The Timing of the Friendly Wave

A long straight road. With nothing but red dirt, dry grass, cattle and the odd mountain range to amuse yourself with.

It makes for boring stuff.

There's nothing quite like the spontaneous friendly wave (more of a lift of the finger from the steering wheel really), from the very occasional passing car to break things up a little bit.

We've enjoyed this courteous gesture and hello while travelling in this part of the world.

But we've lived here long enough now to start returning the favor, and spreading the love to others.

The secret to the spontaneous wave is timing. With both cars travelling at high speeds, in the opposite direction, you can easily miss the most opportune time to do this. Getting your wave not only noticed, but most importantly, allowing time for a reciprocal wave.

My tip, start waving as soon as you can see oncoming traffic. It's your best chance.

My husband prefers a more casual approach. Attempting to judge the best time, and waving when the car is almost on us. He's had a lot of missed waves, way too late waves that couldn't be even seen, let alone get many waves back.

The enthusiastic waver always wins. And also gets occasional toots from passing road trains (that's a truck with a very long load, in case you weren't aware). 

A good tip to remember, if ever you're driving in this past of the world.

Fuel anyone? The dustiest roadhouse I've ever seen!

A Road Trip with Children

Our first real holiday out of town.

And our longest drive yet. Seven hours or thereabouts. For this part of the world, I guess that isn't considered huge. But it will be long for us. Especially with two toddlers in tow. Funny how that changes things. In the past, I've found these drives suffer their good and their bad moments. The more prepared I can be, the better we are able to avoid "must get out of my car seat now" kicking spasms.

For me, I love the big drives. A chance for me to sit down and relax. And just be stuck in my seat. Almost always, I will also fall asleep myself. My husband, I'm sure, probably just enjoys the peace and quiet from the 3 of us. And the chance to choose his own music to listen to. Without Peppa Pig oinking in the background.

 

It's ridiculous, how much  you need to pack now that we have the two girls. Their things, literally fill the car. Between the portacot, nappies, high chair, their clothes, there will be hardly any room left for our stuff. Which is why we now have a Pod on top of the car. So we can bring a change of clothes for ourselves
Travelling with young children, definetly comes with it's difficulties.  Travelling light, takes on a whole new meaning now. I find it almost impossible to pack light. But I do attempt to pack smart. If anything, I try to pack light for myself. To compensate for the overabundance of child related items.

Here are a few things I've discovered that work well for us, during our short time on the road.
1. You need less toys than you think. Pack next to none. You're going to a new place, everything can be exciting. Make it an adventure.
2. Pack laundry soap, just in case. Red dirt gets in to everything, clothes can get dirty very quickly. Save yourself packing numerous, most likely needed, changes of clothes.
3. Pack lots of small, toddler friendly snacks. Not just for the long car trips, but for restuarants, in case meals don't arrive before the hungry toddler tantrum.
4. Save a special, new toy just for the car trip. Something easy to use, with no small pieces. I love the water painting notebook by Melissa and Doug. You can buy it here from Classic Baby. It keeps both girls entertained and quiet for long spaces of time. And uses a refillable water pen. Easy. I try to bring it out for long car trips only.
5. Always find room for a couple of bottle of wines for the (hopefully) quiet evenings.
6. Keep your expectations low. I don't mean this in a negative way. But sometimes if you prepare for the worst, then you are often pleasantly surprised when it comes to travelling with young children. Though sometimes, your worst nightmares, do come true too.
8. Be flexible. This is one I need to remind myself of often. You're not going to have everything that you usually have at home. And it might not flow quite so well. But it's for a good reason. A holiday, full of new experiences and excitements. As long as everybody is happy, nobody is crying, tired and whiney then it's not a big deal.
7. Try and keep a sense of humour and fun. It is catching.
8. Oh yes, and an Ipad full of Peppa Pig, Angelina Ballerina and Charlie and Lola works too.

Do you have any trips on packing light with children? Doing a road trip with children?

