Australia Day!

Australia Day celebrates the First Fleet landing in Sydney Cove in 1788. It is a celebration of identity and patriotism. It is a long weekend! and the first I have had in 7 years having been out of this beautiful country all of that time.

For Mike's first experience of Australia Day we decided to capitalise on the extra time off with a trip to the Blue Mountains. Only a two hour drive from Sydney to the west, the Blue Mountains were first traversed with the expected promise of grazing land beyond the range by Wentworth, Blaxland and Lawson in 1813. The three, along with four servants, four pack horses and five dogs, set off on an exploration which was to create history. This first trip across the Blue Mountains was a tremendous struggle. Having insufficient food for their journey, they recorded the trek required constant hacking through thick scrub and treading through "damp dew-laden undergrowth". They were also in fear of attack by aborigines. These factors, in combination with sickness, nearly saw the men defeated by the rugged terrain. Eighteen days later, on the 29th May 1813, the Blue Mountains was no longer considered an impassible barrier. It was only a few years later in the 1850's that the gold rush began from the foothills on the otherside of the range.

With slightly cooler temperatures and incredible scenery the mountains have long been an escape from the heat of the summer for Sydneysiders. With over a million hectares of national parks the scope for bushwalking and exploring is endless.

On our first day we explored Wentworth Falls and The Three Sisters before finding ourselves some accomodation and a brilliant Swiss Restaurant with fantastic home cooked cuisine. Mike was most impressed that he was able to go for a surf in the morning and be in the mountains in the afternoon!

The next day after a sleep in and breakfast we embarked on a 3 hour bushwalk from Grovetts Leap to Evans Lookout. This cliff top walk afforded amazing views of the sheer cliff faces, the broadening and dense valleys and the almost incomprehendible expanse of this great land. It was a fairly easy walk with well maintained tracks and stairs over waterfalls and gullys. Great to be out amongst it!

We took a quieter route back to Sydney taking in an area known as Mount Wilson. This place had quite obviously been a retreat for the early settlers and this was most evident by the abundance of European trees and vegitation that must have been transported not only across the seas but into this rugged country and nurtured. The teperature here cooled notably and at times Mike said he could almost have been in England except to look out across the view and take in the blue haze across the mountains from the eucalypt trees.

Back in Sydney tonight with a apple and cherry pie for desert from one of the many orchards on the foothills down from the mountains and we are planning a quiet day tomorrow by our favourite Little Manly Cove which is just 3 minutes from our front door. Not a bad life!

Happy Australia Day one and all.

A little more that expected!

When I last blogged in August little did we know that we were well and truely about to embark on a new chapter of our lives! Around about then is when we got pregnant!

As if a new country, a new city, new jobs and new social lives weren't enough to adjust to ... we decided it was time to strat a new family! Now don't get me wrong it was a conscious decision. We did decided that we were somewhat ready... in the next 6-12 months. We weren't really 'trying' as such but had become more relaxed about the idea. What we didn't expect was for it to take just 1 go!!!! Beware what your mothers told you one time is all it can take!

So here we are and I am now 5 months pregnant. All is travelling well. I had little to no morning sickness in the first trimester (yes, I do know how lucky I have been as I keep being told by bedraggled mothers who had the worst of it!)I managed to keep it from work until I was 4 months and they had no idea! (In an office of over 20 girls i think that is an amazing feat!) I have had no cravings as such, am not stuffing my face, am exercising regularily (if not somewhat demurely for me) and am only just starting to show!

We had our 20 weeks scan this week and the baby is the size it should be at this age. They have confirmed heart and kidney functions are as they should be.
(For those of you who haven't done this yet be warned. You have 2 scans initially one at 12 weeks and one at 20 weeks. Please take note - especially fathers - of the 12 week one in particular. As the baby is smaller at this point and not starting to be squished into a small space the pictures are a lot more real. You can see the form of the baby and make out legs, arms, fingers etc. The 20 weeks scan focusses much more on the internal organs and mundane things like the diameter of the head! In the words of my husband Mike he said the whole hour felt like a bizarre viewing of abstract art!)

It is usually at the 20 week mark that you can determine the sex of the baby. Now Mike and I had had numerous discussions about this and lay divided weather to have the knowledge or not have the knowledge. I, typically for those of you that know me, wanted/ needed(!) to know. I like to be prepared. To know what's coming. With anything in life! That way I can be the best I can be when it comes. (Also I thought I knew what it was anyway and really just wanted confirmation - just call it mothers instinct! .... but I could be wrong) Mike, on the other hand, being typically much more laid back about things wanted a surprise! And I can see his philosophy. You don't get too many real surprises in life today and this is one that can be a genuine surprise - so why not!

After all this debate we actually decided to compromise that we would find out but that we would not share the news with others. That it would be our little secret.
As the days led up to the event we were anxious and excited. Would everything be ok, would we be happy whatever the outcome (ofcourse we would!). And so when the time came to look between the little tike's legs ...... would it open them???!! No. Not for love or money. So, in the end it was not our decision at all! We were not to know - at least not yet! We will need to wait until much closer to the time when I potentially have another scan. Ah the joys of nature! Plan all you like but, as I am finding out, not very much of it is actually under your control!

More later. Blog on....