And we are off.....

It is AFL Grand Final Day Public Holiday in Melbourne and we had the car packed and on the road by 6am!  We are Sydney bound as the first leg of our journey.  The ultimate destination in this family road trip is Woorim, Bribie Island, Queensland to be with Mam (and Grandma) to celebrate her 70th birthday.... we are all looking forward to the adventure!!

 

There is five of us travelling this time as Kirraly, Oliver's girlfriend, is making the trip with us.  I hope she enjoys the adventure and finally doesn't realise that the Murray family are actually a pack of nuts and weirdos.  It has been many years since the whole family has gone to visit Mam.  I made a trip a couple of years for a girls week with my aunty Maureen and cousin Alison which was a fantastic time - infact a time I will always treasure.  The kids have always come up for school holidays but obviously as they grew up they stopped coming or should I say they stopped needing to come to be babysat.

 

 

And we are off........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Touring Tasmania - Day Six: Bruny Island - A day of Food and Adventure.

During our first family trip to Tasmania I had already had my mind made up to take the Bruny Island Safari even before the family set foot on the Apple Isle... not only am I am self-confessed foodie but so too is my husband and our kids have been raised to appreciate food.  I am really not sure what the family actually thought I was obsessed that we were going.....

AND THANK GOD WE DID!!!

From the minute we were picked up from our designated location, our tour guide Scotty made us feel welcome.  Once everyone booked was onboard and accounted for the fun began.  From important local information, history and the humorous stories of his past experiences and adventures we made our way from Hobart to Bruny Island.  More importantly he made us all interact and get to know each other by involving us all in conversation.

The places that we visited for tastings were amazing... the Bruny Island Cheese Company, our first stop, got the tastebuds rocking and of course we purchased some of the amazing cheeses that we sampled.  Scotty soon realised why the Murray family came prepared with an esky!! 

 

 

The Bruny Island Berry Farm was very interesting and we were amazed at the amount of berries that Graham was growing although sadly January isn't berry season.  The morning tea was delish especially the freshly baked scones served with jam and cream.  A necessary purchase of "Jostaberry" jam was made. 

Lunch was also a treat, local produce and freshly caught fish served at Hotel Bruny - the staff were friendly and very helpful.  Not only was the lunch yummy, so was the Tassie wine and we came away with some souvenir wine glasses. 

Next stop was Get Shucked - fresh oysters.  I like oysters, couldn't really say I was a fan... but that was before today.  I now have a new found love of oysters as does my 15 year old son who has never eaten one.  He not only tried the tasters but went into the shop and purchased two massive oysters, one for him and one for his dad.  I do believe an oyster monster has been born!!  Get Shucked also make their own Homemade Worcestershire Sauce which is delish.  Needless to say 2 dozen oysters and a bottle of sauce made their way into our ever filling esky.

 

A quick stop waiting for the ferry to return the local store was interesting and also boasting the use of fresh local produce.  None of us were hungry, trust me we hadn't stopped eating all day but the lure of the Wallaby Pie was too good to resist.  Yes we purchased and ate and enjoyed.

Our last stop was Nutpatch Nougat Chocolates was a hidden treasure.... I definitely felt like "a kid in a candy shop".  The chocolates produced were amazing, the tasting of different chocolate was amazing and we left privileged with the fact that we had a bag full of these perfectly crafted little masterpieces in our possession. 

Besides the food.... yes we did take notice of the beautiful scenery rich in history and wonder.  Resolution Creek, where Captain Cook came to shore which also had squeaky sand that was so soft to walk on, Cape Bruny Lighthouse and it’s museum, the National Park, the Rainforest, the wildlife including the white Wallabies and all the coastlines were magnificent. 

For such a small island amazingly our day was full of much more than expected and we had a fantastic time.  For our first "foodie" adventure we had the best time and today has definitely been a highlight of our Tasmanian holiday.

