Camping Holiday ...

With the Summer and the Christmas holiday coming along at the same time here in Australia its a great time to finish the school year, load up the trailer and head off up the coast for some camping. The weather has been quite unseasonal here so far so we did have half an eye on the long range weather forecast. However as things worked out we had a great week of weather ... with only one wet morning and the rest of the week gave us the kind of weather that allows you to get to the beach without your feet melting on the sand.

This is the second year we've been away with our antenatal class group and its great to spend some time with them and the kids. Our camp site was always a bustling place from around 5:30am when the sun came up through to 8pm in the evening. With eight under fours there is never a dull moment ... although the adults did manage some relaxation time!

This year we took along a gazebo so that we could all shelter from the sun/rain and have a place to hang out and watch movies from the projector in the evening.

Weather ... us Pommies love talking about the weather!

Cooking, feeding and showering became a daily ritual carried out with military precision...

... after the beach, the creek swim there was often a spot of time for some fishing.

The number twos (thats the second children rather than any Code Brown activity!) had a ball and were really starting to explore. Our saftey fence ensured that no one fell down the drop off, while the concrete slope provided endless hours of entertainment.... if you're looking for a late Christmas present for your toddler I remommend one!

I actually enjoyed the fishing experience with the boys and so I might reconsider my blanket ban on fishing and golf!

Santa put in an appearance on one night while Hawaiian, Mexican, Ladies and Mens nights served up some entertainment on the other evenings.

The boys had a great time. Charlie spent much of his time with Jasper and we think he might have made some headway in getting Charlie to share something!

Alfie however spent much of his time on his scooter, playing with cars or trying to impress his holiday romance Hayley!

We've been really lucky to have made some awesome friends since we've been here. Our car died two weeks ago and left us with a very large garage bill. One so large that you actually think is it worth repairing the damn thing! Worried that we might miss out on camp they had a whip around the group so that we could still go! While we couldn't accept we were genuinely touched by their kindness and generosity.

We've made some lifelong friends and so have the boys (and girl! Sorry Pinsince!) ...

Some beautiful family time after a long and very busy working year!

Plans are already well in motion for the Christmas Camp of 2012 ... looking forward to it already!