Camping in 6 Star Territory

Welcome to the Wolgan Valley - 6 star accommodation

 
 

Ok, so we weren't exactly staying in 6 star style, but for the price we paid I reckon we got a much better deal. So we didn't have a lap pool outside our room, nor room service (well one of us did I guess), nor massages on the house and all the other things that Emirates has to offer to their 2K a night visitors... BUT we did have our own private condo (the swag - very cosy indeed!), a beautiful river to swim in (a little cool at the moment, maybe in a month or so!), views galore, and all at a price that one couldn't possibly refuse - FREE!!!! Thank you Wollemi National Park, we LOVE you!

Yep, this was LM's first Real Deal camping experience. Yes, the nationals isn't a bad camping experience (plenty of music and things to do), but this was bush style. When we arrived I asked what LM he thought. "Beautiful" was the reply. I heard that regularly throughout the eve and next morning (views, moths, butterflies and other random objects and things).

LM and Max

6 Star accommodation????

Upon arrival he quickly found a new mate - Max. This was great as it gave me the opportunity to erect the swag (though I had "help" from LM as he wanted to make sure the hammer I was using was up to scratch?????). As I kicked back with a camp mug of cask red, LM was "running, running" all over the camp site squealing with delight and chasing poor 3 year old Max about the place.

I took him up to check out the "facilities" we would be using for our stay. He seemed a little more impressed by the motorbikes beside the loos (can't possibly imagine why). He was a little confused that he was unable to flush these... and the fact he could see "poo" in them...

It was a late bed for one of us and a pretty rotten nights sleep for both of us. The swag probably wasn't the wisest choice given that I have quite a nice tent that sleeps 6! Next time I will head out for two nights to make erecting the tent worth it (mind you, with the lack of sleep it would have been worth it for one!).

Even though there was a late night, there wasn't a sleep in! Arrrrrr! ONE of us just had to get up. I awoke to "boy!"... LM was excited to get out and play with his new mate Max. Anyway, he had to wake. Max's Dad was lucky enough to get himself a nice big sleep in (well prob only til 7:30, but it was better than us!).

Up and in undies, LM HAD to find out what it was like to poo in a room with the BEST view one could almost imagine (what a spoilt child). After the poo, it was off to the loo to deposit the deposit :( As he couldn't flush, he decided it was necessary to peer in at all that had gone before!!!! He was very interested and it was difficult to prise him away.

After a breakfast of hot chocolate and warm wheet bix we packed up our swag (taking a little longer than putting it up due to playing with Max!) - not quite sure why it took so long for Max's Dad to pack up his tent... he didn't have to deal with his child, but I had 2!!!!! Both wanting saltanas and the ball and to play with the potty (must admit I felt pretty good seeing Max the 3 year old in a nappy and my little 2 year old man in his undies (ok, yeah I know, so what he has accidents every now and then..... yeah alright, almost every day... you can't win everything).

After packing we headed up the road a bit, parked and I carried LM across the river and we went for a walk (only about 1.5km). We were both too tired to do much more, but LM was great and walked most of the way without too much fuss, but it was pretty slow going!

We drove home.

LM was asleep just as after we hit the dirt. I wished I was!

He woke up when we arrived home. Clearly not having had enough sleep, I strongly encouraged him to have another one with me after we had unpacked the car. It was a nice 2 hour sleep :)

Anyway, that was our little flash camping trip. I would have gone for longer, but didn't want to commit on our first trip out. Next time we will do at least 2 nights!

LM was very lucky before we went out camping. Not only did he have Sash and the dog to hang out with, but as they were leaving Grandpa turned up! Talk about excited! Grandpa stayed for one of the best banana breads ever and what was probably a pretty average cup of tea. Unfortunately it was only a quick visit as he was off to play at a wedding in Bathurst. Oh well, LM thought it was a pretty great surprise!

He also got to play with Ruby for a good hour and a half before we headed out camping AND had a real treat for dinner - Fish and Chips on the drive out to our 6 star accommodation!

What a day and a bit! It has pretty much taken us til now to get over it...

2, 2, 2!