The Vegetable Garden { An Update }

Six weeks ago, we planted our first vegetable garden.
We have tomatoes growing and those inconsistent and devilish parsley seedlings, have been to hell and back two, three , seven or nine times (depending on your source), and finally sprouted also.
Instead of being a chore, we have really enjoyed caring for, and watching the garden grow. Twice daily watering, and a little weeding is all it has needed from us so far. Too early, to claim that I have a green thumb. But time passed enough, to at least claim that I am a willing and eager grower. Attentive, if nothing else.
There's not a tomato, slowly ripening, that we don't know about. Or a seedling, that we're not patiently waiting for. It has been a peaceful distraction, in an otherwise, toddler busy backyard.

 

 

Excuse the weeds please. They're gone now!

Glamping it up at Karijini Eco Resort

We are back after a weekend away of adventure at Karijini National Park. Our first night away, from the same same boringness of this town. We chose a hot, 38 degree weekend, to explore the nearby Karijini National Park. By nearby, I mean just under 200 km's away. That's classified local up here.
It's remote. Rugged. And stunningly beautiful.

 

My husband and I had been here before, years ago. But this was the first time with the girls. We chose the more child friendly pools of Fern Pool and Fortescue Falls. Part of the Dales Gorges.
A relaxed walk, despite the numerous stairs, found us at the shady "rockpools" (as my daughter calls them). A baby carrier is a must here. As is a sense of adventure, to help propel my eldest daughter along at a reasonable pace, now that she prefers to walk more, rather than be carried. And of course, so were my ugly shoes.

I use a Tula baby carrier. I've bought other brands, and borrowed different brands from friends. Trying to find one that suited me. This is easily my favourite. Slim fitting, comfortable to wear. All those things.

I wasn't able to find one in the shops to buy. But you can find them online here.

 

After all that walking and coaxing, and on such a hot day, it was a relief to be able to take a swim and enjoy a picnic lunch next to the water. Even with so many other people, enjoying the same things, it was still relaxed and peaceful. And also, lots of fun. My daughter, watching people jump in. Talking all things French with visiting tourists. And trying not to slip over on the slippery rocks in the shallow parts of the pools.

 

 

 

We were lucky enough, to spend the night, glamping under the stars at the amazing Karijini eco resort. Domed tents, scattered throughout the landscape. Some powered, some not. All non-airconditioned, but positioned for natural ventilated comfort. Our first night, all sleeping in the one room together. And a tent of all things. The Mum in me, who likes to knock of at 7pm bedtime, was a little nervous about how that was all going to unfold.

 

In one word, our stay there was perfect. Our eldest, nicknamed the tent, a cubby. And the two, spent the whole time, exploring, playing. Eating icecream on the deck. Showering in the open aired bathroom. Collecting rocks. And we managed something we haven't been able to do for awhile in the day time with our charmingly busy two daughters. Read the paper. Undisturbed. Drank wine. Undisturbed.

 

An early tea in the alfresco restaurant, was short and sharp. It had been a long day in the hot sun. Everyone was tired. But the food was yummy. Wild barramundi, emu, cooked in front of us, complete with flaming pans.

 

And bedtime, well that worked out ok too. Later than normal. But that was ok. And after much chitter chatter between the girls, when they should have been asleep, which was amusing at first but not so funny after awhile, it soon became funny again. As we listened to our eldest telling off the other, "shhhhhhh, nigh nighs now Jessie please." Silence eventually followed, and my husband and I sat on the deck outside the tent. With a bottle of wine. No phones, laptop or tv. With only the light of the stars. We sat in almost darkness and talked. It was nice for a change. And just what we needed.
Day to day life's been busy lately. We needed a little holiday, and this was perfect.

An Illustration

After a little bit of effort. I finally came across the lovely Liz Braid. Illustrator extraordinaire, who has created a beautiful, watercolour design for my blog header. Liz, is also the illustrator from one of our current favourite childrens books, Grace has a Secret. You can read my blog about this lovely book here.
Thanks to Liz, for all her efforts, back and forth emails and general patience with me. I'm still learning how to customise and use my blog. I can see, it being an ongoing journey of tweaking this and that for me.
I'm not sure how professional this blog will be. But I'm enjoying writing again, and having people read about our life up here. If nothing else, it's nice to have a beautiful design, so I at least feel the part!
It doesn't take much guessing to know, who the lovely two little lasses are skipping along. The two littlest big parts of my world. Hope you like it, as much I do.
Thanks Liz.