Finally I have to say, and my family will agree, Scotty - you rock!!!  You made our day so memorable, enjoyable, relaxing and very exciting.  Not your average tour guide there was never a dull moment even though you filled our heads with information and made our imagination run wild.  It was a pleasure to meet you and spend the day in your company.  We all extend our thanks to you for an incredible day.

A week apart....

This week has been very strange for all of us and I have to say I have been really feeling the difference.

Last Thursday we put the kids on a plane bound for Bribie Island to spend the school holidays with their grandma, lucky right?

Noel and I enjoyed the weekend together but found it hard dealing with the quietness and the fact that the kids were not there.

Monday morning I packed my bags and headed away with work for the week and I will be returning home tomorrow.  Staying away is hard at the best of times but this week it has been quite a strain knowing that we are all so far apart from each other.

Noel has been batching it at home all by himself!  Has he enjoyed the peace and serenity??  I have no idea.

Thankfully I will be home on Friday night but it's still another week before the kids come home :(

A strange place to find a submarine....

On the way home from Sydney we made a stop at Holbrook for some lunch and to show the kids that there really is a submarine in country NSW.

Meeting the kids at Sydney Airport

After almost two quiet weeks without the kids (they went to grandmas on Bribie Island for the school holidays) it was a wonderful and exciting moment when they arrived in Sydney.

Royal Melbourne Zoo - a family outing

On Sunday we spent a family day at the Melbourne Zoo..... the kids and I love the zoo whereas Noel goes to keep us happy! He does like animals, don't get me wrong he can quite happily leave it 5 years between visits though!

It was a beautiful day - a great day to try out my new camera properly. Have to say I love having the additional zoom etc.

Here are some of my favourite photo's I took:






















We had a lovely day together.....
My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

We've been on holidays.....

Yes we went away. Only on a quick long weekend adventure as it was Labour Day weekend and we all took Tuesday off school/work to make it an extra day longer!! The main thing that was achieved this weekend was spending quality time with the four of us before the busy months of March and April kick in.....

Saturday morning we left and made our way to Halls Gap, where we stayed in a cabin (with spa ensuite) at The Grampian Gardens Tourist Park. Halls Gap is approximately 3 and a half hours from home but we had a really good drive there. Noel and I hadn't been up that way for quite some time so we were actually surprised by the new freeways etc, and how shorter the journey actually ended up being.

Halls Gap is a beautiful town set amongst The Grampians, a mountain range in North West Victoria. There is a lot to do from bush walks, viewing waterfalls, aboriginal art along with winery tours, a zoo and even mini golf. The Grampians Gardens Tourist Park was also really nice. As I mentioned we upgraded to a spa cabin, but the cabins themselves were very clean and well maintained. We had a little verandah were every morning we feed cockatoos, kangaroos and emus which pleased the kids no end.

Once we had settled into our cabin on Saturday afternoon, we went for a look around town mainly to get a feel for the place but to also work out where we would eat for dinner that night. I was given "time off" from cooking dinners so we did eat out every night and had some wonderful meals. The first night we ate at The Kookaburra Restaurant in Halls Gap where I had a magnificent meal, Kangaroo Fillet with a Caramelized Port, Cream and Seeded Mustard Sauce and Noel had the Duo of Pork, Chargrilled pork fillet with slow-baked spare rib served with an apple, lime and ginger sauce. Both of us really enjoyed these meals, and the kids enjoyed their meals also which made it very tempting to return there for the next two nights but we didn't!!

Sunday we had a full day driving around The Grampians. We started the day off in Stawell where we visited the Information Centre. We then went to the Stawell Gold Mine Observation Area which was very interesting and as the Gold Mine was in operation it was good to watch also. I have actually been inside the Gold Mine when I was working for Beltreco, but they do not do public tours now. From Stawell we drove through the The Grampians following the scenic route. This was good as we stopped at all the lookouts and even went to McKenzies Falls. McKenzies Falls is magnificent even though it's quite a hike down and back up again. In fact Alex suggested that they put an elevator at the bottom!!

