Photos say it all...

Byron Bay is a trip looked forward to each year; I now hope this will be an annual event.  So far it has been a chance to reconnect with friends, family and to meet some amazing people.  Children wander from parent to parent and we all quite happily swap and choose them as we please.  Conversation flows.  Life seems easy.  Cares are melted away with early morning yoga but happily awakened with your own children playing in the park behind you. Subconscious or real?  It all seems to melt into one.  This seems to be my one time of year that I reflect on the past and predict the future. Like a car, I need to be serviced.  Byron Bay is my yearly service. 

Time to wax the board....




And hook the line...







Parents try to escape...

Children try to escape

Play 'Bay Watch' theme in background

surfing with cousins



Still trying to escape at night time, points for persistence.......



Faster, faster!!!!



Time for family and time for me; a time for understanding...



Faster Pa!

Faster Nana?!?




 



Practice on dry land....



Beauty is serene...



Attack aunt as instructed!  Now!  Woo Haa!!!!!




Corny, cheesy, beefy, fishy, chickeney.... what ever you want to call it.. "My Byron Family",
(No matter how far I roam...")



 

Shoo fly, don't bother me

After a good nights sleep, we were prepared for a day of exploring Hyden.  Our first stop is Wave Rock.  This was our 'draw card' in the first place, as it is Hyden's major destination. This is evident by their merchandise of t-towels, key rings, thermometers and stubbie coolers.  Wave Rock is a granite cliff that stands 15 metres high and 110 metres long.  The wave-like shape was caused by weathering and water erosion, which has undercut the base and left a rounded overhang.

In 1960, crystals from Hyden Rock were dated as being 2700 million years old, amongst the oldest in Australia.

After surfing the rock, we all climbed to the top to explore various rock formations, to view the damn, and enjoy the 360 degree view, (while spotting some lizards).  Warnings are given to wear appropriate footwear, and in hindsight thongs and crocs were probably not the best foot attire for steep and slippery rock climbing.  They had a picture of high heels on the sign, so I figured thongs would not be so bad.

Hippos Yawn consists of an unusually shaped granite top that was formerly part of the larger outcrop.  It is next to Wave Rock, and yep, you guessed it, was shaped like a hippo yawning.  You could climb into the cave and the children particularly enjoyed being passed from rock to rock like a swinging monkey, needless to say, a good workout for the parents!

Hippos yawn

Little explorers

There was a salt pool on offer, (every Resort has a swimming pool), only this one is a little different.  First warnings were from the receptionist at check in, "Good fun, really harsh on your skin".  Okay....  We spoke to some other swimmers yesterday, "Don't put your head under, it burns your eyes."  Okay...  Written warning next to pool "Enter with caution."  Okay...  So for some strange reason I was a little dubious to take the children in .  But surely this is where the magic happens, or was that just the Lake Magic? I am encouraged to go first, (I've always been hopeless with peer group pressure), and 'apparently' I volunteered to be lab rat for this particular experience.  The crowd sits on the edge telling me to "get on with it", I have a funny feeling if I scream it burns, I will be the only one swimming today.  The water was actually refreshing, and guess what else?  Magical!  I could not sink.  I was as buoyant as a rubber ducky!  On my back I could of quite easily floated reading a book and balanced a cocktail on my belly, I was not going under.  On my belly, my bottom bobbed above the water like J-Lo and it was near impossible to do a breastroke kick without my calves waving around like a beginner synchronised swimmer.  Due to the lack of co-ordination my children possess, (no idea what side of the family that comes from), they had both acquired many grazes after the morning's climbing adventures.  I am presuming by the volume of their screams on the waters entry, that this would indicate the burning of salt water on open flesh wounds.  Perhaps not my most proud parenting moment, but I satisfy myself that salt water will clean the wounds.  Keep in mind this satisfaction does not arrive until well after the screaming ceases.  Despite my judgement in parenting, the salt pool was worth the floating experience.