The Dirty Crawler

My little one, is growing up so quickly. No longer just crawling, she is now pulling herself up on everything that her little arms can reach, and trying to walk. Just like her big sister.
I couldn't wait for her to start crawling. Our eldest skipped this stage, almost completely. But the reality of crawling, in this part of the world, is just tiring. Constant red dirt knees. Red dirt hand prints that spread first all over your clothes, then all over your floor, before they reach all of your walls. My house isn't spotless, but I still feel like I'm cleaning all the time. And stain removing.

 

We had a relaxed afternoon today, spent in the backyard, with no concern for the red dirt all over ourselves. I rarely feel quite this relaxed about the dirt factor. And it was lucky that I felt this way about it today. As we ended up with an upended full potty, spread all over the ground. And a crawling toddler, blazing her way through it, before I had the chance to stop her. Poop. Literally.

Fuel anyone?

Our once monthly time to fill the car up with fuel.
Living in such a small town, the car is rarely used for big trips anymore. For off road trips, we use the bumpy car, so it had been a few weeks since we'd last needed to fill the tank.
We were slightly shocked.

This, is slightly higher than even we're used to paying up here.
As with anything in WA, the cost of living is relatively high when compared to other states. And it's certainly the reality in this part of the world. Everything is just that little bit more expensive again. Transported in to us from some place far away.
But I can't help but wonder, if it quite justifies an extra 30 cents per litre more than what you would pay in Perth. But hey, what do I know. If you're the only roadhouse on the highway for the next 300 kilometres or so, I guess you can charge whatever you feel!

Shoots and Leaves

And just like that, we have shoots.

 

 

It was just over a week ago that we planted our small vegetable garden, and we are so excited to see lots of little plants growing everywhere. Twice daily watering seems to have overcome the daily 30 degree temperatures, which I thought might have slowed down any new shoots, from sprouting too soon. It might be too soon to say, but it seems our garden, with all the care taken in preparing the soil, is thriving.

Now, if only we'd remembered to place tags near to where we planted each line of seeds. My guess is that these are our cucumber or beans sprouting.

Do any greenthumbs have any answers for me?

Grace has a Secret

I love a childrens book.
I once toyed very seriously with the idea of being a childrens librarian. And still do.
At primary school, the librarian Mrs West, put new books aside for me as they arrived. One's that she thought I might like to read and enjoy, before anybody else had the chance. She really fostered in me, a love of books that I still have today. (Yes, I was a Librarian teachers pet.) Even without as much time now as I used to have, I still try to find time to read. It's not always daily now, maybe more weekly. I am still bad, for staying up too late, reading until the last chapter, because I can't bring myself to put a book down. Now, as an adult, I do it by the light of a miners light, clipped around my forehead, while my husband is asleep next to me in bed. And, as a child, I sneakily read by the light of the hallway, always later into the night than I was allowed. So in some ways, not much has changed really. Just the addition of a snoring husband.
Reading childrens books, particularly at the end of the day, is one of the most enjoyable moments that I share with my daughters, and I hope that I have passed my joy of reading onto them. I feel I definetly have with our eldest. But time is lacking slightly at the moment, to spend as much time reading with my youngest as I would like to. And I'm finding, she doesn't quite have the patience for books at the moment. Or to sit still long enough to listen. She really is in a movement "phase'' at the moment.
Today, the postman delivered something that I'm always pleased to see arrive at my door. A parcel. Presents for the girls from my family. And inside, amongst other things, a childrens book, "Grace has a secret". One of the most gorgeously illustrated books that I've seen for a long time. With such a lovely storyline and simple message, about a little girl with a big heart, who tries to change the world through a simple act of kindness. It will definetly be a favourite for bedtime stories for us.

