Winter Days

Photos from a Winter afternoon at the park

We've been settling back into 'home' after spending four days camping with our homeschool group in the beautiful, but cold, surrounds of Mount Nimmel Lodge. It was my first experience taking the children 'camping' on my own - though we stayed in a four bunk cabin - with hubby only joining us on the last night. There was a shared camp kitchen, fires morning and night, several packets of marsh mellows shared around, and experiments with the survival skills they have been learning this term at our homeschool group. (Pics on Instagram.)

At first, I was so aware of exactly where my children were within the campgrounds, but gradually they formed their own boundaries and I let go so they could run wild and free with the other children. Cohen overcame several difficulties while out bush and I have noticed a real growth in his maturity since. It reminds me of the confidence I have seen growing in Emerson since she began horseriding lessons.

Upon our homewards return, we discovered that the last of our quails was missing, with only a few feathers and a trail of blood through the chicken wire in evidence. This time at least the cat is not to blame, and I wonder if it could have been a rat? Thankfully, our six chickens are all healthy and still laying four to five eggs a day despite the cooler weather. We really do have such a mild Winter here. In all our years living here we have never known a frost and even now my garden beds are full of ripening tomatoes.

I've let the chickens into the other veggie patch to clean it up, turn it over and fertilise it. I have so many plans for the garden, but it is all a matter of time and money - and I have had other priorities for my money lately - like camping and books. 

Family adventures, plants and books are all good priorities to have though I think!

Glamping

The last time we went camping was disastrous. One word - gastro. It has been several years since we attempted to camp again recently. I think our expectations were rather low when we signed up for the Unschooling Camp at Cob and Co Nine Mile camping grounds, but we were willing to give it another try. And oh, how wonderful it was! We stayed in a 'glamp' which was all sorts of wonderful. A tent - with beds, carpet, a door, and LED lights! - complete with deck, table and chairs and a BBQ. We made fires out front and roasted marshmallows, stunned by the brilliance of the starry sky above us. 

We stomped around the wet earth in our gumboots after all the rain of late, and the camp dog alternated between following us and having us follow him. There were horse and carriage rides, puddles to stomp in, time to draw in my nature journal, time to read inside the tent while it rained, rock pools to explore just up the road, and so many varieties of mushrooms and fungi that I could have stayed several weeks trying to document them all. 

We panned for gold at the Gympie museum without luck, then wandered through the old school house, the slab hut, the enormous shell collection and the blacksmith's workshop.And it felt good. No, it felt great, to be with my most beloved people enjoying a change of pace while coating one another with mosquito repellant. 

We are already planning our next such adventure.