The last stop for our busy day of exploring Hyden was at Mulka's cave.  I had mentioned earlier the rumour of the cabins being haunted.  This is regarding the Aboriginal Legend of Mulka. Mulka was the illegal son of woman who fell in love with a man with whom marriage was forbidden according to their law.  It is believed that a result of breaking these rules, she bore a son with crossed eyes. Even though he grew to be an outstandingly strong man of colossal height, his crossed eyes prevented him from aiming a spear accurately and becoming a successful hunter. Out of frustration it is said Mulka turned to catching and eating human children and he became the terror of the district. He lived in Mulka's Cave, where the imprints of his hands can still be seen, much larger and higher than that of an ordinary man.

Fish and half moon

Hand prints

The cave was fascinating to explore. It was hard to see the hand prints, so I found myself going snappy happy with the camera, and viewing them after the photo was taken. Hidden images seemed to appear from nowhere. Maybe it was just my paranoia working overtime, or just the spiritual feel after being educated about Mulka, but I think I got an image of a face. Could it of been Mulka?

Do you see a face?

Mulka's Cave

The Humps are a large granite rock formation that is used as a water catchment.  After climbing through Mulka's cave, we trekked over rocks, through bush (stumble, trip, stumble trip), to be greeted by lovely views and more steep climbing.  We kept trekking until all 3 of our little explorers literally fell apart, I think the adults were in denial for a little while.  Fatigue, clumsiness and hunger set in so we cancelled our expedition and tried to successfully find our way back to the car.  I must admit, I am glad that I shared this experience with the children... but... if they were not in tow, and we were wearing better shoes, and had more sunscreen, and had more water, and I had a hat with corks hanging off it, then hubby and I could of trekked for a few more hours.  Regarding the hats with the corks; the flies were like an artillery of insect warriors.  I spent the majority of my time outdoors waving my arms like a ninja with invisible num-chucs trying to swat flies.

Nanas talking about the view

Shoo fly, don't bother me!

Wanted to trek some more!

Apart from the flies, it was a wonderful holiday, and I would recommend the area of Hyden to anyone wanting to explore inland Western Australia.  I would love to say we will be back, but probably not, as there is so much more of Western Australia to explore.

This is like Blair witch project

Wanting to make the most of the Perth long weekend, (Labour day, Monday the 5th of March) we (I)decided to head east to Wave Rock, Hyden,  for a long weekend vacation.  This is when realisation set in that we were still a little naive concerning Western Australia's 'hotspots' as husband questioned one week before holidays, "Soooo, Wave Rock, is the beach nearby?"  I responded, "Not too close", but true to its name, we would be seeing a rock, looking like a wave, hence the name, who would of thought?

Google maps estimated 4 1/2 hours travel, GPS had us at 3 1/2 hours, so we arrived at an impressive 5 1/2 hours! We were travelling to destination with a double car convoy with 3 children included so several stops including emergency wetting of red soil on the side of the road was imminent. "I just can't wait" echoing from the rear of the car to solve issues of release, feeding and anticipation of destination.... "I just can't wait!"

I made a fabulous executive decision as leader driver of the convoy to follow a 't' (tourist destination) sign, for an opportunity to stretch my legs.  After all, how often are we going to head this far east into this beautiful land, make the most of it right?  Needless to say.... I am not too sure if you will find this as a tourist destination in the Lonely Planet guide to the Great Western Australia Outback.  But if you do decide to follow the all trustworthy 't'  sign, you will find 'Christmas tree well' / a swamp with a leather lounge half immersed and a few pine trees on the side / a pit filled in with concrete and covered in wire (presume this is the well?) / more random pieces of mould furnishings that obviously did not belong in a bush setting / and a large mound of sand that looks as though it has been randomly dumped by a concrete truck that has obviously over ordered on the sand.  "Wow a really big sandpit!" comment the kids.  Looks like the children will be easy to please on this particular vacation.  Personally I think I should contact local council and have this local 't' attraction removed, but I guess it is all part of discovering Australia.  I give them praise for trying to furnish a swamp i guess. With mutters in my ear from hubby "This is like Blair Witch Project, can we go now?", we head off before the sun sets for a spooky setting.

Christmas tree well

We arrived at Wave Rock Resort, Hyden, (and I use the word Resort loosely). Brick self-contained cabins in the middle of the outback, that are protected buy a rusty old armour tank; I should of known there was to be no pool bar or Wi Fi Internet... what was i thinking? The rusty armour tank to protect me from the rumoured spirits, (oops, did I forget to tell my fellow travellers about the ghost,) I'll get to that later.  I just know, no, I am certain, that I am going to have an awesome holiday!  Do you know how I knew?  I think it was the numerous amounts of laminated signs littering the brick walls informing me about the dangers of the rat raps, and the importance of keeping doors closed to keep the insects, critters, (spirits) out!

