Novice Campers Travelling Oz

Brad and Sam have gone away on a hike for four days with other Delhuntie staff and a group of year 9 school kids.  All was going well until this morning, first day of the actual walking part of the hike; Brad has done his knee in and will not be hiking, just camping.  Such a shame as little Sam carried his pack with his clothes, 3 meals and sleeping bag on his back, cared for by two staff Neil and Leah, and Brad didn?t get to spend the da...

We tried for nearly 2 hours to book some accommodation this weekend.  First we tried Philip Island (discovered there was a race on so zip, zero, zilch available), then tried anywhere within 1 ½ hours drive.&nbs...

Sam and I had a mother-son afternoon out today ? scootering.  It was his choice of what we were to do together and no surprise, he chose to try out the local skate ramps.  It was one of the last things I wanted to do but we loaded the bike helmets in the car and took off.  I made sure we did it before school finishing ...

Now has come the time to make some big, hairy, audacious (BHAG ? big, hairy, audacious, goals) decisions.  We have been travelling for 6 months dreaming about what great things we could do with our lives.  We are the sort of people who thrive to bite off more than we can chew and then chew like crazy, so it comes as no surprise to a lot of you...

We have spent a full week here training to be involved with youth at risk in the area of camping and adventure therapy.  Brad was sponsored to go from ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) so that was great and I was the camp cook.  After menu planning and shopping for the week the kids and I star...

Today welcomed a new life full of possibilities, baby Grace Elizabeth was born to my dear friends Janet and Chris.  She was a few weeks early (C section because of mum?s health), weighing 5 pounds 12 but very strong and healthy, and very cute.   I remember that Janet was one of our very first visitors when we had a very healthy homebirth ...

Brad?s birthday today!  The kids and I had spent yesterday afternoon setting up a treasure hunt for Brad so he could find his present.  He had to climb over things and jump up things and finally row out to Melly Island

This week has been great in regards to trying new things.  On Saturday we went to the snow at Mushroom Rock with Elwyn, Shelly (from the Outback Safari), Roo, Marg and their kids, the Chats, Ben (Associate Pastor of Moe and Traralgan SDA churches) Delhuntie staff (James, Keith, Montana, Neil) and a bunch of youth.  It was so beautiful.

Rode in an old army tank today, emblazoned with the slogan, ?Designing to destroy, now restoring Lives.?  They use it in their anger management program.  Usually the clients spend a lot of time in a workshop then they write down things on an old car.  They each get a sledge hammer and smash the car until they cannot mo...

Yesterday Brad started to learn to weld.  He bought a pack of rods and spent the day playing, having a ball.  He welded ?B-rad 4 Shell? into a hunk of metal and today he started on a firewood box for our tent and started helping Keith weld parts of a demountable house for