Roadtrips and Recouperation

The past few days have been awash with contrasts- sunshine filled days accompanied by gusts of blistering winds, a cluster of rainclouds overflowing and spilling rain from the heavens, and the irony of it all... how I survived the winter flu season until these last days. To be ensconced in blankets and surrounded by tissues, cold and flu tablets and eucalyptus rub while the sun shines its brightest through my window is just adding insult to injury.

Storytime has been severely shortened in the wake of a scratchy throat that coughs uncontrollably at the slightest provocation, and while playtime is taking a back seat to gentler pursuits, extra time spent on the sofa extra hugs and snuggles have, I hope, made up for it.

So, our weekend (pre-flu) began with a highly-anticipated trip to the Tweed Valley in search of the tiny hamlet of Nimbin. A testament to the alternative lifestyle, we braved winding roads and potholes the size of basketballs to discover that the 1960's 'hippy' counterculture was alive and well and flourishing in this hilltop village.









It could be said that Nimbin is the land that time forgot- naked children playing as their parents sat by their market stalls under enormous technicolour umbrellas, shopfronts covered in peace emblems blaring music from their age-old record players while locals danced on the pavement, and more than slightly questionable salesmen toting their wares in side alleys and obscured doorways.

A delightful assault on the senses, I'll be looking forward to my return, if only to sample more delightful homemade tamarillo jam made by the local art gallery's cafe owner.




We've also enjoyed a picnic or two, indoor and outdoor. There's something undeniably rustic about a picnic, and to bask in the sun with a few delicious items at your fingertips is a pleasure that should never be taken for granted. Drinking in all that life has to offer in the moment- whether it be my little and I or my family sharing the occasion, I'm grateful to my bones for opportunities like these.









I was lucky enough to have a moment or two with my mother these past few days, a treat I savour like no other. My little has such a special relationship with his grandparents, 'Nanny' in particular, and it melts my heart to see the two of them together. Disability or no disability, the bond they share transcends all others.

We've shopped til we dropped, shared comforting words over coffee and I'm so blessed to have her close.



Love you Mum!






And of course, no outing is complete without my little being close by.


"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."
- Pericles