece and especially to the islands in fear that those memories would be tainted or spoilt but I decided I didn’t want to put it off any longer and I am SO happy I didn’t. Paros is busier and more populated than back then but it still carries the essence of all I remember, and life still revolves around friends, family and food – traditional and local for the most part and most definitely seasonal. I loved every minute of our time in Paros and many memories were unlocked from the recesses of my brain!

I managed to find an airbnb as close as possible to those simple houses we lived in and in the best position overlooking the ocean and the sunset. It was up a steep set of stairs but we found a back way to get to and from the local restaurants and cafes which saved us from a heart attack every night climbing up them! It was a simple little two bedroom apartment with a great balcony. We had a little restaurant right next door to us whose kitchen opened from 6.30 until midnight meaning there were often people there until 1 or 2 in the morning but mostly it wasn’t too intrusive although I’ve decided drunk women of a certain age are the absolute noisiest of all humans!!!

We stayed in Parikia which is the main port of the island and where I lived all those years ago. The old town is a labyrinth of alleyways with crazy paving and whitewashed buildings swathed in vibrant pinks and reds of bougainvillea and little shops and cafes were wedged into the smallest of spaces with brightly painted tables and chairs spilling onto the pavement – a perfect spot to watch the world go by. Church bells pealed and people chattered in many different languages and we enjoyed that special holiday feeling you get in a beautiful and unique setting.

We ventured out to Naoussa – the other main town of the island – to enjoy a day at the beach and lunch next to the ocean. Literally by the ocean! Eating octopus and drinking chilled wine next to the blue sea lapping the shore is a memory for the ages. We caught a boat to a nearby beach where we swam in the crystal clear water and sunbaked on warm rocks. A local ‘entrepreneur’ was asking $50 an hour to rent a sunbed and a brolly so we did what we did all those years ago as backpackers and went au naturel! The land surrounding the coast was as dry as I remember with only a little greenery around the houses and with rather barren land in between. The wind plays havoc on these islands and nothing seems to grow over 5 feet and everything has a bit of a jaunty lean!

Another day trip was spent in Antiparos, a 20 minute boat trip away, a smaller quieter but equally pretty version of Paros. It was like going back 50 years and very relaxing (maybe why Tom Hanks has a holiday house here) – you truly feel displaced from real life! For us that meant walking around the island and eating and drinking yet again before braving the boat back to Paros in a very high wind on a choppy sea. I was a bit scared that our little wooden ferry wouldn’t make it but apart from getting drenched we all survived to tell the tale! If the winds had become any stronger they would have cancelled the boat apparently and then goodness knows what we would have done!

The food we had on Paros was amazing – loads of fish and seafood for me and the MOTH enjoyed his favourite moussaka and gyros, all pretty reasonably priced and eating outside at a taverna full of families and tourists alike under the stars on a balmy evening was all we could have wished for. Our location right on the water meant we were spoilt for sunsets which were spectacular.

We also caught a bus to the other side of the island, venturing inland to a hilltop town called Lefkes which is authentically Greek, quiet and charming. It was nice to see a few trees and meander through the narrow alleyways until we reached a lovely shady square and enjoyed a delicious lunch, zucchini fritters, souvlaki and greek salad followed by portokalopita – the famous orange cake of Greece. Delicious and addictive!

As our time in Paros came to an end I was grateful that my memories had not only NOT been ruined, they had been enhanced. We both thoroughly enjoyed our time here and our fitness improved with all the hills and stairs we climbed! A little balance to all the yummy food consumed hopefully. Our next stop was Mykonos where we were meeting up with the MOTH’s sister and hubby and treating ourselves to a hotel stay. We caught the fast boat which only took us about an hour and powered through the choppy waves like a hot knife through butter! On to the next stage of our Greek Island Odyssey…..