LM has turned 2 (just in case he hasn't told you)

Well... the party that I have been busily (and I mean INSANELY busily) working towards over the last few weeks has been and gone. It went well by pretty much all accounts. Who knows really what went on in the preceding weeks? Not I! All I know is that it was busy. Invites. Knock down wall. Build path. Out of bricks. Hmm... build ramp! Make veggie burgers. Make cake. Clean house. Keep small child entertained while all this goes on.

I am sure that there were a few trips out into the bush so little man could carry Mummies camera and take happy snaps of orchids. He is thankfully discovering a love of bushwalking (and I have been working on it!). Rockclimbing may also have made an appearance, a few trips to the pool even!

Anyway, on the birthday morning someone small (I wonder who) was bouncing out of his bed and literally jumping into mummies room (you can ask Grammy for her confirmation on that point) at 6am! Not my idea of a great start to the day, but LM was just a little excited! I now wish that I had not worked him up into such a frenzy for his birthday. A number of reasons for this: a day where I wished he was still in nappies (my carpet and bed copped it!), no daytime sleep, being woken at 6am, and no sleep till 7!

Daddy arrived just in time to save Mummy! Grammy had taken a quick trip to the shops and left Mummy with an over-excited LM and a heap of things to finish off (salads, moving furniture etc). Presents were a BIG feature of most of the morning: ball, backpack and contents, digger and friends, books, books, more books, wheelbarrow, bike.. you know... the usual!

At about 10am the hoards began to arrive... starting with SJ and young Hamish! Mmmm bubbly stuff for mummy for later, present for LM and some flowers to make the house beautiful!

Then my world turns into a bit of a blurr!

People everywhere. Thankfully no rain! Food! Kids! Parents! Grandparents! Wow. not sure how many people there were exactly, but I know it was 16 kids plus about 1 adult per child.

Pass the parcel

There was salad, veg burgers, sausages and cake galore. the chooks were terrorised. the house was trashed (pee and sand everywhere), LM was so distracted by his workbench that it was not possible to get anything even remotely sensible out of him (not to mention his very POOR toileting skills for the day) "building" "building" "building" "building!"

Anyway, he eventually went to bed. And slept. Unfortunately not til 8am as I thought (hoped) he might. Up before 7am and into the day (thankfully without the vigor and enthusiasm as the day before! Grammy left. We had lunch with friends. Slept - LONG sleep!

Tuesday - bushwalk taking photos of orchids. Both Eamon and I had a great time out in the bush. So many exciting things out there! Centipedes, orchids, other bugs, other flowers, birds, rock climbing, and view! Too short a sleep. Pool in back yard. Poo spreading (horse poo) - long story and pretty funny! A trip out saving friends from a fuel shortage. Poo in bed next to mum (YUCK!)

Today (Wednesday), school for LM. A whole lotta staring into space for Me! Mind you, there was a bushwalk, yoga and I took LM to the pool for the arvo. He had so much fun, but had to get out of the pool before he went fully blue!

Its raining its pouring, so lets go walking :)

I know its been a while, but I have been busy studying and then tearing down walls and building fences - all in the name of "progress".

A little trip taking photos of Orchids

 Now that study is done for the year, LM and I have been having some fun. In late October he had a great day at Ruby's 2nd birthday party. There were a bunch of older kids there who entertained all the little kiddies. It was so great to watch (to be able to just watch). There was a slide, bubbles, tunnels, and tee-pee's to keep little minds entertained. While all this play was going on we (the adults) ate all sorts of goodies (cheese, felafel and dips - yum). Can't forget the tasty little cakes that everyone had as the "birthday cake". We all had fun and LM had a BIG sleep that arvo.

For about a week after that little party he was at his Dad's having fun hanging out playing and having fun. I joined him for a couple of days at the end before bringing him home for music and school.

We have been pretty busy since we have been back, despite the pretty ordinary weather. We have spent whatever time between "showers" playing in the yard.

Friday we ventured into town to the library, where we got a call from Poppy saying he was in town with Great Grand Nanny. So after a quick session in the library, where LM marvelled at all the books - never knew there were sooo many books in the world - but no Maisy :( - we headed to the "mall" to have lunch and a cuppa with Poppy and GGN.

