After our little holiday in the mountains, we reached our destination - my sister's home in Melbourne. My niece Ilsie is only 11 week's younger than Everly so it was a delight to see the cousins side by side again (the first time since Christmas), holding hands everywhere they went, playing together happily (and fighting over toys, but that's expected!). And, of course, I finally got to have big bear hugs with Ilsie, which is ten times better than our usual FaceTime calls!
The girls both nap after lunch so we took advantage of this by spending our mornings out and about - takeaway coffees from Wee Jeanie in Yarraville while Everly and Ilsie had fun at the playground, followed by a stop at Plump grocery to collect organic supplies; shopping at the CERES market and enjoying a delicious organic lunch in their café; a super quick coffee at Seven Seeds (unfortunately we only lasted there five minutes as it wasn't child friendly at all) and a delightful change-of-plans lunch at my favourite Melbourne café, Auction Rooms (luckily only a short drive away from Seven Seeds and much more accommodating with high chairs and pencils and papers for the kids). Of course, I have no photo evidence of any of the above as I was having too much fun to bother lugging the SLR about! Our afternoons were then free for relaxing about the house, and with a few extra pairs of hands available I was actually able to put my feet up and read some books I'd borrowed from the library and packed in my suitcase - a favourite pastime of mine and something I've been aching to do for almost two years. Our time in Melbourne was too short - I miss my sister already! But hopefully they will come visit us in June for Everly's second birthday.
On the drive home we decided to stop over in Daylesford for a few nights, a country town known for its natural mineral springs, beautiful mountain scenery and lush green surroundings. We stayed in a cute little cottage with a roaring wood fire and a large enclosed backyard so Everly could explore safely. She spent the first afternoon navigating her way up and down the rickety wooden steps, clinging onto the trellis. We picked flowers from the garden, using a drinking glass as a vase, and ate our dinner outside on the deck. The following day we visited the lake and fed ducks our old bread. We found ourselves in a cozy café on the main street called Larder where I devoured the most amazing roast turkey sandwich I've ever eaten; it was so good we ate lunch there three days in a row. (From all of our travels within Australia and internationally, we now know that when you find a good place to eat, you run with it!) On our final day it was cold and wet, so we stoked the fire and stayed indoors. It was the perfect place to end our holiday, and I'm glad I pulled the camera out to capture some of our time there. (And props must go to my clever husband Mark who took all the photos of Everly in her raincoat, including this one - all such stunning shots!)
I made the conscious effort to clear my mind while I was away and had banned myself from using Instagram or Facebook or checking my favourite blogs. Coincidentally, my iPhone mysteriously stopped working in Halls Gap so I literally had no phone/internet for the whole time we were away, and it's still being repaired now. Normally this would put me in a bit of panic, but it was surprisingly very liberating! It really helped me centre myself and to clear all that stuff floating about in my head (and I amazingly 'found' lots of spare time to read books!). I am sleeping better now and my anxiety has almost disappeared. I've finally realised how affected I am by outside stimulation, and how important it is that I monitor it. I will definitely be making a habit of scheduling regular social media free blocks throughout the year. I'm also finally doing what I've wanted to do for many years and booking myself in for meditation and yoga courses. I'm really looking forward to this new journey!
