Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Some days are better than others

This is where I spent my day. Well, the best part of it. It was one of Those Days in the Fibro today. Mr6 woke up at 5.45am, on the wrong side of the bed. By 7.30am he was the grumpiest child on the planet and by 10am I was the Worst Mother in The World. To give you an idea, I was hoarse from shrieking, his beloved bear was in the highest cupboard I could find, and I was trying to work out if he needed to go or I did. As it turned out, we both did.

We were saved by friends visiting from The Big Smoke. “Come see us,” they said. “We’re camping down the coast.” I admit, I ummed and ahhed. It was a 30-minute drive. I had things to do. Mr6 didn’t want to go (and I didn’t want to take him anywhere). It seemed like a lot of trouble on a crisp autumn day, when I knew the water temperature would be set to ‘chill’ and the boys would want to swim anyway.

I realised, however, that it was either go or end up a shrill, screaming mess. So I packed my shrill, screaming child in the car, along with his cherubic brother and we headed off. To this beach. Where we paddled about in rock pools, discovered secret passages and smuggler’s trails in the rocks (Mr6 is heavily into Famous Five of late and there are ‘secret passages’ everywhere we go… I think he’s also tapping the walls in the Fibro when I’m not looking, searching for secret, sliding panels…of which there are none), and built what Mr3 described as ‘The World’s Biggest Sandcastle. His world is small.

It’s a beautiful world, though. The beaches here, in all their white-sanded, aquamarine glory, are the reasons that people flock to this area. They’re one of the reasons we came back here. They are uncrowded and unspoilt.

While I was sitting on the beach this morning, sand between my toes, tiny waves rolling in, with the warm autumn sun warming my scalp, I realised that I need to get out more. I would not have been on that beach had a visitor not invited me. I would have been in my Fibro, going about my boring day-to-day business, shrieking at my children.

When you live somewhere, it’s easy to walk only well-trodden paths from point A to point B. But view your area as a tourist does, and it’s like going on holidays. Only better – because our friends are sleeping in a tent tonight, while we’re all at home in warm, comfy beds. My kind of camping.

{image: Beachmaster}

16 comments:

  1. Ahh the shriek. Fuck I hate hearing myself, wonder what the neighbours think. Found out just recently that if I say "I'm very disappointed in you, he HATES it. Going to keep using it, it's all I've got. Lovely pics :)

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  2. Oh it looks perfect. Great post *hurries off to find famous five books to read with Mr 7*

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  3. So glad you took the chance to go out and ended up enjoying yourself. I don't think we allow ourselves enough of this sort of time, especially when you are a mother to younger children. I love that Mr6 is loving Enid Blyton.

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  4. Sounds heavenly. It's funny how I forget so quickly, but every time I step outside at dusk in this desert we live in, the breeze blows over my face and it's as if all the horrid shrieking I've been feeling guilty about leaves. Hell, my wrinkles probably disappear (okay, not all the way)! All that said, I still wish I were on the South Coast...I miss those beaches.

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  5. That's my kind of camping, too. Glad you were able to salvage the day. Early mornings, face-offs, shrieks ... those will wear anyone down. Bet the bear was glad to be in the cupboard away from his shrill owner for a bit.

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  6. Getting out and about once a day is the only way I stay sane.

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  7. You're right - sometimes we need to just stop the day-to-day and get out and have some fun. We live right by the Dandenong Ranges National Park and used to go there all the time, but then you just get caught up in everything else and forget to take a nice long walk amongst the trees. Will have to do it again soon.

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  8. You definitely made the best decision. Those days can only go from bad to worse if you stay inside the 4 walls of your home. My kids are 18 and 16 and I have to confess that I had one of those shrill shrieking days only 2 weeks ago - I was hoping they were behind me - but alas no! They are fewer and far between than when the boys were little, but they do rear their ugly heads now and then! I love the thought of going to the beach on those days - I am going to remember that next time I start getting shrill.

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  9. Love this post. I took my gal to the library yesterday where she chose 8 books - and read two of them by dinner time. We both got out in the crisp, blue sunshine for a while and taking 45 minutes out of my day meant for a happy daughter and happy mama.

    Oh, that beach there looks blissful...

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  10. Getting out always helps! Why do I always forget that in the midst of the shrieking??
    Beautiful picture. :)

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  11. Isn't nature great like that?

    It is so restorative when we've been driving ourselves (and others) mental.

    Just being, breathing in the air and feeling the wind and the sun on your skin calms and restores.

    SSG xxx

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  12. I'm so glad you went and pulled yourself away. Those sort of days are the ones that I like best (well, not the beginning part with all the shrieking). With you on the camping. Ugh.

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  13. Am I the last person on earth to find your gorgeous blog?!

    Off to read it ALL now.

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  14. Thanks Lucy. *blush* And thanks everyone else. Yes, beach does make everything better. Especially when it's as beautiful as that one is.

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  15. The Need to Get Out And About has always been an urge I'm in tune with. Closely followed by The Need to Get OUT.

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