last weekend

That title is figurative and literal now. Friday was ANZAC Day, Australia's only real nationalistic holiday, and a very solemn occasion. I attended the parade and a service in town at the war memorial, and was struck by how serious and grave it all was. Yes, it's a day of remembrance for servicemen and women who have served and sacrificed in wars past and present, but it still struck an odd note with me. In the states, our Veteran's Day is about the hero, and how wonderful and proud we should all be to belong to such a strong and fierce country where people are glad to give the ultimate sacrifice. In Australia, it seems like the focus is on the loss of life, and what a terrible waste that is. A line from one of the speakers really stuck with me, that we should "speak less and remember more" on that day. In the good ol' U.S. of A, remembering veteran's isn't a quiet, reflective occasion, it's an invitation to crow on and on about how bravely they fought, how they weren't afraid to face foes in order to guard ideals and freedoms, and golly gee, don't it seem like 'merica is just about the greatest gosh darn place on planet Earth? You betcha! Can't help but laugh at stereotypical American culture when you see it from afar, strange and possibly creepy as it is.
Anyway...once I snuck away from the speeches and depressive mood at the memorial, the weekend was great fun. Papa came up from Melbourne, and we took Pasca, Blossom and Giselle to see the new Muppet movie one afternoon, where I discovered that my dad is apparently a supporter of the local theater. Good on ya!

Papa's happy influence continued to reign, including teaching the kids a few card games one night, and treating me to a ride on the tourist train down at the Sunday market. Finally! It's a wonderfully restored model from about the 1930s that goes to Bullarto and back. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, for the gorgeous scenery we passed through, the beautiful car itself, and the knowledgable company. Sad it took me this long to go for a ride, but ultimately very glad to have gone.

A lesson in dealing and playing

The train Papa and I took to Bullarto

A closer look at my happy guide. Thanks Papa!

Now it's one last week of routine, spending my last days with Tom, working around the house, playing at being a tourist and visiting all my favorite shops and cafes in town, and finally getting down to the real work of mentally and physically preparing for my departure. Been downsizing the load of things I'll be carrying back with me to the states, and trying to reach my goal of fitting everything I "need" in my pack. This means lots of things have already been piled up to be handed down to friends and family in town (know the girls will love some of the clothes I'm leaving behind), or given to the opp shop. It's such a freeing feeling, shedding things. Because they're exactly that, just things. Sure there are a few belongings that I count as treasure, but most of it is undeniably disposable, and I'm already looking forward to purging more when I'm back in San Diego. Attempting to live a mobile life is exactly the inspiration I needed to realize what holds real value in my life, and I'm happier than ever to be going home with that knowledge. It's only two more days until my mom and her husband arrive in Melbourne for a few days' visit, and then we're all off for Cairns, Sydney, and finally, Los Angeles. So excited to see more of this wonderful land, carrying as little as possible, and arriving back in sunny California.

highlights

It's somewhat of a lazy day here at Hightor. Started the day out with a netball match for Pasca, and a football match for Benson. It was pretty enjoyable, until the rain started pouring down. And then Sophia and I had a ball sprinting to the car for some shelter and snacks. After a quick muesli bar and plugging ABBA in for the drive home, we arrived back at Hightor and everyone set about achieving their goals for the day. Pasca and Leilani went off to the ranch for their trail ride, Sophia went back home, the boys of the house settled in to play some video games, and I found my place in the kitchen. Sarah and I enjoyed a delicious scone with jam and cream at a cafe in town yesterday, and sought to replicate it at home. So I whipped together some basic scones, and when everyone was back home and a bit calm, we all sat down for afternoon tea. It was absolutely marvelous, crowding around the small kitchen table with all those kids, chatting and laughing and covering every bit of scone surface with jam, cream, honey, berries, and even Trader Joe's cookie butter. A very civilized little exercise for a rainy afternoon. And now Sarah and I are situated on the couch, pulled as close to the fire as we dare, and both working away on our computers. And luckily for me and you, she just sent me some wonderful, almost forgotten photos from past adventures. So here's a few leftover treasures, randomly thrown together for your viewing pleasure.

In one of several runs to Bunnings (a big hardware store here in Oz), Pasca and Blossom disappeared for a bit while Sarah and I were browsing. And then two giggly boxes walked by. The girls found these huge boxes and claimed them for their own, even carving holes so they could see where they were going. It was rather hilarious. And a joyful end to a routine shopping trip. 