Well protected

We were 340 km east from Perth, so I can confidently say, for me, this is pretty remote country.  No Ikea.  No MacDonald's.  The land is dry, the land is flat, everything seems to be red like it is covered in rust, and the cloudless skies and 35 degrees seemed to give an even wider impression of open spaces and barren terrain.  Okay, so now I sound like I am quoting from an A B Patterson poem. And I sound as though I am criticizing, I do not mean to, this is beautiful country.  The roads are lined with red dirt, you can spot only an occasional sheep, I am sure there are more, but they blend with the rocks and the pale fields; the only movement seemed to come from the occasional windmill trying to pump water from dried out damns for the non-existent cattle.  In all honesty, my husband and I spent most of our travel time trying to guess what all the land was used for.  We narrowed it down to either salt from the salt lakes or sales of ground melons????  I have a feeling we would both be wrong, therefore we both tie first place!

Our 'resort' style cabins were situated next to Lake Magic, (more words that should probably be used loosely). I did not see anyone pull a rabbit out of their hat, nor did someone pull a coin from behind my ear. I did however see people slipping on the clay surrounds and sinking knee deep in random parts of the waters edge. There were a few 'Funniest Home Video' moments, but true to form, I was too busy giggling to film. The water in the lake is clear but salty and the lakes base is made of gypsum. There were two catamarans on offer without sails and a canoe without paddles, so intellectual tuition told me perhaps water sports are out?

Lake Magic

Lake Magic swallowing thongs and people

Beautiful sun set

Cancelled on the water sports

I have joked about the accommodation, but in hindsight,  as long as we have a bed, working shower and toilet, I am happy.  We even had an outdoor amphitheatre, (which we later found out was an outdoor karaokee stage), that the children used to perform their own concerts, play games of freeze, chase, spot lights and some star gazing.  We felt welcome in Hyden.

Private concert

I will just blow it dry

How many towels do you have?  Just curious.  You see, tonight we had an adventure, and it led me to discover that I have too many towels.  Forty five in fact.  Gee that sounds like alot!
As I am aiming for housewife of the year, (keep in mind it is only February), hubby is away for the week, and I am doing a weeks worth of ironing at 5:30pm, which is generally known amongst all those parents out there as "witching hour". You know, the time of day when words are screamed "I'm hungry!  I'm tired!  Feed me or I will eat my younger sibling! PS, Mummy you are main course! If daddy ever comes home he is dessert!"  Needless to say, no matter what time I program, 'healthy afternoon snacks', I still hear these 'requests', sometimes from both spawn at the same time, oh lucky me.
Tonight we are fed well, not too many interuptions, some rice, some pasta, some chicken, some tomato, beans, cucumber, celery and carrot.  Sounds disgusting , but I figure I have ticked each box if they eat it all.  Big tick.  Awesome.  Now shower, "Yay, who wants a shower?  Showers are so much fun?  Wish I could have a shower?  Showers are so much fun?  You are so lucky having a shower!" I've never shown so much fake excitement before ... but it worked to get them in the shower without too many dramas. Is anybody 'Hi-5' ing me here or am I all alone?

I am ironing. "Mummy, mum, mummy, mum, mum, mum, He has my dolphin, it is swimming away!" Really, I am ironing a business shirt is my first thought. I quicly do a mental stock take of our bath accessories... and I respond, (from 3 rooms away), "Do you have a shark, sharks are so much faster, can you find a shark?" Response, "Yes mummy, I am eating him with a shark!"

All good.  Correct?  Ummmmm.... Not exactly.  Next call... "Mummmy, now my shark is swimming away!"  I sigh.  Similar to a 15 year old just finding out her boyfriend crush is now dating her bestfriend in the netball team.  "Arrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......"  I look at the 2 shirts left in the basket, (out of 2 baskets, so close yet so far!)  stomp, stomp, stomp, down the hallway.  Absolutely nobody around to see me stomp, purely for my own theropy.  Stomp, stomp... oh dear...... cool.... calm.... collected.