After the usual flurry of “to do” lists and packing/repacking (as one of our legs demanded a maximum of 15kg of check in luggage – no easy feat when you are away for 7 weeks!!) the day finally arrived when I was to fly solo to the UK to meet up with my family. Being knackered helped me sleep on the overnight flight to Dubai and by the time I arrived in London I felt quite human! I caught a train down to Hampshire where my Mum met me and I pondered how much easier travelling was nowadays with credit cards easily used to tap for tickets and free wifi on trains and stations making communication easy plus the luckiest thing of all is that we are English speaking – the most commonly used language in the world just happens to be our native tongue! It does have the tendency to make us a bit lazy though and you have to make a real effort to try and speak French, Greek or Italian when you know they can speak excellent English!
I spent a couple of days with Mum in the area I grew up in England and we revisited some of our favourite haunts and met up with old family friends which made me feel like I’d gone into a parallel universe where hardly any time had gone by rather than the 40 odd years since I’d left! It was lovely to stay at Mums and meet her friends and see in person all her pots and hanging baskets that she lovingly plans and nurtures each season – one of the many things that help keep her busy and stay young! We packed up the car and she drove us to Wales for our reunion with the other half of the family and before we knew it we were all chatting and clinking glasses and enjoying being back together. As I get older I get more and more nostalgic for these moments of reconnection and appreciation for our family so in that vein we planned an overnight stay at my cousin’s house in Warwickshire. Here our octogenarian parents could also easily get together and enjoy reminiscing about times past and Celia seamlessly managed to whip up a magnificent beef roast in her huge Aga which we enjoyed with copious quantities of lovely wines and lots of laughs were shared around the table. Thanks to Roger and Celia for hosting another wonderful family reunion….

After many years of our cousins living in New York and Sweden whilst we lived in Wales and Australia we were finally all in the UK at the same time and we arranged to meet in one of my very favourite cities – Bath. As its about halfway between Mum and Sandy we have often overnighted here and it never ceases to hit the spot. Built for pleasure and relaxation, beautiful Bath has been a wellbeing destination since Roman times. The waters are still a big draw today, both at the ancient Roman Baths and the thoroughly modern Thermae Bath Spa, which houses the only natural thermal hot springs in Britain you can bathe in. It has much to offer the visitor, once the home of Jane Austen there is now a museum dedicated to her, beautiful Pulteney Bridge that shares a similarity with the Rialto bridge with its built in shops, Bath Abbey and the grand curve of The Royal Crescent built in the late 1700s – there is much to see and admire.

We enjoyed a lovely lunch and a few hours of chatting and catching up with my beautiful cousins before we headed back to our hotel to rest up ahead of our Michelin starred restaurant dinner – no rest for the wicked!! Menu Gordon Jones was a set menu, very creatively put together and most delicious. I love that these great chefs are more and more concentrating on small restaurants with maybe 30 covers and doing what they love most – their passion shines through. Cocktails and girly chats rounded off our day and we retired to our hotel full and happy!

The next morning we had a final breakfast together at The Ivy and headed back to Wales on the train to spend our last few days together – walking along the beach with the sunshine warming our backs, shopping in Cardiff, a movie and an Indian meal out and lots of lovely home cooked food and wine with enthusiastic participation in board games – simple stuff but absolutely what I miss the most! We laughed at how we had different words for the same things despite speaking the same language (courgette/zuccini, aubergine/eggplant, peppers/capsicum) and how our lives differ mostly because of our different climates. Theirs is more indoors with long cosy months of cold weather and ours is based more outdoors as we can confidently organise a bbq or a walk along the beach or a play date at the park without fear of rain.

On my last day they drove me to Bristol from where I was flying to Athens to meet up with the MOTH and we enjoyed that other great British tradition – a pub lunch! The perfect full stop to my trip home. Saying goodbye never gets any easier but we have been lucky over the past 2 years with more frequent get togethers post covid but as nothing has been actually planned for our next meeting this goodbye felt harder. We are thinking of renting a cottage in the Lake District for a week or two next year perhaps which will keep us from being too sad!! Farewell for now lovely family…..

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!!

A couple of years ago I made friends with two ladies new to Berry and we connected initially through our dogs. Kathy has a Golden retriever (Bear) and a Beaglier (Billy) and she met Vanessa through her business – Golden Retriever Retreat – which is basically a luxury retreat for Goldies! The dogs have the run of their house and garden and it is literally a home away from home for these very well-loved pooches. Us three girls hit it off and got together for walks and coffee and the occasional lunch and Bailey LOVED her walks with Bear and Billy (we called them the 3 Bs) which made it a no brainer for Kathy and I to meet up for a regular walk and combined chats! However Kathy’s life changed dramatically when she and her (English) husband decided they would like to move to the UK and bought a gorgeous stone Georgian house in the country and two weeks ago they boarded a plane with their 2 dogs and 2 cats for their new life. Our farewell was bittersweet as we will miss her but we’re also excited for her and her new adventure and wish her much happiness for this next stage. Thank goodness for WhatsApp keeping us in touch 🙂

Speaking of friends, I recently caught up with a girl I initially met when I was 11 and I started at boarding school in England. There was a group of us that became exceptionally close and to this day 5 of us stay in contact 50 years and a few continents later!! There is nothing like old friends where you can go months or years without seeing or talking to each other and once you do it’s as if it was yesterday and you pick up exactly where you left off! Jenny lives in Hobart now which is fabulous as I can meet up with her every time I visit Loz. Friends both old and new are little treasures in your life.