A wonderfully named car we spotted in Point Lonsdale, on our beach holiday there.

And a nice evening story time in Point Lonsdale. I read everyone the legend of Sacagawea aiding Lewis and Clark in their great expedition. An American classic in an American accent!

And a few more great captures of our silly times on the ferry from Queenscliff. Enjoying the sunshine, salt water smells, and high winds. 

boomerang ranch

This friendly face was waiting to greet us as we walked in

Holidays here have totally different timing than what I'm used to. We had the two weeks before Easter off from school, as opposed to the one before and one after. And apparently "Easter Monday" is a thing, and an additional day off. Pasca, Maeve and I took advantage by going for a trail ride at a ranch here in town. It was just the right way to end our holidays, and hopefully the start of a fun hobby for Pasca. She's scheduled to ride again today, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's still thrilling for her. Happy trails! 

Pasca rode a horse named Angel

Maeve was on Shadow

And I was paired with the feisty Jordan

daylesford dates

So I've been seeing an Australian bloke for about a month now. His name is Jeremy and he's great. Splitting his time between here and Sydney. It's so nice to show someone around town who also has an appreciation for all the great art and gorgeous nature to be found in Daylesford. Our last two dates have been all about the Convent Gallery here in town. One day we walked through the botanic gardens on our way down to look at the art, and it seemed as if all the world was green.

I love the gallery for it's cozy setting. The convent is full of little niches, colorful stained glass, religious artifacts, and just wonderful architecture. Much more enjoyable than a large, stark museum space in my opinion.

We went to see an exhibit of works by a local artist, Richard Payne. The show was titled "Of Gods and Love", and is full of mythology and the stories and images of the Greek gods. It was great to be wandering around in a converted Catholic institution, admiring works depicting pagan idols.

Love that they added these small olive trees to this room. Why not go all out with a theme?

When we went back for a second time, it was to enjoy the gardens. And now it seemed that everything around was gold (and red, and purple)! Incredibly beautiful. Earnestly cramming in as much fun as possible into these last days here, and couldn't be happier. 

easter

Babka is beautiful inside...

Well, Easter has quickly come and gone. And it was great. We started the day by popping in over at Petra's to say hello and deliver some chocolate babka (my extravagant treat for the day. Won't post any process pictures or recipe because it might put you off trying to make it yourself! And I say- why not?), then Sarah, Pasca and I went to church. I'd been craving some kind of ritual leftover from so many Easters with my family in the states, and once I saw in the paper that one of our local churches had an organ, I was determined to go check it out for myself. The organ itself was heartily disappointing, after being spoiled with the magnificent ones at Spreckels and Foothills, but still enjoyable in a funny kind of way. And I was happily surprised to turn around during the greetings in the service and see our guests for the weekend, Sarah's friend Morgan and his wife Dina up from Melbourne. We're all interested in the social rituals and psychology of practicing religion, so it was a nice diversion. Then back home, and greeted by more guests, Sarah's brother Robert, his wife Querida, and their two adorable daughters, Phoebe and Vivienne. They had all had a hunt for chocolate eggs while we curious few were in church, and then we all headed down to the Sunday market. A quick look around just as the stalls were packing up for the day, then a quick rest and chat on a little lawn before everyone but me caught the last ride of the day on the old tourist train. I headed back up the hill to the gardens, said hello to Timothy at the cafe, and had a quick Skype session with a friend back home. Then back home to meet up with everyone and have some dinner. It was definitely a day of good eating, we had babka for breakfast, enchiladas for lunch, and a giant vegetable potpie for dinner. Delicious. And finally, after the sun had gone down and everyone was stuffed on pie and chocolate, we broke out the Paas kits. American style Easter egg dyeing! A bit out of order, and sadly no hunting, but still lots of fun. The kids loved dipping the eggs in dye and then decorating them further with stickers, shrink-wrap and glitter. And I think they turned out beautiful! And made a wonderful addition to some wholesome gribiche the next day. Seems like life here at Hightor is revolving around the kitchen lately, and I love it!

...and out!

Tasty and cheap market finds. We were all of one mind when it came to strawberries.

My Sunday best included my handmade skirt. Really love it. 

Eggs and dye ready to go

I did a few tie-dye style eggs

Lovely jewel tones with the brown eggs we used

Pasca did multiple shrink-wrap on several eggs. Clever girl!