Saturday saw us pretty bored, thanks to the weather. Being stuck inside isn't much fun. So we went to have "coffee" with Ruby in town. Then wreaked havoc in the Library until I decided it was time to get "someone" home to bed. When we woke up it was decided by both LM and myself that we should get the hell out of our wet little town and head toward brighter lights... unfortunately we didn't find brighter lights, but we found Poppy, GGN, and Uncle Ryneee in Katoomba. As we drove into Katoomba LM said "Dark!", which it was, even though it was only 4:30pm. There was so much mountain mist that LM decided that he had to go to bed at 6pm (oh well, who was I to argue with that kinda logic??).

On Sunday we went for a massive bike ride up Hassans Walls - I had to keep stopping to wait for my breath to catch up. LM thought it was a great laugh having Mummy up front puffing and out of breath, while he sat back checking out the view while consuming various delicacies (pear, biscuit, "tarnies"). Oh well, pay back came when I took him off the bike and made him walk down the steep hill (too dangerous for me to ride down on my own, let alone with important cargo on the back!). He loved watching the Currawongs having a bath in a big puddle near the "tower". We both had fun and as I wasn't sore the next day, I think we shall try it again sometime soon.

Today was spent out in the yard playing with the chooks, doing some weeding, and helping mummy clean bricks with the "amma" (if you count sitting eating toasted cheese sandwich as "helping"). After a nap and a bit of a splash in the bucket, Ruby came around to have a bit of a play - in the bucket too. They played peeing tag (a game where one pee's in the water, the adults change the water, then the next one pee's, causing adult to again change the bucket water - given that they kept drinking the water!). It was all fun and games.

LM had a pretty clumsy day today too. He was CONSTANTLY tripping over and running into things. I am not sure what his problem was, but he came away from the day with quite an impressive lump on his head (diving head-first into the hardwood sleeper veggie bed will do that), grazed bum (from sliding unintentionally off a small stump), another mark across his forehead (from diving head-first into the path beside the compost), a bruised hand (from the same incident), a few scratches, mouth-fulls of dirt, and a myriad of other bruises from other random acts of LM clumsiness. Not a good gross-motor skill day, although getting in and out of the bucket was fine??? He even required an unheard of pre-dinner nap.

Little man is in bed and I am watching the annual "slug run" that is currently being held just inside my back door. Every year around this time I have a number of slugs decide that coming inside is just what they require - not sure why, but it is every year and it is unpleasant stepping on them on the way to the loo in the middle of the night!

Today (which was tomorrow, yesterday) has been pretty fun so far! There was some light entertainment in the back yard this morning with a pool noodle that Denise gave Eamon. The strawberries, Nashi, and apple all took a beating, as did I! After a few stories I convinced LM that we should go for a bushwalk where we could go on an "adventure" and "exploring"! Woohoo. He saw "roo!" and went exploring new flowers and we found another new orchid for the season, which he was excited about. Then we walked into town where we had green "croc" wars at the counter (as well as him scoring BIG time at the Target clearance rack - awesome bargains, better than Vinnies!). LM wanted to put them on over his sandals, despite them being too big and that they weren't going to fit over the sandals. I won..... eventually. Hopefully the weather holds off so we can get to the pool for a swim before music this arvo. He was pretty keen to go to the pool, but at this stage things aren't looking good for a trip to the pool.

A trip to Sydney!

Well.... Its been ages since I have been to Sydney, but a Pink Martini concert at the State Theatre and an opportunity to take LM to the aquarium saw us take the 3 hour train ride in. LM was amazing on the ride in! There were a number of other small kiddies in the carriage and one little boy entertained LM with his little orange teddy. It was so cute!

We eventually arrived in Sydney and I made an executive decision that LM was awake enough to make the trip to the aquarium. Unfortunately on the way there he decided to actually display signs of being tired. Oh well, too late. Off we go!