Our recent 10 days spent with Lauren and family in Hobart was lovely. Our son in law who is a sports teacher was taking his year 9 and 10s skiing to Victoria for a week and had suggested it would be a perfect time to come and spend some time with the girls and help out with the logistics of daycare etc while Loz worked. She has a fantastic new job as Tasmania’s inaugural Carbon Action Advisor to Tourism, a role that combines her communication skills with her passion for environmental sustainability and what better state to do this than Tasmania! On her days off we visited wineries, cideries, distilleries (can you see a trend here?) as well as every park within a 50km radius!

We also played mud kitchens, read books, painted nails, cooked brownies and danced to Barbie, Frozen and Moana. We did craft – made necklaces and pom pom pictures, taught them Connect 4 and drew endless pictures and had LOTS of cuddles and fun. Little Myla cried when they dropped us off at the airport saying she thought she’d never see us again (despite them coming to us for Xmas this year) which was so sweet but also heart breaking!! Hopefully she doesn’t know something we don’t!!

On our last day in Tassie we found out that our little grandson Ollie had been rushed to hospital with breathing difficulties and after various tests they think it was a viral induced asthma attack. He stayed 2 nights until they could get his oxygen levels operating properly and once again we are so grateful that there is a good hospital nearby when time is of the essence. At 2 years of age it was hard for him to understand what was going on and he HATED the mask and fought it until eventually he was so exhausted he finally gave in. A worrying few days for Mum, Dad and all the family as he is usually a little ball of action and it was hard to see him like this…

We are back home now and we have a longer list of jobs than usual as we have undertaken another project. We decided to repurpose our rather gorgeous chicken coop into a studio in the garden for me and my painting/writing and the first step is to relocate our 8 chickens. We have cleared an area that had been home to some dilapidated duck houses within the chicken yard and have taken delivery of a flat pack chicken coop which will eventually look like this.

There is quite a lot to do before the strip out officially begins, new windows and doors to be ordered and made, our potting shed has to be sorted out and relocated and all our “stuff” either chucked out or relocated – we have bits of wood and rolls of wire and all those bits and bobs that you keep “just in case” so we have plenty to keep us occupied. We are also on a bit of a timeline as I go away mid September for our 2023 sojourn to Europe so I have to have all my ducks in a row before I leave or the MOTH will be making decisions solo which is always dangerous! This is the before and hopefully similar after pics…

So we have 6 weeks now to get everything under control before our big holiday. The snowdrops are out as well as the blossom on the pear trees, the camellias are still in full throttle and the lavender has joined them and even a few roses and salvias are still blooming despite having been cut back so our winter garden is not without colour but I’ve spent this week preparing and sowing loads of beds with meadow flowers so I will hopefully return to lots of cheery flowers in amongst the veggies in the patch. My sweetpeas are loving this warm weather and have already started flowering so the bees are happy chappies and will no doubt help the veggies with pollenation which is the basis of my plan! The citrus are in full fruit so the next gloomy day we have I intend making a few batches of marmalade to use up all the fruit that is falling off the trees! I did have a little daydream this week when I bought my ticket in the $100M lottery that maybe if I won I could get a gardener in to help me and then I started thinking what else would float my boat….. this hit the spot!

Hell yeah!!

I’ve been in Australia 40 years in October and I am still incredulous that I have an orange tree growing in my garden. It seemed so very exotic when I was growing up in England – something I associated with the Mediterranean or Morocco – of warm evenings perfumed with the scent of orange blossom or a beautiful French Chateau with orange trees potted in Versailles planters in equally beautiful orangeries yet here I am in a country farmhouse in Australia with a tree that is in full fruit in the middle of winter!!!! Weird to say the least! As we have so many oranges I love to make an orange and cardamom cake I saw in the paper years ago that has become a favourite…the recipe is in the kitchen section if you are interested!