The Halls Gap Bistro was our dinner venue Sunday night, which was okay and only 500 metres from the caravan park. Driving through the caravan park at night it was wonderful to see kangaroos and emu's just grazing through the grounds and oblivious to the fact humans were there.

Monday we ensure it was a fun day for the kids. Starting off at the Halls Gap Zoo and Wildlife Park we had a ball. The kids love animals, so of course they loved this place. I have to say it was well set out and relaxing to walk around. The Chameleon kept the kids entertained for quite a while as they were amazed with it's eyes. Both eyes are completely independent of each other and they can be pointed in different directions - funny to watch really I have to admit. The whole park was good, feeding the animals as we walked around but Alex didn't really liked being stalked by the deers who seemed to follow anyone with food! A quick stop for lunch at the Halls Gap Bakery and then it was on to 18 holes of Adventure Golf. That was good fun also, I cannot say that the scores were acurately written down especially as the ball was hit even if it hadn't stopped rolling - yes a little cheating happening here and there I think.

For dinner Monday evening we ate at Mings Oriental at the National Hotel in Stawell which was a Chinese and Australian Restaurant within a wonderful old hotel. It was the type of place you wouldn't expect to find, if you know what I mean? An Aussie Pub, where you walk through the lounge area to see a couple of regulars propped up at the bar drinking their pots of beer. Through the door to the dining room you entered an old style dining room with a little servery and this massive chalk written menu half filled with Chinese style dishes and the other classic Aussie dishes such as steak and chips, parma and chips, etc. We had the Chinese banquet and everyone enjoyed that. All the individual meals were good including the Mongolian Combination, Sizzling Garlic Prawns but Noel and I really enjoyed the Beef with Lemongrass and Chilli (we even got a choice of the temperature scale 1 - 14! We chose 10 and that was quite hot!) As you can tell we would recommend both these restaurants if you are ever in the area!

We packed up early Tuesday morning and was planning to spend the day doing something around Ballarat. The weather, however, had different plans with a fine drizzle meaning doing anything outside was off the cards. Instead we drove home, stopping for lunch at McDonald's much to the kids delight.

Reality set in Wednesday morning when we were back at work and school.....


My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Menu Plan Monday (5th Dec - 11th Dec) - better late than never!!

I know it's officially Wednesday and although my week runs differently to many I will admit I am a little behind this week. We spent the weekend away so now we are getting back to the normality of our life - no longer pampered at a hotel, no longer not worrying about what's for dinner... oh the life some people lead! Personally I prefer my life...... but having a mini-break prior to the Silly Season was nice and relaxing.

As you have probably gathered by now, I LIVE for menu planning! By menu planning it ensures that we have a weeks worth of meals organised which is especially useful Monday through Friday when there is not much of the day left after finishing work, picking up the kids from school and having to deal with the tasks of homework, clothes washing, showers, etc., and to do without the hassle of worrying WHAT we are cooking for dinner each night. Honestly if I left deciding what’s for dinner until I go home we wouldn’t eat until midnight!!

So here is our week’s worth of dinners… or at least what has been planned….

· Sat ~ Holidays at Bright

· Sun ~ Holidays at Bright

· Mon ~ Herb and Chilli Roast Vegetables
· Tue ~ Pork Ragu with pasta
· Wed ~ Lamb skewers with satay sauce

· Thu ~ Garlic Prawn Pizza

· Fri ~ Fish and Vegetable Parcels

I know that our week starts on a Saturday but that’s just for the ease of fitting in with my grocery shopping which is normally done on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon.

As usual more great menu ideas can be found at Menu Plan Monday over at I’m An Organising Junkie, don’t be shy pop over and have a look at other’s menu plans. You never know you may just find something different to have for dinner.

Some recipes for things we cook can be found over at our cooking blog, A Dash Of Flavour, normally posted after they have been cooked or just click on the links for each meal when they appear.

