Life & Times: "Escape To The Country" - Our Move to Dagun

10th February - Phase One of Operation Relocation complete! We have all the essentials, have left all the junk at the other house, and were welcomed by this. Do you think there's a pot of gold on the top of the hill? We took it to be a very good omen.

11th February - It's beginning to look like home...

Can you believe it? Another rainbow this afternoon...this one much brighter and was practically in our backyard!!

12th February - Today's new view, from the other side of the house this time. I still can't believe how far away we can see...I'm loving these views!

13th February - Today's photo of the day...this is our "driveway", a few hundred metres of dirt track. Isaac finally has somewhere to ride his bike and Ava has just learnt to ride without training wheels...they rode for 2 hours after school this afternoon!

14th February - Not only are we renting a fabulous house, but also "the best tree-house EVER"!

Look who else ventured up into the tree-house just now...

15th February - What's another thing I love about living here? Having these as neighbours...

16th February - Proof that we can see the sun go down every day from our new back yard...we can also see the sunrise...that photo, coming up soon.

17th February - The cows came right up to our yard fence this afternoon, yes...our yard is fenced by barbed wire!

18th February - An indoor photo for today...I did the panic buying and I still haven't filled the pantry...because I have THE BIGGEST walk-in pantry on the planet!!

19th February - I am LOVING cooking in my new kitchen...it has a benchtop!! On the menu tonight: Honey soy garlic & chilli stir-fry chicken with rice noodles. It's been marinating all afternoon and tastes so good!

20th February - We are almost in the clouds today!

21st February - We have water views this morning. Say hello to Mary.

22nd February - Today's new home photo ~ There is a big miniature rose bush at our front door covered in tiny PINK roses! Could this place be any more perfect?

Honestly, hardly a day goes by without a rainbow ending on my favourite little green hill, and I love being able to see the storms rolling in (that rose bush is the one I spoke of this morning)...AND I ran to capture the light on the paddock with the storm in the background....too good. I'm almost over that fact that a cane jumped on my leg today....yuck to the power of 10!!

23rd February - Today's photo is from the 'orchard'! Attached to our house yard is a small orchard with a mango tree, macadamia trees, pomegranate trees, some sort of citrus tree, a fig tree, and herb garden. The owners maintain it but said we could use what we like!! The macadamias are dropping all over the place, I think I surprised this little nut!

24th February - Today's photo: As you may have guessed by the interior brick, wood panelling and slate flooring, our new home is far from a new house. It was built in 1986 and we think it's totally retro cool!!

25th February - Another thing to love about living here...just over the fence is an old dairy and cattle yards...makes me feel right at home!

26th February - Not quite a sunrise...but close. Good morning sunshine!

27th February - Today's photo is from the garden...up close and personal with a Bird of Paradise.

28th February - Today's photo: Looking over the fence of our dirt track driveway...

What do I do on a Saturday night? Alphabetise our record collection!

What does Rob do on a Saturday night? Take photos of me alphabetising our record collection. *Katy Perry...Kenny Rogers...Kylie Minogue...*

1st March - Today's photo(s): I knew we had a little white & yellow frangipani tree in our new garden. But today I was excited to discover another smaller frangipani behind it with red flowers!
And it was so lovely having a visit from Mum & Dad as well!!

2nd March - Today's photo: Bottoms up!

3rd March - Another morning shot...here comes the sun...

4th March - The trees were in a sea of mist this morning...

5th March - Today's photo: This is what I see from the toilet window. I kid you not...we have a loo with a view!

I know I've done a photo already for today...but I have to show you this as well...my favourite pink rose with the almost full moon in the background...

6th March - Two photos again today...Ava and I walked down to the grid this afternoon and this is the view we get when we drive over it coming home...does "Little House on the Prairie" come to mind for you, too? And then we saw a bunch of beetles in a tree. Don't know what they are, they look like giant ladybugs!

7th March - Discovered another delight in the garden. The gardenia just flowered today! Oh how I love that scent.

8th March - Layer upon layer of misty hills....

9th March - I put my nose near a gardenia to sniff the delicious scent and look what I spied!

10th March - Today's photo: I've just been flower picking in the garden...

11th March - Out and about in the garden again...

12th March - My favourite view...sitting on the front patio, looking at my favourite little green hill with a glass of wine...perfect!