 

Proudly, this book was also written by Prudence Holling & Philippa Ray. Two ladies who live near my small hometown in Tasmania. And as a result, we were lucky enough to receive a signed copy, courtesy of my Mum who is now a stockist. (Don't you just love small towns!) So I can't help but sing it's praises. It is, the first picture book in a series, written to encourage kindness and gratitude. What could be nicer than that?
On my reading pile, I'm afraid there is nothing anywhere close as pretty a book to look at or read.
My brothers partner, suggested to me something on her visit here. A great idea. One that she also is thinking of doing in Hobart. That maybe, I should start a book club while I'm living here. A great way to do non-Mumsy things, and meet new people also. One's that aren't necessarily linked to the girls and their play friends. I'm not sure how such a club would work, or if anybody would be interested. Though I'm hoping it would involve a certain amount of wine being enjoyed at the same time. But it's definetly something worth thinking about.
Not that I need an excuse to read a book.
Is anybody a part of a book club? or has started one themselves?
If your're interested, you can find out more about this lovely book here http://www.gracehas.com/

A Vegetable Garden

I have wanted a small vegetable patch for sometime now.
I planned one for our own home when we were living in Perth, but it soon became obvious that a move to the Pilbara for my husbands’ work was more than likely on the cards. So I let the idea go.
But now, with my veggie patch loving, perma-culture trained, organic farming, bee hive keeping brother is here visiting, our own vegetable garden is now finally a reality.

 
The climate is less suited, the soil is average. Very average. We managed to find somebody selling sleepers here for the garden bed, and by chance we were also given a trailer load of top soil by a local resident. It wasn't the best top soil, certainly not the kind you might find in Tasmania, where my brother is used to living and working. But it is as good as it can get for here. We've chosen plants (and sunflowers), that can supposedly tolerate full to part sun, and added as many nutrients as we could possible to the soil.

The afternoon was fun, preparing the soil, digging and planting seeds. Both girls loved it. Much soil was consumed by my youngest in the process.

And my eldest planted the seeds, with some assistance.
No dirt allowed on the favourite orange tutu.

 

 

 I look forward to picking our first cherry tomatoes, sweet corn and cucumbers to eat. Locally grown produce is not readily available here. Neither is there much organic produce here to choose from. And no farmers markets. And fruit and vegetables can sometimes be a little wilted, before you've even had the chance to take them home. It will definetly be worth the effort to grow some of our own.

It was the last afternoon we had the chance to spend with my brother and his partner. And we spent it creating the vegetable garden. It was the perfect end to their holiday with us. It was followed by a dinner of homemade paella, and a bottle of 13 year old Portuguese red wine I had been babysitting for my brother. It was left here on his last visit to us, which I'd clearly forgotten about. Otherwise, it wouldn't have survived sitting in our wine rack for the last five years. 

Their leaving today, has left me feeling the most down that I have felt since moving here. We are ridiculously far away from everybody I care about. We've made some new friends since being here, but it just doesn't quite feel the same. Not yet anyway. I have a feeling, that it might not ever feel quite right for me here. It's all a bit too far from home. Too hot, too sunny. Everyday.

If nothing else, with or without flourishing vegetable plants, watering the vegetable garden everyday, will allow me to reminisce of my brother and the great afternoon we all spent planting it together.

Three Pools with Brother Jim

We have visitors. Evenings have mostly included laptop sharing, cups of herbal tea and internet sharing to some degree, so I have haven't had the chance to sit down and write.
After travelling through the Kimberley on the Gibb River Road, and volunteering in a whale research program, my brother has made it to our little town. His partner in tow also. They arrived in a miners white ute vehicle, complete with fluoro stripe down the side, which, considering their very strong Greenie inclinations, gave me a laugh. They were acclimatising themselves to our small mining town already. Complete with the usual sounds of almost constant beep beep beeping reversing vehicles, that are heard throughout town. Including from their own hire car.

 

