haven't been here in a while

All my intentions of blogging fell in a heap of just doing stuff and not writing about it.

Soz about that.

So it's October already!

In August I went to Fiji with my mate Katy and her kids.  Someone had to help her have her holiday.  I shouldered the burden.  I'm helpful like that.

mocktails at sunset.  That's mocktails.  Shmocktails.

I had to sit and wactch the sunset and contemplate things.

Scuba diving in the pool.  I am too cheap to go in the real ocean.  And probably too scared.

We got covered in mud by that tall Fijian strolling around behind us.  His job was to walk around covered in mud all day.  We reasoned that since the mud had healing properties, the Filian had started his working life as an arthritic-ridden seventy year old man, and the mud has transformed him into a tall young strapping Fijian.  He didn't it was as funny as we did.

On a boat with some wine.  Lucky we were wearing our most attractive life vests.

Thanks August for being pretty good.

September was also good...I will try and catch up on that soon.

Although my 2014 track record is poor...

quick trip to Sydney

Jetstar had cheap flights to Sydney.  So I impulsively booked them for our family to go down and visit the cousins in January.

We had a great time.  Stood in front of many iconic Sydney landmarks.  Ate much delicious Sydney food (is it wrong to wish a Sydney Lebanese restaurant with side businesess in Italian Gelato, Turkish Pide and Greek Baklava would open up in our suburb in Brisbane? - this is my regular diet I Must Eat When Visiting Sydney).

(warning - long photo blog post - smooshing in photos from a whole week into one post...possibly not wise)

Six cousins on the steps of the Opera House (the seventh cousin was small and at home).

Watching 'Wind in the Willows' in the Botanic Gardens - excellent! (thanks Aunty Katie for the ticket presents!).

This cruise ship was enormous.  I'm not sure I would like to be on such a large ship.  I would be disaster managing the whole time.  Pretty sure they don't show 'Titanic' as their on board movie.

Lunch in the back yard with all the fam.

Smiley boys!  Love it.

These are the three second born cousins.  In their own families they are a bit of an outlier - but put them together and the genetics makes sense.

Granny and all her grandkids.  In the sun.  Squinting.

So lovely to see the cousins playing together - even though we are states apart they get on well.

We visited my friend's farm in Gerringong.  Completely gorgeous and lovely to see them for an all too brief catch up.

Some of her chickens.  Producing tasty eggs in their chicken caravan.  The is truly organic and free range.  Impressive.

I pretended to drive the quad bike.  This was tolerated.  I didn't want to take off and dump all of the children out of the trailer.

A man and his pigs.  Or, as I visualized them, tasty sides of bacon running around.

Thanks for the lovely catch up Fi.  If you like, you can live close again.  Because I miss you.  Although I am pretty sure Brisbane cannot compete with your farm view.

On the way back from Gerringong we went to this awesome trampoline park.  I didn't jump (after two children I felt I couldn't adequately guarantee the wiseness of doing a lot of jumping) - but the girls and Chris had a hard core hour of jumptastic fun.

A special shout out to Aunty Katie and Uncle Matt, who had our children for three days extra in Sydney while we went back to Brisbane.  I guess it is our turn next to send us your children!

Did I mention I love the food in Sydney? mmmmmm Gelato...

Fraser Island - in which we re-confirm how great and sandy you are

The annual Pine holiday headed north this year to Fraser Island where we camped and 4WDed it up.

Camping really makes me appreciate the closeness of a toilet at home, a sink with hot water and a comfy mattress.  And a separate room for children to 'think'.....

Fraser Island is beautiful, and we had wonderful weather all week.

On the barge heading over.

Caleb setting up the tent.  He required a little assistance sometimes.

Driving down one of the inland tracks on the way to Lake Mackenzie we came across a 30 m long 1 and a bit metre deep puddle to drive through.  Chris and Michael took about half an hour to decide whether to dive through or not, and walked through it a couple of times, and then a flood of testosterone hit and they drove through.

 We climbed this tree at Lake Birrabeen.  By 'we' I mean Aunty Katie and the kids.

Attempting to kick to the other side of Lake Mackenzie on an airbed.

At Lake Mackenzie.

The Pinnacles coloured sands.

We did a lot of this.  Driving up the beach on the sand at 80km an hour.  And through rocks and sand dunes.  When I drove my knuckles were white and we went very slowly.  I was reluctant to roll the car.

Eli Creek.  We were some of the 300 000 people who visit each year.

Champagne Pool.  Uncle Michael's thumb got in the road of a falling rock.  The rock won.  The thumb split.  Ow.  Lucky we (and by 'we' I mean Aunty Katie) had bought the first aid kit in the swimming bag!

Michael was not going to let a pesky dressing stop him swimming.  He gloved and gaffa taped up.

Eli Creek.

We took the long (5km round trip in the soft sand) walk to Lake Wabby.  Down the track...

Across the sand blow.....

Over the sand dune...

And into the lake!

We carried the snow boards all the way so we could slide into the lake - fun!  The busload of bikini English tourists looked on in envy.

The track back from Lake Wabby.

The girls were in charge of pancake cooking in the morning.

Thanks for the holiday everyone!