13th March - Learnt something new this week...these are pecan nut pods and we have two of these trees in the garden!

14th March - My favourite thing in the garden...pink!

15th March - Our Ava is so brave! She slept out in a tent all by herself all night last night! She's such an independent little soul. And I may have been up at 5:30 on a Sunday morning to check on her but at least I got to see the sun rise!

16th March - Just another wonderful thing about our move...we can host our Mum's group with room for everyone...including parking!! I only missed two heads...

17th March - Oh, the things I can make in my new 'real' kitchen...this was yesterday's effort for the Mum's group...cheesecake brownies!

18th March - For weeks after we moved in I have been hearing a horse, but I hadn't seen it until today.

19th March - I love the colours of the afternoon...pink & blue...perfection!

20th March - These 4 birds sit on the wires every afternoon. They remind me of music notes.

21st March - Kookaburras sitting in the white cedar tree...and yes, one is laughing at me...

22nd March - Another new visitor to the tree-house.

It was so windy this morning, the sheets didn't hang on the line, they did a little dance! And now they're soaking wet out in the rain....oh well

I have to do one more photo for today because we all learned something new...the kids found this in the tree-house...it's a red triangle slug. Rob took the photo because I haven't been up into the tree-house.

23rd March - I love having these in the back yard.

24th March - Rest time in the shade. We woke up this morning to some of these lovely creatures in our garden!! Someone forgot to shut a gate...and it wasn't us!

PS The one looking at me has been named "Princess" by Ava.

25th March - I had never even seen pomegranate flowers until we moved here.

26th March - New morning visitors...sulphur-crested cockatoos! Who knew they loved pecan nuts??

27th March - I very bravely went out into the garden to take photos today after seeing a snake yesterday! We still don't know what the leafy green plant is.

28th March - This is the view of the owner's house from the garden of our rented home. They have gone to Europe for a four week river cruise...I know, NICE!...and I suddenly have that the-teacher-has-just-left-the-room feeling.

29th March - I FINALLY have my sewing table!! I can't believe I have a whole sewing room all to myself. YAY!!

30th March - Just because I like old fence posts covered in ivy...

31st March - Nuts for breakfast! The cockatoos have found the macadamia nuts now...they're a bit harder to get into!

1st April - It's wet wet wet here today! That means I had to go out with my camera AND an umbrella...what a juggling act!

2nd April - Rain, rain and more rain...that means our tanks are full...YES!

3rd April - Something else growing in the garden...bananas! And part of the flower that fell to the ground is full of water from the rain. It looks like a little bath.

4th April - I found a cute little bird feeder under the orange tree, full of water from the rain.

5th April - Today's photo is not from our new place, it's from my sister-in-law's place. I just love her garden!

6th April - a) As of this morning...we have a ride-on mower...guess who's the happiest about that?
b) More new faces in the tree house!
c) We had the loveliest day when the Evanses visited...come again soon!!
PS How is the view from the TOP of the hill? Not surprised the owners decided to move out of here and build up there!

7th April

a) And again...new faces in the tree house. I think I need to start a book of faces in the tree house!
b) Me taking a photo of Greg taking a photo.
c) Pretty clouds in the sky...thanks for bring those Greg & Trish!!

8th April - Giving Greg, Trish, Jewel & Jack a tour of the Mary Valley...ice-creams at the Amamoor General Store & Post Office & pink lemonades at the Kandanga Hotel

9th April - No weddings or visitors today...just a quite day at home. Ava and I walked to the top of the hill to snap the afternoon colours...we were a bit early but it was still pretty!

10th April - I was most excited to see black cockatoos flying over. I haven't seen them around here before.

11th April - A beautiful blue & black butterfly in the backyard.

12th April - Rob bought a cheapie set of golf clubs a few days ago and the kids have been having a hit every afternoon since. This could be good considering they're related to Jason Day on both sides of the family!! PS Have you ever seen a white macadamia nut??

17th April - A new resident in the tree house...

18th April - Book corner progress...we're building our own! It suits the house.

21st April - Look what's in the orchard now...

22nd April - Helloo Moo Moo

She walked ever so slowly up to "Daisy" saying, "My name is Ava, I come in peace." She wants to pat her and this is the closest she has been...so far...

27th April - You know that song..."Breaking Up is Hard to Do..."...well I think waking up is hard to do...unless you're waking up to this view...EVERY.SINGLE.DAY...