Coming and going

Rachel flew into the Gold Coast Tuesday afternoon and Colin flew out early Wednesday morning, back to Melbourne to work for a few days. The opportunity for a few days fun on the Gold Coast was too good to pass up. Luckily we chose the one fine day to go to Sea World. We managed to catch all the shows and try all the rides. The funniest thing was Grandma's comment at the end of a roller coaster ride that turned us every which way including upside down - "the best thing ever!"

A rainy Thursday was spent at Surfers Paradise and Pacific Fair where Rachel and Johanna were on a onesie hunt, it took a while but they found what they were looking for.

Today we hauled our bags to the Greyhound transit lounge only to find it deserted, no staff and no lockers for luggage. We killed time waiting for our departure at the Workers Club across the road. They kindly looked after our bags while we had an early lunch and Rachel and I tried to figure out how to use the pokie machines. We got some helpful advice from an elderly lady but gave up after five minutes - sooo boring and no point to it at all! There was a moment of concern later when I couldn't find the bus tickets, lucky they have a record of passengers so it wasn't a problem.

Back in Byron Bay we hauled our bags to the caravan park just beating the rain. Since then it has been teeming down, torrential rain with rainy patches. Mum, Johanna and Rachel have just taken themselves to bed, in tents that will hopefully stay dry under the tarps erected for just such occasions. Usually Colin is the one checking the tarps, digging trenches and making sure everything is weather proof, we are missing him and his expertise. If it all goes horribly wrong it will be an overflowing caravan tonight. Colin's return later tonight will be more welcome than usual!

The rain is forecast to be around for a few days unfortunately. Zac's arrival tomorrow is something to lift the spirits though. For the surfing enthusiasts the rain is neither here nor there, it is the surfing conditions that make or break the day.

Becoming re-acquainted

There is something comforting about reconnecting with places and rhythms at Byron Bay that are familiar - walking to the lighthouse, sitting in the sun on the deck chatting with friends or late afternoon walks on the beach with the promise of a beautiful sunset. Colin would of course add something about  surfing. Even the mundane things like grocery shopping and doing the washing bring us back to times past, reconnecting us to this place and the people here. I am beginning to understand why people return to the same holiday spot year after year. I have always enjoyed the adventure of new places, but there is something about returning to the familiar, especially when it includes people.

While much is the same, some things are not. Each year the beach is subtly different, the tides ebb and flow changing the landscape. There are familiar faces and new faces. Different family members join us for differing amounts of time. Colin's work commitments vary the time he is away and how much he works while we are here.

Today was a day to be re-acquainted and it filled us with a warm glow...

the Byron effect

If you've followed this blog over the years, or you know us, then my delirious pleasure with this winter sojourn in Byron Bay is nothing new. There are a few reasons why we love it.

• Living in our yurt (caravan) soothes our souls


• Byron Bay has this way of getting under your skin; the free-style living invites people to shrug convention and try new things


• If there is a caravan park better located for people who surf than where we stay on The Pass, I'd like to know about it.


• Community; the temporary community among those who regularly spend this 2-3 week season here is special. We're privileged to be part of it.

We're one day in and we're feeling pretty good about life.

Its now after dinner, Maria and Gaylene are playing scrabble, Johanna is talking with Heidi on the phone and the sound of the ocean provides the background music.

This week is a work week for me. That means early mornings at the Beach Cafe for a few hours, phone calls etc, then to Melbourne for the second half f the week. Come Saturday, I'm expecting to have made some space in the work calendar and hope to take a week off ...

Barrier Reef - above and below

Whitsundays

Magical is really the only way to describe our time here. The glorious scenery and luxury accommodation providing the perfect place to celebrate 25 years of marriage. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets, cruising out to the Barrier Reef, snorkelling,  returning via helicopter, sipping cocktails as the sun sets, organising a beach drop off by boat to a secluded spot (beach umbrella, snorkelling gear, picnic lunch etc...) were some of the highlights. Fine dining and gourmet food were certainly appreciated and enjoyed. However, with Colin's busy travel schedule this year just being together was wonderful in itself.

mid winter

A wintry weekend has provided a bit of space for updating our blog and web site pages. Our change of lifestyle this year means we are still finding our way with blogging on our yurting site.

Colin has his own web site prompted by the ending of Ergo and the beginning of his own consulting practice. I have set myself a challenge of posting a photo every day for a year – to give me a reason to keep the camera out of the cupboard but more importantly to stay connected with family and friends.

Our decision to relocate to the Sunshine Coast means our ‘yurting’ of the past will not continue in the same form, no more multiple weeks away in the caravan. We are experimenting with a different way of being this year, living in a ‘holiday’ kind of place and Colin travelling to work. Caloundra is conveniently located half way between Port Moresby and Melbourne.  To say we are enjoying the experiment would be an understatement, we are certainly scheming to see if we can extend our stay beyond a year.

We are all creating new lives for ourselves, loving the change from inner city urban to coastal town, concrete, steel and asphalt to sand and sea, rush and hurry to chilled out and swapping a house in a street for an apartment with ocean views. The only negative is leaving our three oldest children in Melbourne, along with other family and friends.

Long weekends have provided an opportunity to explore a little of the coast, Kingscliff to the South and Rainbow Beach to the North and in the hinterland the Glass House Mountains, Maleny and Montville.

We have missed our yurt though – the feelings of carefree living and adventure. There is something about packing up and heading off into the unknown, where time stretches out and slows down, where ‘normal’ fades away and the unknown and unexpected keeps you on your toes.

It is with great excitement and anticipation then that our Byron Bay mid winter sojourn draws near. At last an opportunity to experience just for a little while our yurting lifestyle; to unwrap and hitch up our caravan and …. drive for 3 hours rather than 2 and a half days, end up in a familiar place and inhabit our usual site…. Ah well perhaps not exactly the yurting of old, but good enough to warm and fill our souls.