It has been so nice having family here to visit. My daughters have loved it. And I've enjoyed the break. Having others in and around home most of the day, to play with or distract my two is such a huge help. Both have happily spent as much time as requested by my eldest daughter, jumping on the trampoline, hula hooping, or playing in the cubby.
They easily admit, that their diet makes them the annoying type when it comes to eating out. Gluten free, sugar free, and a desire to only eat ecologically sustainable meats means that they happily offered to cook all dinners during their week long stay with us. And despite the fact that they dirty almost every dish that I own everytime they cook, and leave a small bomb site in my kichen during the process, I quickly agreed that somebody cooking all our meals, even if it had to encompass all of the above things, suited me just fine. The food they have cooked, I will say, has been delicious. Though they really could have served me up almost anything, and I would have been happy with it, such is the treat of being cooked for everynight. And with my daughters first birthday party also occurring during their stay, we have without meaning to, reintroduced them to the delights of sugar. Or in their case, more so my brothers, who has indulged himself the most while here, reminded them of the reasons why not eating sugar was such a good thing for their bodies in the first place.
Fortunately, they are the up with the birds sort, and have fitted in well to my littlest's current phase of crawling and rolling in her sleep throughout the night, banging her head on all sides of the cot in the process, and ending in very early wake ups for all. We have enjoyed a reasonably relaxed and lazy week. Allowing them a chance to recover, write postcards, and rest their sore backs after long 4WD trips and many continuous nights of camping in tents.
Eventually, we summoned the motivation to daytrip out of town, and show them the best bits of living in and around this part of the Pilbara. With a friend of ours also accompanying us, we drove to Three Pools for a picnic lunch and swim.
After getting lost, and finding ourselves driving down a dry creek bed instead of an unsealed gravelled road, we finally found the correct turn off to Three Pools. It was a stunning rock pool, but unfortunately, it didn't suit us to swim in. The girls weren't able to reach the pool safely, and it was very deep in most parts. And the only spot to set up a picnic was where we parked our vehicles, in amongst some very snake friendly looking scrub.

 

My brother and his partner enjoyed the climb down to the pool, and my daughters did what they do best when in the red dirt. Get themselves dirty.

Kitchen Cabinet and Annabel Crabb

The final election campaign week......
My vote has been decided for quite some time, so I really haven't taken much of an interest to any of the campaigns, slogans or debates this time around. The most exciting thing to look forward to for me, was the announcement by our local high school (where voting will be held), that they will be selling cooked breakfast and morning tea delights on the day. Yummo.
That was until I heard Annabel Crabb's announcement. Then I was excited. Two spin offs of her show "Kitchen Cabinet" this final election week, with both Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd separately. It speaks volumes that this is about the most interesting thing that's happened all election campaign. A culinary coup. These shows, will be the only pre election "campaigning" I will watch with anticipation and 100% voluntarily. It has even been alleged that K Rudd delayed a briefing over the Syria security crisis for the recording of the ABC show. A last pre election pitch, to show your true self and positives to the public. And one that will be actually broadcast on free to air TV, and worth watching.
If you're unfamiliar with the format of the show, Annabel "invades the kitchens of Australian politicians, in search of food and psychoanalysis." The federal politician cooks dinner, and Annabel brings desert. In the past, there have been all levels of gourmet, or lack of on the show. Joe Hockey, opposition treasurer, cooked steak on the barbie, accompanied with an iceberg lettuce and tomato salad. While Christine Milne, leader of the greens, made a warm goats cheese tart.

 

I'm not really interested in what Kevin and Tony have to say. I'm sure, as genuine a conversation as it may be, all questions will still be carefully answered, though hopefully not as scripted as we're used to seeing in the press. And the setting, carefully stage managed.
For me, I personally can't wait to see what Kevin and Tony cook up. Will it be a carefully staged choice of food that reflects themselves, or something that reflects where they live. Perhaps Kevin might cook a dish of Moreton Bay bugs, washed down with a can of XXXX, and desert served with a cup of his own Twining's blend Australian afternoon tea that he created. And Tony a gourmet style salad with fish or seafood, that reflects his Northern Beaches of Sydney lifestyle. Or maybe, they might just be one of those politicians, who's wives type out the recipe in point format. Complete with presliced ingredients, sitting in nice containers, ready to be cooked, in front of the glare of the camera and Annabel's questions.
Who knows, but I can't wait to watch.

Happy voting!

The Lavender Bush

Today I made a random purchase, a lavender bush to hopefully add a little bit of colour to our front yard. They are apparently hardy, and like full sun. I'm not sure how they will deal with the upcoming Summer heat, but I thought it was worth a try.
I didn't take into account, the absolute unwillingness of our soil.
From the moment the shovel landed, it was obvious. The soil was going to put up a fight. Really I shouldn't call it soil, more red clay.
After digging a hole, if you could call it that, as deep as I could manage, I then enlisted my daughter, to soften the dirt with the hose for 10-15 minutes. This required ballerina dress of course.