Happy cooking,

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

It's good to be home - but Bright was beautiful!

The holiday is over.... and although all good things come to an end this weekend wasn't about me or Noel is was about the kids and family time. I cannot honestly remember the last time the four of us were just the four of us. Sounds silly I know as everyday it is normally just the four of us but when you are away it's so very different.

We left on Saturday afternoon, with Noel and the kids picking me up from work. A long drive ahead, but we all survived it I think out of the pure excitement of actually going away. Stopping once in Kalkalo for Hungry Jacks as everyone was starving and then again in Wangaratta for petrol and to put tattslotto on (hoping that the change of lottery outlet would prove lucky but to now avail!!).

The drive up the Great Alpine Road was beautiful, surrounding landscape of lush green covered mountains. Lots of pine trees and rolling pastures of crops sadly still marred with the after effects of the bush fires last summer.

We arrived at the Bright Chalet around 5.30ish and we were all glad to see the hotel that's for sure. I honestly didn't think Bright was really that far away. I guess it's more the fact that you drive so far and then need to double back on yourselves to get to where this nice town is nestled in the valley of two mountains.

Needless to say after all the travel, we were looking forward to going to our room. Not overly impressed but it's not the worst place we have stayed. The hotel was accomodating, but not exactly as pictured on it's website.

The kids had a quick swim in the pool. We showered and went down to have dinner. The package deal I purchased for our trip away entitled us to dinner and breakfast while we were there. Saturday night was an all you can eat buffet dinner which was quite nice. Hot foods such as soups, lasagne, sheperd's pie, roast, pototoes etc along with salads and desserts. We definitely had our fill and then returned to our room where we all actually went to sleep early.

Sunday we were determined to make the most of the day and explore the surrounding area. Up early we went for a kid drive around Bright, then went back for breakfast. After breakfast, we went for a drive to Beechworth, which is a very historical old town and yes we had a pie from the famous Beechworth Bakery. On the way back to Bright we took the kids to Wandiligong Maze. The maze is a huge hedge maze and was quite complex. Lots of shortcuts, wooden doors and emergency exits were available but Alex and I decided that we were not going to cheat and find the two towers and two rose bushes and the exit but pure determination. Noel on the other hand, decided he was using the doors from the beginning. Oliver was the last out of the maze, and while we laughed at the fact of seeing his feet continuously circling the same part of the maze he was very frustrated by the time I had re-entered the maze to help him to the exit gate. But many laughs were had by all, which was the main thing.

Monday came around quickly and it was Monday we were due to return to home. But we had much to do before we saw our house. First stop was the Bright Berry Farm, where we tasted and bought lots of jams as well as a huge bunnet of freshly picked mixed berries. Next stop was the Red Stag Deer and Emu farm. The kids were looking forward to seeing the deers but I only had one thing in mind... buying some deer meat... yummo... venison. Now I must say the kids weren't overly happy with my motive but said that they would try the meat. Unfortunately they didn't have any venison for sale. However, I did not leave empty handed. I purchased 1kg of Ostrich meat...... now this should be interesting!!

Glenrowan was the next stop. We had a look around, read up on Australian history and Ned Kelly. Went to the official Ned Kelly museum and brought this fantastic print of Ned Kelly's suit of armour. Noel and I found this visit to Glenrowan more interesting. It's strange, really, we both took time to take in the history and the information, maybe we have grown up!

Winton Motor Raceway had to be visited, let's face it we couldn't just drive past, and when we got there we were surprised to see some cars doing laps. It wasn't a race meet, probably just a car club. But the boys thought it was great.

We stopped in Seymour for some lunch and to give Noel a break from driving. After lunch I decided I would drive for awhile and ended up driving all the way home. That to me was a highlight of the weekend as normally Noel drives EVERYWHERE. After being together for 20 years I have come to the conclusion that he doesn't like (trust) my driving and normally I don't drive with him. LOL!!

