The Simple things in Life...

Well here we are back in Victoria on the way to Ballarat to see the family before we go home to Alexandra. I'm sitting in the car, Mark's driving, the kids watching DVD's and I am on the laptop writing this blog. (The powers of modern technology!) This blog is probably more for our own sakes than of our readers… it's about all those little things that we are looking forward to when we get back, and that we know we will be taking for granted real soon when we get into the groove of home life. 

       Emshia's first. "I am so looking forward to":

·         Seeing my friends and family

·         Seeing our dogs

·         Sleeping in a real bed not just a sleeping bag

·         Watching a TV

·         My own computer

·         Having my own shower and bath

      "I am going to miss":

·         Trakkie

·         Travelling to new places

·         Sleeping in our sleeping bags every night

·         The whole trip. It was great!

Rory's next. "I am looking forward to":

·         Seeing my friends

·         Seeing Nan & Poppy and my family

·         Seeing the dogs

·         Having a bed

·         Having air-conditioning

·         Playing my play station

·         Seeing all my toys

      "I am going to miss":

·         Trakkie

·         Snorkelling

·         Swimming in the pool

·         Not going to school!

 

Ok ,I'm next, Sharyn. " I can't believe we are heading home. It feels like we have been gone forever, life as we knew it before is so hard to imagine now.  But we are all excited. It's a real new beginning, a new rental house, Mark in a new position, and most importantly we have all got a new attitude now to life. Travelling our half lap has given us all such perspective on our world around us. We are so grateful that we have been able to 'Live the Dream', call a 'time out' on our lives and truly be together as a family. It has been the best time of our lives".

      "What I know for sure":

·         We are all going to be so grateful for all those little things that we haven't had for 5 ½ months

·         To have hot water on tap will be heaven

·         To have a solid roof above my head will be such a relief especially when it rains.

·         Having my own shower and toilet will be ecstasy (cleaning it won't!)

·         A bath…ahhhhhhhhhhhh

·         To have a selection of more than 3 t-shirts will be great

·         To not have to search for dollar coins to wash and dry our clothes will be  a joy

·         Travelling distances in the car will no longer be a hassle, Victoria is sooo tiny compared to WA

·         I can survive without my hair straightener, curly hair isn't so bad

·         I can survive without a shower for quite a few days… and still go out in public

·         I can be in public with no trace of make-up on, and hair looking daggy and people still accept me as I am

·         I can wear shorts above the knee and even a bikini and not give a damn what anyone thinks

·         I can get a tan!!!!

·         I can survive without a television, didn't miss it at all

·         Travelling is so awesome, it is a true passion of mine, and this trip is just the beginning of many other adventures, in Australia and around the world

"What I am going to miss":

·         Having no sense of obligation or responsibility or pressure

·         Having Mark by my side 24/7

·         Watching the kids experience new things everyday and growing in confidence

·         Living minimalistic

·         Meeting other travellers, they are so relaxed, so positive and so friendly

·         Going to new places and seeing place names on the Australian map come alive

·         Living in Trakkie

·         Everything about life on the road… our early semi-retirement was a gift!

 Mark:

My list is a mix of the above so I'll rant on because I'm good at that!

Although our 5 and a half months on the road felt a lot slower than the same time working, I can't believe it has ended. Life on the road had become our life and it's a strange feeling knowing we will soon be back in a house and doing 'regular' things again. The trip has easily been the best thing we have done as a family and I can't believe how much more I have learnt about the kids. In fact, today I was thinking about how little I really knew their personalities before we left and that scared me because I simply didn't know any different. Were it not for this trip I may never have known them on the same level as I do now. Sharyn has seen it for years but as a working dad it's hard to look outside the square and see what's really going on with your kids. Although they loved me before the trip, I have noticed that they come to me a lot more for play or simply to have a cuddle. It's just priceless stuff!

I have seen different sides to Sharyn too and she surprised me with how easily she took to life on the road - living under canvas, going days without a shower, putting up with ants, mozzies, biting midgies and other insects we couldn't identify, the dust and heat, the continual packing and setting up, and of course me! It's funny how the thought of spending any length of time with your partner 24/7 scares many couples but it was something that just seemed natural for us and by the end we were like a well oiled machine. Each night we tried to crack a stubbie and do a cheers to something, anything. And like the kids, we are closer than we've ever been too.

The people you meet travelling is awesome. Yes you get your idiots and whingers, but on the whole people on the road are stress free and open to anyone. We made some great friends and had the most amazing conversations, ranging from people around our age up to the retirees.

Australia is beautiful. I don't know how many times I said to the kids "how good is this?". From the most pristine beaches, the deepest gorges, snorkelling with hundreds of fish, seeing rock art 25000 years old, landscapes resembling the best paintings, night skies that go forever, howling Dingo's outside the camper, magnificent eagles and huge crocs...it's little wonder there are hordes of overseas tourists visiting us for in places like Germany, they don't have much of anything 'natural' left. If you can get any chance to do a trip like this (speaking as a family man), well...you just have to! Sacrifice things, rent your house, sell your plasma - you'll be a far richer person for it and I don't mean in a material sense. It's a bit like when you plan to have a baby; if you waited for the 'right time' to have one, then you probably never would. I don't know if there's ever a right time to do a trip like this so just get your head around the fact it's going to cost a lot of money and financially you'll be behind but if you've read this far, hopefully you'll realise that the experiences gained with your family can never be bought in Myers or Harvey Norman!!!

 

 

 

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