"Ooo, fish under my feet"

Eventually we got in (long line being school holidays) and LM came alive. FISH! What is THAT??? An octopus. A seahorse. Oh me oh my its a PENGUIN!!!! TURTLE! More turtles!!! And a flapping stingray ("flap, flap!!" along with the pointing to the flapping creature). And Sharks! And the big winner - "doogon" (a lovely big Dugong). What a little man adventure! All the while with eyeballs dangling with amazement!


He touched shark eggs at the "touch and feel" tank and checked out all the cool coloured critters in all the tanks!

 

Mumee & LM at the aquarium

Next was the walk back to the train station and on to Uncle Ryneeees place. Unfortunately LM fell asleep on the train, so it was a rather awkward trip for Mum who had to carry the backpack, Doogon, and LM (complete with his backpack).

We managed to get in some hardcore Bondi cafe time before I headed to the gig.

Cafe Time with Uncle Ryneee

Big kisses and "nuggle" greeted me once I got back and into bed.

Saturday morning. Breaky. Cafe. Park. And the LONG train ride home! Oh what a nightmare train-ride! Someone (???????) was tired (or maybe someones). As a result the train-ride was a total nightmare. Thankfully LM quickly went to sleep when we arrived home and allowed me to have a really great rest next to him.

What a weekend. And that was only the beginning......

Now we are home and there are sand-castles to crush, chickens to chase, plants to water and a potty to toss about the place!

Almost 2!

Wow, its been sooo long since I have been on here and so much has happened to both Mummy and LM. I can't believe that he will be 2 in about 2 months!

On a recent trip to Katoomba LM took a skid down the footpath and took some skin off his nose (could have been so much worse). He got the "Why its not a good idea to run downhill on concrete" lecture and I hope he learnt from his experience.

Spring has also arrived and the garden is blooming! LM is learning all about the different plants that are currently growing there. The Magnolia tree with its purple flowers; the apple, pear and quince trees; the raspberries, strawberries and blueberries (with fantastic attempts at pronouncing each new plant); garlic (so funny to hear him say that one!), onion, and leeks; rocket (or "rockit" as LM says). I guess we should venture up the back and take a closer look at the parsnips, kohlrabi, beetroot, spinach, and the snow peas.

Then there is feeding the chickens. Oh what FUN! Spreading the scratch mix about the pen. Chasing the chooks ("bock bock") around the yard, watching them as they are "hiding" from LM, and carefully carrying the eggs into the house and placing them gently into an egg carton. He has so much fun.

Watering the garden is also a great activity enjoyed only by LM. Mummy finds it a little distressing as water is flung about the yard, good shoes are being stomped into puddles and muddy water is hurled at the washing on the line. The watering can lots of fun too. "More!" As the last drops are emptied onto the path instead of the new Kiwi fruit vines, oh well.

There has also been the recent discovery of the joys of hair washing. How on earth do those "bubbles" get there!? What fun. LM puts his hands up to find the suds, rinses them off his hands. Hands back up to his head. More suds! A look of surprise and wonder. And repeat the process.

The world of big yellow machines has also been discovered, not in small part to Daddy's keen interest in them. "Dig digdigdigdig" or "digga". Favorite toys at the moment - small yellow front end loader leggo and big yellow bulldozer in the garden. The leggo digga even has a "maan" that drives it!

He is learning his letters and numbers too. He currently knows: M for Mummy, D for Daddy, E for Echidna, B for banana, and A for apple. As we walk down the street or are reading a book, any word starting with the letter M gets a big loud "Mummy", just because it starts with M for Mummy. Numbers are also good fun. At school they said that when they have written up how many "poos" he has done he loudly and clearly said "One" as they wrote up 1 poo. He can currently reliably count to 4, but does know other numbers.

Another age related milestone has also been reached, as of today. He very clearly jumped with both feet leaving the ground. Over and over and over. He has been working on this for quite a while now and has finally succeeded. Yay!

Then there were 4 more....

Back from our trip to Daddy's has seen us busy busy busy again. Tuesday to Thursday Little Man was hanging with his buddies at School, doing whatever it is they do there. Unfortunately the weather this week was such that they didn't get to go outside, so after School on a couple of days Mum and Little Man went. We even visited a few different parks, just to keep the spirit of adventure alive.