We got home late, but it was a great day. Infact overall, it was a great weekend.

Today Oliver had his orientation day up at high school. He is going to McClelland College next year. He came home really excited and is so looking forward to starting next year. He knows who is in his class and spent the day doing a "mock" school day, changing rooms for subjects and getting to know the school. Jai, our neighbour's grandson is in Oliver's class as is another child from the football club, so thankfully although Oliver is the only one from Kananook going to McClelland he knows quite a few other kids.

Alex and Noel had a look at another primary school, Ballam Park Primary School as we are thinking of changing her school for next year. It's next to the college and we are hoping that both Oliver and Alex can walk home together which will not only give them responsibility now they are getting older but get Alex to know other kids in the area, and kids that she would no doubt be going to high school with. Also it's local to where we live. Kananook is a great school but a little out of the way especially with having only one child going there next year. It's a huge decision for us with changing schools but honestly I don't think she will suffer with the decision. Infact she wants to change schools.

Enough for me today.... all of us will be in bed early again... we had a great weekend and the rest/relaxation just the four of us was just what we needed. It was great to spend quality time together.

Bring on the silly season...

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

A mini break..... well deserved that's for sure. (2009 in review!!)

A few months ago we decided it was time that we, as a family, took a little break. Not from each other but with each other!!

So this afternoon we are off to Bright, a beautiful town in the Alpine Region of Victoria. Although it's only for two nights and we return on Monday afternoon, I am sure these few days are going to do ALL of us some good.

In fact we haven't had a proper holiday as a family for about 4 years now. Sad but true! The last few years we have planned to go camping but in 2008 Alex broke her foot, so plastercast and was on crutches. This year two weeks before we have planned to leave she broke her wrist. Once again plastercast and this time in a sling she was not fit to brave the elements of the bush!

We also moved house in 2008, which as many of you know, it doesn't help the finances. Not to mention the time it takes to pack and unpack. In fact we are still unpacking... lol!!

Many other incidents have marred us this year, some huge and some little, but these have dampened our spirits and have affected us all in various ways. Personally, I don't think I have cried as much as I have this year, I don't think I have ever felt this angry or upset either.

On an emotional level I have struggled dealing with the relationship I have with my sister and with her life choices.

I have mentioned she has a new life, one I cannot imagine how she is enjoying. However I haven't really at any point gone in detail as to what happened so here it is..... the final time I will discuss her.

In one foul swoop of what can only be described as a premeditated chain of events her family situation changed by her doing. We had an inkling that she was having troubles in her marriage but as to how deep those troubles were we did not know and still don't. I say premeditated as the way things were done during her seperation to Jamie and they way it was played out HAD to be planned. Her ferel partner in crime's wife, also Claire's best friend at the time, walked out on her doomed marriage to said ferel on the Tuesday and by Saturday Claire had asked Jamie to leave.

Needless to say by March the 1st the ferel had just about moved into to Claire and Jamies house. I chose this day to visit Claire, arms open, to make sure was alright and to offer my support only to be met with the ferel down in her bedroom and Claire wanting to know if we would like to have coffee with them both! When questioned by me about the situation she had the nerve to look me straight in the eye and deny that anything was going on, they were both watching movies, had too much to drink and the ferel slept on the couch! Denying any sexual involvement sighting they were just good friends!! Hang on - I watched him leave her bedroom, I watched her skip up the hallway with the content "young love" feeling, I saw the couch was covered in about 4 weeks' worth of clothes, Claire doesn't drink that much at all and the ferel still lived up the road!

That was the moment I lost all respect for my baby sister.

Her beautiful home, that her and Jamie worked so hard on has been sold, and now she is living in a rental with the man she obviously slept with prior to seperating from her husband, the man who was friends with her husband, the man that her husband accepted into his home and their family and obviously the man who has managed with Claire's blessing to rip a family apart. While I don't like nor agree with the situation as it stands, I have to accept that it is her life and up to her but I also have to accept that I am not part of it and in a way that makes me somewhat happy.