Eventually, we ended up with a muddy puddle. Peppa Pig jumping in muddy puddle ensued after a tuck of the tutu into leggings and a change into gumboots. No photos were possible of that part though, as full parental supervision was required due to the messy nature and splash of the puddle jumping.
Finally the "soil" was ready to accept our smallest of lavender bushes. I let my husband dirty his hands in the red mud.

After all this digging, watering and digging again the lavender bush was already wilting.
For all this effort to plant, for something that now looks so small, I hope it grows, at least for a little while.

The Ugly Shoes

I have new shoes.
My husband bought them for me.
He is a man of a practical nature, and so, these shoes aren't really my type of shoe. They're no ballet flat that's for sure.
Even when I mentioned, that no I don't think I need these shoes, he insisted, and bought these shoes for me anyway. That was a first in all the time that I've known him.
Perhaps, I'm worried that if I wear such a shoe, even if it's only while wading in rockpools, or climbing over rocks, or up mountains (yeah right), that I might just become too relaxed a Pilbara type girl. A purchaser of this shoe, wrote a review on the shops website. A 5 star shoe apparently. Great for wearing" all the time" in warm weather, and in the cooler months you can wear them with socks. The all rounder type shoe.
You  know the shoe.

Here they are. I was "allowed" to choose the colour.
They are surprisingly, the most comfortable pair of shoes that I have ever worn. By far. They fit like a glove. No breaking in required. And they don't look quite as bad as I imagined that they might.
I could almost be tempted to wear these on a daily basis, sans socks.
I am a convert. Watch out rocky outcrops and sharp slippery terrain.

Radio Hill Lookout

The weather here is just beautiful at the moment. Everyday being in the mid to high 20's.
It is easy to forget, that for almost everywhere else in Australia, it is Winter, and colds, sniffles and ear infections are order of the day.
While the weather remains mild, we make the most of it, getting outside as much as possible. Before we know it, everyday will be spent hiding inside with the aircondioner on, avoiding any small trip outside.
Trips to Radio Hill Lookout for an early dinner have become a family favourite thing to do. From here, up out of the mundaneness that this town can be, we can really appreciate the beauty of our surrounds. And enjoy it for what it is.

 

After dinner, my eldest daughter, with her new enthusiasm for the outdoors, enjoys slowly walking down the side of the lookout to the bottom. A small track, quite steep in places, that winds through deep red rocks. It is a bit like our own version of Perth's Jacobs ladder to some people in town, who go up and down as many times as they can manage.
The view from the top, is certainly worth the muscle pain and breathlessness.

My daughter and I are a tiny dot, on the path in the above photo. Making our way down to my husband waiting in the car.

 

 

Fortescue Festival Weekend

For us, this weekend has been a long one. Today being a public holiday, but only for our town. It was Festival weekend. It is a big deal here. Speedway, jetsprints, the ball, and a fair/show.
All things cars and boats don't excite me too much, but we ventured to the fair on Sunday.
It was your usual type show fare. Dagwood dogs, bumper cars, showbags, animal farms and the like.
In a way, this weekend didn't live up to the hype for me. I was a little disappointed with it all. We do appreciate though, having something different happening in town. And like most things here, it is what you make of it. So, we pottered and taste tested our way through the many foodie stalls and met some friendly characters.
We've found so many small food providers and vans, who travel and sell their products down South in the Margaret River area during the Summer time. But who travel to the Pilbara and Kimberley for the Winter months. Following festivals and fairs, to make a living while also holidaying and enjoying the best of both climates in WA. 
To end the long weekend, and make the most of the beautiful weather. We took a picnic lunch to our local dam. A short trip in the bumpy car. We ran into friends, also escaping the quiet of town.

My youngest just loves the feel of the red dirt in her fingers and toes.
Have I mentioned just how much more washing I need to do now we're living here. I love our small adventures out, but the red dirt gets into everything.