Friday.... Hmmm, ah yes, busy day. Off to Katoomba first thing to do the Katoomba thing (hang out in cafe with friends drinking tea/coffee). A friend had come up from Tas, so it was good excuse to hang out. Her son and Little Man got to meet each other too. It was pretty good. Then it was off to see Poppy and wish him a big "Happy Birthday" as he was heading off on Saturday for Bali. Little Man had fun hanging out with the Dogs and getting into all the kitchen draws and playing with the ball outside.


Next was Jamming with Mum's mate in Bleakheath. Unfortunately for Mum not much Jamming went on as all the kids wanted to "play". There was one little girl hanging off one end of the guitar and Little Man hanging off the other and another little girl sitting in the corner wondering what this pair were doing (as was Mum). The instruments went away and so did the mischievous behaviour. Oh well.... next time.

Hmm, Friday night.... Party. Off to Mt Victorious pub for a celebratory drink with a friend who scored a new job. Yay. Met new people and hung out with some of the old ones. Little Man got to "play" the racing car game in the pub and thought that it was the best thing ever invented. That was until the bigger kids came and took over. Oh well, Little Man got to sit at the table and chat to the bigger people. He even charmed one of the bar staff who took him for a dance around the pool table.

Saturday - swimming. Mum actually had no option but to get into the pool this week. It was pretty good too. Little Man was blowing bubbles and kicking his legs and throwing the ball to one of his friends. He even climbed out of the big pool almost all on his own (he was out once he grabbed hold of the side of the pool). There wasn't much singing this week as the "normal" teacher was away, but the new teacher had Mum and Little Man doing all sorts of different things. Entry into the swimming pool was new and lots of fun, especially when aiming to jump in at a ball.....

Then it was party time again. Birthday party for Mum's bestest mate. Little Man slept most of the afternoon, but thankfully woke up to play ball with the other kids. Was an early night for Mum and LM after Friday night, but they both had a good arvo. zzzzzzzzzz

LM and Mum spent most of Monday at home dodging the rain. Eventually they both had cabin fever so went to visit Little Lady on the other side of town. This is the one occasion where prams come in handy. LM stayed warm and dry and Mum got wet. LM and LL had heaps of fun trashing LL's Mum's house. We got fresh miso soup! YUM.

Home... Bed...

Tuesday was the big adventure to get the chooks. Off to Sun Valley! We decided on 4 13 week old chicks, 2 red and 2 black. Super cute and LM thinks they are the best thing! All arvo he was tramping around the garden in his new gumboots making sure the chicks were all ok.

With the "week" over the Little Man is fast asleep in bed getting ready for the next one!

Life's an "Adventure Park"

Little Man has again had a super busy week, culminating in a trip to the Carrington beer garden on Saturday night with the Mountain parents. We have seen a week of trips, falls, bumps and grazes associated with the trials and tribulations of "walking". He is improving his walk, but still has a little way to go before he should attempt stairs alone or to run (though attempts at both have been unsuccessfully made).

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday saw the Little Man at daycare and Mum wildly studying and doing all the things that needed doing (the washing, cleaning, sending birthday cards, and dealing with Tresillian). One afternoon saw a trip to the shops with a nice tanty thrown to spice up the trip (thankfully only 1 and Mum has hopefully learnt NOT to take Little Man to the shops when he is CLEARLY tired and hungry). Next day was a nice peaceful walk up the hill (something that will probably become a regular feature of daycare afternoons since Little Man slept all the way up and all the way back).

Thursday after daycare there was a real treat for all - A trip to our "secret retreat" (we shall call it Bush's house). After a nap in the car Little Man came out to play with Bush and his hound Mum gave him some food. After dinner there was a twilight bath with Bush and his bath buddies (what a great bunch of toys!!! especially the plastic bottle - wow man!). After tears from separating from the plastic bottle had subsided, Mum put Little Man to bed (as did Bush's Mum). Once the little men were sleeping the Mum's sat up for hours talking and laughing and drinking some yum red wine.