It has been very chilly here the past few weeks – well from 4pm to 9am at least, the days are gorgeous with huge blue skies and lovely sunshine to warm our bones. It is warmer to sit outside on our veranda than in our house (unless we have the wood burner going of course) so it is a pleasure to walk the dog or work in the garden until the sun drops behind the escarpment at exactly 4pm and we are forced inside to rug up and get the dinner going! By 5 we are plunged into darkness – a blanket scattered with stars thrown over the property, chickens snuggled up against each other on the roost to keep warm and the hound curled up in her bed oblivious to the time but responding to nature. Winter – a time to rest, relax, recuperate and enjoy the lethargy that comes over us at this time of year. We eat our dinner earlier and sleep longer – making the most of the later sunrise to snuggle under the doona and the cooler days mean we can spread out our activities instead of having to cram them in early because of the heat so in spite of it not being my favourite season it is actually a lovely time of the year!

Our little town of Berry was voted Best Small Town in NSW this year which was a nice pat on the back for our local shops, cafes and wineries that work tirelessly to bring a lovely experience to the jaded out-of-towners from the big smoke! For a small town Berry seems to be known far and wide. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat on a plane from a far flung place to have my fellow passenger know of Berry! It’s reputation is bigger than it is! It seems people have always loved coming down to the South Coast – even back in the 1930s when the road was slow and winding and the cars just pootled along, people came down here. Artists that went on to be famous such as Arthur Boyd, Brett Whitely and John Olsen all painted the South Coast in some form or another whilst holidaying down here, bringing it to the attention of the city folk.

I recently discovered some old photos of Seven Mile Beach from the 1920s and 30s when the beach was known as the Gerringong Speedway and where it apparently played a significant role in the history of the motor car in Australia. Horse racing had been popular on the straight flat beach from the 1860s right up to when the cars started using it in the early 1920s. In 1925 Don Harkness (1890-1972) an automotive designer, driver and engineer set the Australian land speed record on Seven Mile Beach. With an estimated 2,000 people cheering Harkness on, he reached a staggering 104 miles per hour, or 167kph. The media lapped up the story at the time, extolling the virtues of the sea-scape environment and referred to it as ‘the greatest beach in the world’ for racing.

And in 1933, the long, smooth hard beach was selected by Charles Kingsford-Smith for his maiden international voyage to New Zealand. At Low tide at 2:30am on the morning of January 11, more than 200 locals lit flares and turned on their car lights to help ‘Smithy’ see the runway. It’s hard to believe this all happened when nowadays the beach is virtually empty except for the now ubiquitous beach cabanas that seem to be populating all of our beaches and the odd beach fisherman. I can’t imagine people getting dressed up in their Sunday best to view a land speed record or inaugural plane flight on these same sands!

Last weekend we had our little grandsons to stay – their first solo visit without their parents and we had a lovely time! Apart from the usual fascination with the cows and the chickens we made the most of our fabulous park in Berry – Boongaree – where there is SO much to do. We spent 3 hours there with them and they absolutely loved the skate park. There is a small one for the littlies but they tired of that quickly and then progressed to the BIG guys ramps which freaked me out but gave them an enormous amount of pleasure! They really are fearless on their scooters and I loved watching them work out the best ways to get around as some of the ramps were really steep but they did it with no help from us and the bigger guys were pretty patient with them when they got in the way a bit. Ollie is amazing at just over 2 how he gets around dropping his body when cornering and whizzing around just a tad too quickly for this Grandma!! We stopped off at the Fairy Garden on the way home so that Cooper could look for his namesake rock! The lady that started the garden had painted a load of rocks with various local families’ names and Coops had the best fun looking for his. It is a wonderful spot to spend an hour as the kids love playing with all the toys there – dinosaurs, trucks, dollhouses, musical instruments and rota tennis all provide a break for kids and parents alike! It’s also a great place to donate any unwanted toys, the kids get a real sense of donation and sharing with others which is a valuable lesson.

The dreaded Winter Westerly Winds have arrived, last night was the first big one of the season and we woke up to branches strewn everywhere and furniture blown off the veranda. The whole house shakes and rattles, the old sash windows no match for the ferocity of the wind and the eerie whistling of the wind down the chimneys makes you think the whole house is going to blow away! It is however very reassuring that the house has stood here since 1896 and withstood many years of this kind of pummeling. Luckily, this time of year also brings the most beautiful sunsets, everything from the palest peach to bright vermillion and sometimes a sky full of pure purple. It’s a fact that no matter what happens and how wonderful or awful things are, the world continues to turn and show us it’s magnificence. It never fails to make me feel super small in the scheme of things and remind me that we are only here for a nanosecond and also to make the very best of every single day that we are lucky enough to witness!