The Bumpy Car

We have a new car,a bumpy one. By new, I mean new to us. It is second hand. Purchased from some good friends of ours, who also live here, but who have bought themselves a new car. It's not the VW Polo Golf I was hoping for, but it is certainly a car that will suit this terrain, and allow us to travel off road in 4WD mode without any concerns. It has really opened us up to being able to enjoy adventures and daytrips beyond our own small town. Getting out of town breaks up the monotony of small town living, and reminds us how lucky we are to have the chance to live in this part of the world. We're still keeping our family SUV, and will use the new car for anything a little off road.

There is something to be said for this "Bumpy Car', so called by my eldest daughter, due to the bumpy off road trips we have taken in it so far. It brings with it a sense of excitement and adventure. As a result, my husband likes tinkering on it, and both my girls love playing in it. This car has garnered more interest from the girls, then any other car we have previously owned. And it is by no means, not the nicest car that we have owned. To them, it seems it is more than just a car, but a means to adventures to rockpools, the local dam and other such places.

There is something cosy, and exciting about sitting as a family in there, surrounded by bags of belongings, toys and snacks, ready to hit the road. Last stop out of town is always to the local bottleshop, for a drive thru takeaway coffee which we pay $6 for the privilege of. Fortunately the local bottle shop attendant always provides a large handful of marshmallows and biscuits for the girls, which offsets the price of the coffees, enough to make it worthwhile. Once we've pulled up to the small window, collected our coffees and snacks, a collective are we ready to hit the road, turn in our seats to look back at the girls, is always heart warming. Nobody is grizzling, nobody needs anything, everybody is just excited and happy. If nothing else, the car is worthwhile for that fleeting few seconds of cosiness, adventure and excitement.

The bumpiness of trips in this "Bumpy Car", reveals the true natures of both my girls.  My youngest, holding onto the headrests of her car seat with her hands, with a huge grin on her face. My eldest, though excited to be in the bumpy car, has her eyes firmly fixed on the end destination (usually a rockpool), rather than the journey, and holds her favourite toy Toby, stroking his ears with mostly a look of concern and worry.

My role in the journey, as there is no Bluetooth in the car, is to provide the soundtrack for the journey. A mixed CD. It's been a while since I've needed to do that. But it adds to the adventure of the roadtrip when getting ready the following day.

 I like songs with a little bit of weight, I find it adds to the journey and matches the surroundings. Boy & Bear- Southern Sun being my current favourite. Rodriguez- Cause. John Mayer- Queen of California. Woods- Rain On. Anything by the Tallest Man on Earth. I'm running out of ideas and new music. Any suggestions would be much welcomed!

Happy driving!

A Red Adventure

That's how I choose to look at it anyway. The reality of daily living may otherwise be quite monotonous. There's no denying it, we're a little isolated up here. From civilisation (it feels at times).

We arrived nearly 2 months ago, to live together, full time as a family. No more FIFO. Residential. A small mining town, with not a whole lot to do, where Woolworths is about as good as the shopping gets (if you don't count the Visitors centre), and a good coffee is about 10-15 minutes drive out of town. But we've settled in. The girls and I have a new pattern and rhythm of activities, play dates and outings. And I've adjusted, mostly. For my husband, working full-time and already used to working and living part-time in a mining town, it has been easier.

The red dirt is in the cracks of my heels, and doesn't wash out anymore.
My thongs, and any other pair of shoes I'm happy to sacrifice, are tinged with red dust.
I drive slowly now, so that the one song I chose on my playlist to listen to gets the chance to finish before I arrive at where I'm needing to go.
Napisan goes into every wash in an attempt to keep the red dirt stains at bay from our clothes.
And my daughters faces are more often than not, now covered in a smeary mixture of red dirt and sweat by the end of day.

It wasn't part of the life plan to be here. Not where I could have ever imagined myself living. It has taken us even further away from those I hoped to be closer to one day. One step backwards will hopefully be two step forwards in time.

So I started a small blog (which is still under some construction). To keep in touch with everyone that we're now far away from. To share what we're up to. How we're fairing. And to share our travels about while we enjoy and appreciate this part of the world, and the experience of living in the Pilbara. It might be red and dusty, and getting increasingly warmer and warmer, but this part of the country is nonetheless beautiful.

Welcome and hope you enjoy!!