"What the!  Oh my!  So wet! Oh know!  So expensive!"  They were exact words spent as I walked around the corner to find a swimming pool fountaining out of the shower and creeping along the carpet towards both of the bedrooms.  So; how many towels do you have?  I actually suprised myself with "okay, mummy is sad, very sad, so sad because we rent and do not own... To make mummy happy, we need to do the running dance, it is similar to the warm up dance."  (A dance that is performed in the pool, running in circles holding hands while mummy does minimum 10 laps in the pool to warm up.)

I had been complaining about the marked carpets, but they were other peoples marks, not my own.  It is harder to complain about something that is your fault. Keep in mind these are old carpets.  Not tight nit.  Not stain resistant.  The edges of each wall are disgusting also, so on the positive side, now they have had a good wash down.
Princess decided, that obviously bath was better than shower, so she covered the plughole with a face washer.  I am not angry and we very calmly tramp on over 20 towels to clean the mess, which is actually quite fun, stamp, stamp, stamp, "like a dinosaur" (while mummy irons.)  I finish ironing my last 2 shirts, while cleaning the carpet turns into a game for the little ones.  They actually did quite a good job.  And princess assures me that, we will just leave it now and it will be all dry in the morning, if not we can blow on it!

Day of Advertised Love

Many people give cards called valentines to people that they care about and sometimes chocolates, or candy if in America, and flowers are exchanged, too! But where did this tradition come from?

The history of Valentine’s Day is a bit mysterious to me. Apparently back in the 3^rd century there was a man named Valentine who was highly looked upon by religious people and was made a saint. However, there were also several other St. Valentine’s in history.  We do know that legend associates Saint Valentine with being a heroic and romantic person and the tradition of sending love notes comes from him.  It’s a good occasion to express care for one another!  Or perhaps "Valentines" was really created by 'Mr Hallmark Cards' or 'RSVP.com dating service' in an attempt to boost sales.  After all, look at how much money can be made on the hype of Christmas and Easter.

Basically Valentines Day holds two options for everyone;

1. You panic about how you can proclaim your affection for someone special without being too obvious.  Sending flowers once a year doesn't really impress, so it is time to stress over a restaurant, with a set menu of 'the romantic favourites' with a complimentary glass of cheap sweet fizzy wine.
2. You panic that you do not have anyone to proclaim your affection for, so you waste your money and effort on purchasing new sparkly collars for your dog or cat, or spoil yourself with a stay at home dinner for one, that is most likely portioned to be a dinner for two!

So you thought it was easy?  Why roses? Nana is the only one who grows them.  And to be totally honest, they hurt.  A lot.  No matter where you try to hold them, those things are lethal.  Is it a hidden message?  I love you so, but I will hurt you just the same? Roses are the traditional gift given on Valentines Day, but before you buy roses, know what message you're sending. Colour means a lot.
Red roses proclaim "I love you."
Yellow roses indicate friendship and freedom
Pale pink roses connote grace, gentleness, and gratitude.
Deep pink roses say "Thank you."
Lilac roses indicate the sender has fallen in love at first sight with the recipient and is enchanted.
Pure white roses symbolize truth and innocence.
Peach roses speak of appreciation and gratitude.
Coral roses express one thing with their passionate color:
Orange roses communicate enthusiasm and desire on the part of the sender. 
Dead Roses rregardless of the original color, dead roses say "I love you more than ever", just joking, "It's over" loud and clear.
 
And then there are combined rose combinations that bring on an entire new meaning.  I wonder if anyone has received a bunch of roses mixed deep pink and dead.  "Thank you, it's over", how very polite!
 
Shouldn't everyday be Valentines Day?  After all, it feels like it is when you are in the first 3 months of a relationship.  I would much prefer a post it note on the bathroom mirror proclaiming love.  Or even "please clean the mirror, love hubby", it is the thought that counts.
 