It’s the first Sunday of winter and it’s gloomy. A fine mizzle is making me stay inside, log fire crackling gently, mug of tea and the newspaper in hand. There’s something about it being Sunday that gives me permission to snuggle up and enjoy indoor pursuits without judgement! My wardrobe cries out to be sorted out – the summery things folded and put away for another few months and the jumpers and jackets to be brought to the fore. I’m also sorting out my old “corporate” clothes as I can’t see me needing them much anymore. The tailored dresses, fitted shirts and the like are superfluous to my needs here in the countryside and spurring me on is the fact that my daughter is a similar size and will benefit from this clean out! Yesterday was a glorious day and I ventured out into the garden with my paints for an hour to attempt to capture the amazing golden russet colours of my crepe myrtle trees before they lost all their leaves. It feels good to sit in the gentle afternoon sun and just give in to creativity and enjoy the moment.

We have been lucky to have had our house full of little people over the past few weeks with visits from both sets of grandchildren. The girls came from Tassie for 10 days which gave us lots of opportunities to explore the local area as well as immerse them in country experiences. Little India, 21 months, was particularly enamoured with Bailey and the cows and chickens and it was lovely to see them happily accompanying Papa to do his daily chores. Everything is magical at that age – making a fire, feeding the chooks, baking a cake, mowing the lawn – the most mundane things become fun through their eyes.

The local playgrounds and bushwalks kept them busy and ensured they slept well at night and dinner eaten outdoors bundled up next to a fire was fun for all of us! Uncle Tom came down for a few days to join in the fun and it was nice for them to reconnect with him prior to our Cameron Xmas later this year. It will be a very busy and noisy one with 2 x 4 year olds and 2 x 2 year olds in the mix!! The year is already racing – hard to believe we are half way through already. Tempus fugit and all that jazz!

The little boys also love all the animal related pursuits but being boys they also LOVE Papa’s garage and his many tools and of course the ride on mower. Cooper who is ever curious as to how things work is now Papa’s helper when it comes to chopping wood and collecting kindling. He knows how to put the logs into the vice and then dons his headphones as they are cut with the saw. He loves nothing more than being given a length of wood, half a dozen nails and a hammer and then banging them in and taking them out! Simple fun but also teaching him something practical which is the best thing about 4 year olds as they are sponges and absolutely love learning new things. The littler ones are finding new words every day and of course think they can do anything that the bigger ones can which leads to the odd disaster but also lots of fun together as a group. It really is a unique and special time for our family unit.

Winter brings with it early morning mists and fogs, settling thickly into the dips of the hills and keeping us asleep longer with no sun to wake us. Huge flocks of Corellas fly further afield looking for nuts and seeds, we hear them squawking loudly from kilometres away and then see them resting, strung out like fairy lights on the power lines. Most of our outlook is still green thanks to the native trees but there are vibrant squares of red and orange where people have planted deciduous trees in their gardens, breaking up the green in the most delightful way. I still get much joy from the piles of fallen leaves, so many shapes and colours and the rustling and crunching as you walk through them takes me back to my childhood in England and walking through our local woods.

So this is the time of year to rest and recuperate, indulge our love of slow cooking and baking, finally managing to (almost) get on top of those pesky weeds in the garden, time to paint and stain the outdoor furniture and prune the fruit trees, read on the verandah in the sunshine and binge watch shows (especially the British ones) with a glass of red by the fire after dinner. A walk along the beach on a sunny day with the dog and catching friends for lunch at local wineries. Shorter days and colder nights when climbing into bed under the cloud of our winter duvet is heaven. If our chickens would just start laying some eggs again things would be perfect! Its been 2 months now since they started moulting and stopped laying but now they are all fully fluffy with feathers and STILL no eggs. We got a tip from an old chook guy who said to feed them warm porridge every evening just before they went to sleep all to no avail and now I feel they are having a lend of us. Trouble is I love them! All 8 of them are so sweet and love standing near me and making little crooning noises when I’m working in the veggie patch next to their chook house and when we let them out in the afternoon they run off together as a pack – wings flapping and clucking loudly – until they find a warm sunny space under the roses where they like to make little hollows to lie in with their wings out to soak up all that warmth. They are real little characters but are entirely useless. Even when we get eggs again each one will have cost about $10 each with all the food we’ve given them for no return over the past few months! I really love seeing them wandering around the place though and the grandbabies love them so for now they stay…….