Home Sweet Home….

Kilometres Walked : Let’s not talk about that🤪

Kilometres Walked whilst away : 1995.3 km

Friday 15th September, 2023.

Back to reality as the famous saying goes. Where did the last 6 months go? At first it was going nice and slowly but then all of a sudden a few months in, it just seemed to tick by faster and faster until boom here we are back in Australia. After basically walking from Brisbane to past Melbourne our feet are grateful for a much needed rest. The first thing we noticed when we arrived back was the temperature. Whilst everyone here was still walking around with jumpers on commenting how cold it still gets here at night, we were stripping off the layers and opening up the windows! Anyone would have thought Singapore would have prepared us but obviously our bodies still thought we were back in the northern hemisphere. The first few days back were spent unpacking, washing, catching up with the family and trying to normalise our sleep pattern. Then the various appointments started, doctors, optometrists, dentist, blood tests, all those necessary things you need to do when you hit mid life and have been away for a decent length of time.

People often asked what we missed the most about home whilst we were away. First on the list was our endless big blue skies, oh how we missed that. Vegemite was second and then macadamia nuts. Obviously you could purchase Macadamias overseas but you needed to take out a mortgage to do so. So of course the first thing we did was go out and buy a huge jar of Vegemite (toast with vegemite, avocado and tomato is the best) and a huge bag of Macadamia Nuts. We are now well into the second bag😋 We tried our hardest to get back into a normal sleep pattern but jet lag definitely had other ideas. Every morning we headed out for our usual walk along the water admiring the bay and boats bobbing in the water. Finally after all the prodding and probing we were able to pack the car and head down to Fatty Boy Run!

With that big bright blue sky above us and acres of acres of farming land surrounding us we drove into our property with huge smiles on our faces. Yes it’s only tiny in comparison with some of the neighbours but it’s our little piece of rural paradise and we love it. Nothing beats the endless night skies that are dotted with stars as far as the eye can see or the complete quietness and stillness as day breaks. Yes, Home Sweet Home!

The sound of Magpies singing is our alarm clock every morning. Now that’s Australia. Perched on the big boulder behind the van the pair sing in harmony together as dawn breaks. Cracking the blinds to peer outside we spot Pretty Faced Wallabies chewing on the grass with tiny joeys hanging precariously out of their pouches. The sun tries it’s hardest to break through the magical mist on these crisp cold mornings while mobs of eastern greys get their fill before our movement scares them off down to the creek. Each evening has been sitting around the camp fire with friends and neighbours watching the sun set behind the hills smudging the sky with orange and pink hues. Once darkness sets in, the sky lights up the star super highway and the milky way floats right above us. What a magical place indeed.

We have been back in Australia for two weeks now and finally the jet lag has disappeared and we are sleeping well in our cosy little van. Now the time has come to get back into some sort of routine and hop back on the tractor and mower and start trying to work out what to build and where exactly to build it. Anyone would think it would be a simple decision but no it definitely isn’t. Stay tuned to see what we finally decide. As much as it’s fabulous to be home we are already planning the next adventure. There is so much out there in the world to see and experience and we plan to see as much of it as we can!