I am the first to say "don't waste your money on flowers, I would prefer quality time together".  But when I received a delivered bottle of champagne and dozen long stem roses delivered to my door, I must admit, I did blush.  (And then I thought, 'doesn't my husband know me?  Shouldn't it be a long stem rose and a dozen bottles of champagne?')  Actually, not really delivered to my door.  I received a call from the delivery service...
"Is this Mrs Gonzalez?"
"Ummm, yes"
"I have roses and champagne to deliver and you are not home."
"Ummm, okay"
"What do you want me to do?"
"Ummm, keys under the mat, light the candles, pop the champagne and prepare the oysters...."
Okay so I did not really say the last part, and luckily so as the delivery person was female and over the age of 70, (not my type).  She was, however, willing to wait the two minutes until I arrived home, then she passed the champagne and roses to me via my car window as I drove in the driveway.  How many of you can say that you had flowers delivered to your car on Valentines Day? Not many I am sure.  I am one lucky lady!

Flowers from hubby and friend, 2 dozen roses, I'm feeling the love!

Last thought, for now, the words.  Who is cheating on the Internet for a romantic message?  Be honest with yourself.  Don't worry.  Majority are just writing "Dear you", "Love me" on a Hallmark card.  Don't kid yourself, there will be no rose petal messages across your King sized bed that drapes an imaginary mosquito net, nor will that message trailing behind that bi-plane be for you.  After all, your name is not Audrey, no matter how much you try to alter or twist your nick names for each other, it is still not Audrey.  (By the way, happy Valentines Audrey, blah, blah, blah, seriously some people in Perth have money to burn, they are obviously in the first 3 months of a relationship.)
 
So I receive a card with my gift today.  I hope hubby does not mind that I share it with you.  (He is away in Karratha for the week, he has a memory like a goldfish, so I figure if I speak now, he will of forgotten by his return.) 
 
"Dear You,
You made my dreams come true when you became my wife.  I hope JK you will be my Valentine for the rest of my life.
Love you,
Me XOXOXO"
 

Isn't that sweet, although.... who the $%£& is JK?  Seriously, do you know?  I've been trying to turn my name into JK all afternoon, and it can not be done.  I've been trying to make cute nicknames for myself with these initials, like... JK, Jolly Kisser, or JK, Joyous Keeper!  But they just don't seem to be right.  So then it hits me, JK, Just Kidding!  Oh no! Is hubby breaking up with me in a Valentine card.  Just Kidding will you be my Valentine! Really!?!  Then why waste the money on the roses and champagne?

 

So once again, I jump the gun, or not jump, but leap a country mile over the gun.  Apparently hubby has no idea who JK is.  When he scribed the message to the florist JK was not included.  I am presuming the florist is single and hates this romantic day of celebration and is out to cause turmoil amongst lovers.  That is my guess.

 

Happy Valentines Day.  A day to let anyone that you care about, know that you are there.  Does not matter the message, or the colour of the flower, it is all about the thought.

 

 

Can I close my mouth now please?

We all love something free.  What is almost as good as something free?  A really good voucher, that is what!  I have recently started looking at Internet sites that offer special deals for your capital city.  I actually think I am a little addicted.  I first started with the intention of finding cheaper options for my family to 'discover' Western Australia.  There are some fantastic deals out there, (if you do not read the fine print), admittedly, I am a victim for anything that boasts 50 to 98% off. (Apart from the wearable demtel blanket, I do not know how this was ever marketable, it's a blanket!  Isn't it?  Did I miss a hidden heater, personal trainer or free steak knives in the offer?)

So far we (I) have bought a 2 month gym pass, one month of boot camp sessions, canvas prints, a weekend in Margaret River, a weekend at an eco resort, a photography course, teeth whitening and 3 Swedish massages, an Indian massage and a reflexology foot treatment, kids socks and men's underpants.  Do you know what I have redeemed so far?  One thing.  The canvases.  And only because I could do it over the Internet with out getting off the couch.  I've obviously been very busy?

Anyway... with the children just about to start 2 days of care each week, it was time to redeem some of our good fortune and start making some bookings, now that time will be available.  Priorities.  Massage first please.  My last massage was 3 years ago, so needless to say, I've been thinking about this one for a while.  But alas, apparently the company will not honour the massages, "they were all a mistake and were not supposed to be offered, it was supposed to be a men's head massage", (I can see how this may be confused with 4 massages and a foot treatment, practically the same really).  If I contact 'Sharon', I can organise a refund.  So starting 2 weeks ago, I established a great relationship with Sharon's message bank service, and I speak to her most days.  Do not think she views our relationship with the same enthusiasm as she is yet to return my calls.  And I have a funny feeling that if or when she does contact me with my refund, she may also give me a little restraining order for stalking her.

