Instant Adventures, Day One

Ok so they may never forgive me for this but the first thing we did while away was maths. I just couldn’t get my head around the being away bit and we had been about to start maths up at the kitchen table before we stuffed everything we owned into green bags and dashed off to Queensland.

They actually didn’t mind, it was a bit too cold to go to the beach the first morning and Eli especially thought maths, language lessons and devotions was hilarious at someone else’s table. I just couldn’t get rid of the ever-present Someone Else who lived there, these poor kids need to go on more holidays. Besides they were well aware that it was a school day after spending the whole day before driving past numerous schools with children swarming through their playgrounds or lining up at their doors.  Lani even said out of the blue: "I’m sure we can find something to learn about while we are away or if we don’t then when we get home I have a really good idea, we can write a recount about it." This cluey girl has figured out that I will let her do anything if she can justify it as a learning experience.

After that though we went to the beach. It was freezing and windy though and only Lilly and Lani were brave enough to get wet. There is so much more to a beach than the waves though…

…like shells….

…and rocks….

…and sticks.

To write in the sand with

To leave our mark on the earth however impermanent.

We hunted down…

…the impressions of those who embraced the icy morning winds.

And followed their trails till there’s interwove…

…with marks more familiar to us.

Eli and Lilly played Snakes and Ladders, it was a fairly short game though consisting of only one snake and one ladder. Actually to be truthful the game went on a lot longer and contained a great deal more laughter than I thought one snake and one ladder deserved but that’s kids for you.

Then we were explorers, clambering over rocks investigating the fish tank worlds of sea snails and barnacles. Indulging the urge to look beyond, to go further.

Till further involved heights formed of crumbling stone. Rock that flaked along miniature fault lines to turn to sand in our hands and a mother’s worry brought us back to earth.

In time to say good night to the rugged beauty and walk the two beaches back to our borrowed home. 

Why we went in case your curious and how we got here.