I am learning to move past the anger and hate every day and I know that it will not change unless she wants it to. Not only has the relationship between my sister and I been damaged to what I consider beyond repair but this situation has damaged the dynamics of our once close family. My mam has been hurt immensely, not only by Claire chosen actions but by the backlash that this situation has caused. The yelling between me and mam, the arguing and the crying. I wish I could have protected Mam from all the hurt, anger and dissappointment she has felt and still feels, but there is nothing either of us could or can do as ultimately this was all's Claire's decision. This Christmas will be very hard for Mam and for me as Claire will not be present nor be welcome in our festivities, unless of course she makes the first move but even if she does there is a long road to travel before any hint of normality will resume.

But believe it or not - good has actually come out of that bad situation though. Jamie, even though seperated from my sister, has become closer to us as a family and in doing so our children are getting to know their cousins again as we have spent a lot more time with the Kyle, Stuart, Wesley and Angus than we have in the last four years.

Speaking of seperations, another relationship was finalised this year with Clare's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E became final today" (sorry Dusty Springfield, you sing it so much better) on 10th February, 28 days after the papers were filed. I really hope that now anything to do with that past relationship is over and done with that Clare will find true happiness. She deserves it and the man she finally decides to settle with, maybe Grahame (her current man), I must say will be one very lucky man. Clare has a beautiful spirit and an intelligent mind, and as her "big" sister I believe she deserves the best!

My health has been a major issue this year, finding out that I have Type II Diabetes in July. So finger pricking, glucose tests, more frequent visits to the doctor. I think I have seen that poor man once a week for every week this year! My blood pressure finally got in control and a perfect level but this last couple of months has seen it elevate again.... reason - STRESS!

Noel too has been and is still suffering with heal spurs, and short of seeing a surgeon and going under the knife, he has tried various treatments even medication but to no avail. It's hard to watch him struggle to walk when he gets up. But like me, everyday he puts on a brave face and soldiers on. Long term, though we really need to get this sorted and will be broaching the subject during the summer holidays.

The financial crisis here in Australia didn't help us nor did it help many other Australian families. Overtime was cut back for us but many others lost their jobs - thankfully we didn't. But the reduction in the pay packet did stretch our resources a little and many Aussies, including us, had to tighten the purse strings.

Work, is playing mind games with both me and Noel. Noel's work has become ridiculously busy and he is working four nights overtime some weeks but yet the company announced that 25 people have to be made redundant within the company and the axe will be dropped next Friday the 11th December. I think he should be safe as he is a good worker but bottom line is he is just an employed number like me. My workplace (quarry) is closing soon and all the employees with be sent to other quarries to work. The only problem is they, at this point in time, have said to me I have a guaranteed job, but they are not certain where or doing what, worse case scenario is I take a huge step backwards, relinquish my duties, become a full time weighbridge operator "short term"!

Not to mention the little things (good and bad) like rocks being thrown through windows, football club responsibilities, the bushfires, a couple of minor earthquakes in Victoria, deaths of a few acquaintences, the highs and lows of our friends and their relationships, and even the fact Oliver is actually going to high school next year, just to name a few have all had different effects on me and the family.

The highlight of this year, however, was the birth of Daniel. His arrival has topped the year off nicely as there is nothing that can raise a family's spirits than the arrival of a baby. As I have mentioned recently it was great to all be together once we were told Daniel was born. Good to be a part of the first few days and weeks, not only getting to know him but to be there for both Sean and Vicky.

Needless to say that beside a few good things, this year has been a truely horrible year for me and my family, one I hope never gets repeated. But saying that, this year has brought lots of experiences. Experiences I can only draw from and learn from but pray to God I never have to face them again.

It's only 26 days until 2010 and I pray and hope and wish and dream that 2010 will be a better year.......

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

PS Hit me if I vent negativity anymore this year... please!!!