Time to try another voucher.  This time teeth whitening.  I did not quite know what to expect.  I presumed they would rub something on my teeth, and "abracadabra", I look like Taylor from The Bold and The Beautiful.  (Yes in my mind, my beautician did appear magically with a pointed hat and a sparkly wand in her hand.) Not quite.  This was the third most traumatic experience of my life.  It closely followed my first child birth, and a Brazilian wax given to me by an apprentice.Two experiences I do not want to repeat.

Imagine if you will, 'Clockwork Orange' the movie.  If you have seen this then it may be easier to visualise my discomfort.   Do you know the scene where they keep the mans eyes open and he can not close them? This is what they did to my mouth.  I am always being told to shut my mouth, surely I knew this was going to be difficult?  I ALWAYS want to do what I am told not to do. I am placed in a chair about a metre away from a mirror and told to rub my teeth clean with a wipe then place protective gel on my lips and gums.  I look at the girl next to me, only to notice that she has a waterfall of saliva pouring from her mouth and running down her bibbed chest.  'Ewwww', is my first thought.  Second thought is, 'Good Lord, have they given her an electric shock, how does she not notice this happening?' She is just sitting happily reading a magazine.  Mind you, I am presuming she is happy because her mouth is stretched with a mouth guard to look like one of those clown games at the exhibition that you pop a ping pong ball into.  Clowns are always happy!

Anyway... back to me.  I clean my teeth, pop in the mouth guard, put on my gel, then wipe my teeth with the magic pen.  Not so bad.  I am told I do two 15 minute blocks, than three 10 minute blocks, applying more whitener in between.  Sounds easy enough.  Apart from the fact that once I apply my goggles, and the light is up against my mouth, the timer begins.  Do you know how I know the timer begins? Because I am looking cross eyed at a timer that is counting down at the tip of my nose.  Horrible.  I've been told not to take the light off my teeth and I feel as though I have been strapped with C4 explosives to my mouth and asked to watch the timer countdown to my demise.  To make matters worse, an extra loud beep, (but I hear siren) occurs on every minute.  Have you ever held something heavy that you can not put down, then all of a sudden, out of the blue, there is an itch, it is unbearable, it is on the tip of your nose, and you have no available limbs to scratch it.  Absolute torture.  Only I did not have an itch.  I had the urgent need to close my mouth.  Why?  No idea.  Probably because I was not allowed to?  But I can't.  Not allowed.  Do I ruin the experience of my first bought voucher.  What if it turns me off and I never voucher shop again?  I must be strong, after all, I only have 56 minutes to go.  Welcome anxiety, are you here to stay while we count down together.

Bombshell, my hand is wet... why is my hand wet?  I look at the mirror in front of me to see Niagara Falls spilling over my bottom lip.  Now I am looking worse than my drooling bulldog neighbour, I panic and grab for the tissue box next to me.  After wiping my lip, all I do is create a cob web of saliva that I seem to be passing from hand to hand to bib to chin to hand to chin to bib, then back again, you get the point.  I have never done this before, but I am officially juggling my own drool.  (Another tick off my bucket list perhaps?)  Awesome. Beep, beep, beep, beep.  First 15 minutes is complete.  Well would you look at that, juggling your own drool is a great time kill; although probably something you should not proudly perform in public.

Believe it or not, I did last the full hour with out removing my mouth guard, without closing my mouth, without using a full box of tissues, and without managing to get a single tissue into the bin next to me.  I did it.  I honestly feel as though I have accomplished something important.  By this I am referring to redeeming my first voucher, NOT by having my teeth whitened. 

Why you do these things to yourself I am not so sure.  Is it pure vanity or a need for extra self confidence? I am told that there is no consumption of drinks that could stain your teeth for 24 hours, such as coffee, red wine, or red juices.  Red juices?  Seriously?  I just purchased a bottle of V8 Strawberry, Banana and Raspberry smoothie from the Cafe next door because I needed to use the toilet.  Now I can not drink it?  Was this experience worth the 2 weeks of a white smile?  Perhaps for the experience.  But someone flick my ear lobe if I start talking about botox.  Unless I am over 40.  Then it is totally acceptable.  Right?