On Friday morning Bush and the Little Man had a great play on the swing set after breakfast. Clearly Little Man was super tired, cause he fell asleep on the short trip from the retreat to home - so...... Mum drove to Bathurst (why not?????).

In Bathurst Mum and Little Man had a great time cruising around the supermarket in the trolley (except when there was a casualty in the cheese isle - a container of Boccocini the Little Man threw hard at the floor.....). Harris Farm was the next stop. What a great shop! So many things to try to get ones hands on!! Thankfully this time unsuccessfully.

On the way to Bathurst Mum had been told about the "Adventure Playground". There isn't a great Mum out there that could resist the temptation to visit this place! Oh what a park! It is the Park of all parks! Little Man found himself stepping out onto the musical bridge, making a beeline for the rock climbing walls, dodging crocodiles and dinosaurs wandering around, tearing down the slides, and then (wait for it)........ being strapped into the flying fox and being thrust across the park! What a treat!!!!

Thankfully for Mum, Little Man started to get tired. So, into the car and home - sleeping all the way.

Saturday morning was garage sailing! The people! Little Man got to meet soooo many nice people and Mum scored him some wicked clothes for in a few years time (may as well start collecting now). Then there was swimming lessons again. Tired, but Little Man made it through.

Saturday arvo saw Little Man hanging with Pop, then Little Lady dropped in for an hour to keep Little Man entertained (like the 2 dogs weren't enough!). Little Man and Mum were building up for a trip to the beer garden, so Little Man needed to be nice and rested. Phonecall from Mr Mountaineer and they were off.

Even more people to meet in the beer garden on such a beautiful sunny afternoon. There were the climbing and canyoning fraternity, all the Mum's (know them already), then the others that Mum knew dropping in to say hi. Little Man got to have some of Mum's steak and chips (a real treat indeed), however, was only allowed water to drink :(

Dropping back at Pop's before heading home to see Unky, still WIDE awake. Mum noticed the "signs" and packed Little Man into the car to head home. Asleep before arriving at the end of the street.

Little Man went for his first bike ride on Sunday. First to the park (just to see how he went), then for a cruise in the backstreets. Was an interesting experience. Need more practice.

On Monday morning Little Man and Mum packed themselves up and headed to Blackheath for the Playgroup. It was outside this time and there were more people there that they knew. It was a fun, but tiring morning. Little Man fell asleep in the car on the way to a friend of Mum's in Mount Vic. After a bit of a snooze though he was up and investigating new things (date chocolate orange ball - very Interesting. The faces pulled were pretty funny).

Home to play in the house and garden and to scream in the background while Mum on the phone to Tresillian booking the Little Man in.

Busy Week

This last week has been a busy one for the Little Man. Unfortunately there haven't been too many photos or videos, but there have been some. He spent last Saturday morning at swimming lessons with Pop, who braved the cold waters of Katoomba pool. Both seemed to enjoy the experience. Then there was a weekend of parties - one on Saturday arvo and one at Sunday lunch (where Little Man enjoyed a tasty sausage). There was a beautiful big abacus at the Sunday party to play with. So much fun!

Then there was the Sunday arvo trip to a cafe on the way home where Little Man got a ride on a wee pushy with the Little Lady.

Monday saw Little Man experience his first playgroup. It was the Blackheath one and there was so much to do. So many people that he turned into a mullet! What to do first....

Eventually he relaxed into the situation and went from one activity to another. Next week Mum might even let him do some painting????? Maybe....

The rest of the week was either hanging at home, walking up the hill with Mum, going to the park and going to daycare. Couldn't tell you what he gets up to there, but I know that sometimes he is bad. He likes to climb up the legs of staff, just to remind them that he is there. He likes to scream when certain staff members leave the room, just to assert HIS authority. And then there was apparently the tantrum that was thrown, on Tuesday after he woke from a very brief sleep, while his pants were being put on. Needless to say, his pants were still OFF when Mum picked him up. Mum was informed that Little Man is not into crowds.

Wednesday night in the bath was all going well. Then there was a fart. Then there was the poo. Yuck. Poor Mum had to remove the poo and the Little Man from the bath. Little Man found himself in the shower, which he eventually thought was a bit of fun.