making a start

No exploring this weekend, unless you count the back of a cupboard - the packing process has begun. As usual we have managed to accumulate 'stuff'. At least moving so regularly these last few years means we are continually getting rid of 'stuff' too. We can take back whatever we can fit in two cars and in the suitcase that Colin travels backwards and forwards with each week now. Packing the Patrol on Saturday was pretty much like solving a puzzle, X amount of stuff into Y amount of space, is it possible? Yes it was. Pat will now sit at my sister and brother in law's place until we can get the cars over on the boat, which isn't until a couple of weeks after we move into the new place. It is not just one place that we have to pack up. The Melbourne CBD apartment that has been Colin's second home for almost three years will also cease to be. We are consolidating, packing up two places and moving into one at Barwon Heads. In less than six weeks it will all be done. So much to do and so many conflicted feelings...

morning sun

It has been a while since I have felt like taking out my camera. On a Sunday walk along the North Esk River the reeds along its edges caught my eye and I wondered how they would look silhouetted by morning sun. This morning I found out...

on the move

Our original plan was to be in Tassie for two years - for me to spend some time with my family, to be closer to Melbourne to visit the kids and to allow Johanna to complete year 12. Eighteen months in and we have adjusted the plan. The opportunity to move back to Melbourne has presented itself and all three of us are keen to transition to the next phase. We have negotiated with the school for Johanna to complete year 12 via flexible learning and my father is safe and settled in aged care. There is no reason now that we need to stay and many that call us back to Melbourne. In the midst of our long weekend on the Sunshine Coast we got the go ahead from Johanna's school, gave notice of our intention to leave our current rental property in Launceston and just happened to see a place in Barwon Heads that looked perfect. We made an appointment to see it on Monday when we returned to Melbourne and applied later that day and got confirmation of our acceptance the next. So it is all happening at the moment, a whirlwind of plans and activity. I feel somewhat overwhelmed and more than somewhat tired at the thought of everything that needs to be done!....

where the sun shines

Twice a year Colin has a check up with his skin cancer specialist. It just happens to be in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast. No complaints from us, it is a great excuse to return to a place that we love and that holds such treasured memories. May is beautiful here, mid twenties and the water is still warm. Colin swims, we walk, sit in the sun and then swim and walk some more. We usually run into a familiar face or two.We follow the familiar boardwalk, visit our favourite cafes and see what changes have occurred since our last visit. It continues to amaze us how much the coastline changes; rocks get exposed, sand banks move, beaches change their shape. Caloundra is familiar, it still feels like home. Johanna disembarked from the plane into the warm air with a big smile on her face, "It feels like home, I love being here". We have hardly seen her since! Colin and I are taking it slow, sleeping and relaxing, catching our breath after a hectic month. Sun and sea, soothing for the soul...

autumn colour

This week it feels like winter, a reminder of what is just around the corner. Autumn has snuck up on me this year, the change of seasons marching on as I lag behind. It was with surprise last week that I realised Autumn was well and truly underway, glorious colour in the trees and on the ground. Distracted, it had passed me by. Almost, it is too late. Johanna and I made the most of a free afternoon to walk through Heritage Park and surprisingly it was Johanna who encouraged me to take a camera and more surprisingly who was quite obliging in having her photo taken (think the motivation was her desire for a photo for instagram).