Supportive parenting

Day 2 of being a Ref for Tyler today. Another 7:30am start, and this time we supported him fully by letting him cross busy Military Road by himself and wander over to the oval, whilst I cooked breakfast on the ever reliable Weber. 

He has 5 games in a row today with only 10 minutes break and we are betting he is going to be knackered. 

Dylan and Kayla had no intention of going to watch today, despite the cool but near perfect weather. 

After an hour on the jumping pillow, they announced they wanted to go in the pool. This put us in a bit of a dilemma as that is not the place I want to be sitting right now. 

So like all good responsible parents should, we told them to tell anybody that asked their age, that they were 12, 

Then Tracy and I headed over to the fields to support Tyler in his day of referee-ing and make sure no one was abusing him. Just like all helicopter parents would. 

It was finally after 3pm and he was finished. And exhausted. 

He had done an awesome job but hadn’t stopped running and concentrating all day. 

This meant it was time to go back and see if the other 2 were alive, or worse, banished from the pool. Luckily, neither scenario was true, so we set up for Wine o’clock. As you do. 

The cold rolled in, the wine and bourbon was flowing and the chatter around a non existent winter fire continued on. 

It was finally time to crash... ready to pack up in the morning and say goodbye to soccer for the weekend. 

Its all about the Ref

The sleep in ended at 6:45 this morning. Tyler had to be at the check in station for Refs at 7:30 ready for the 1st of 4 soccer games he is referee in. 

The 1st 2 are as a linesman (or do I have to say lines person nowadays), with the last 2 as the primary field ref. I went with him to make sure he got orientated, watched the 1st half then headed back across the road to fire up the Weber for breakfast. 

The BIG4 we are staying at is reputed to be one of the largest parks in Australia and is massive (not that we have yet explored anything past the van site we are on)

Kayla was desperate to show me her manoeuvres on the jumping pillow and managed to put on an amazing show for anyone that was watching. Very talented. 

I then wandered back over to watch Tyler while Tracy took Kayla back up to Mt Barker for her usual Saturday morning Cheerleading practice. 

Tyler did an awesome job (and as a Weyland child, it was never going to be any different! )

It was a very late Wine O’clock start thanks to the soccer across the road. But it did happen (was there ever any doubt??)

A butterflied chicken on the Weber with roast veggies finished off the night, well finished off the food part of the night.... well except the chocolates and snacks,.... and we settled down with a few more drinks to see the night disappear. I set up the projector against the shade sail on the side of the car, which kept the kids both out of our way and quiet for 2 hours. 

More soccer for Tyler tomorrow, more wine and cheese for us. 

I might even go for the 300m stroll to the other side of the park and down to the beach. Maybe. 

West Beach in June - Why not?

June long weekend always guarantees one thing. It’s cold. And damp. And cold. 

It was a strategic destination this year thanks to Tyler being selected to referee in the SAJSA state soccer carnival all weekend. The games are being held directly across the road from the caravan park, so like all good responsible parents should, we have arranged to get stuck into the wine and cheese tomorrow whilst he does his “reffing”. I reckon there might even be the possibility of me wandering over there at some stage to check out what is happening. 

The van had been packed during the week with just fridge food and last minute items thrown in today, and we were off soon after the kids got home from school. Arriving in near darkness thanks to the miserable grey winter clouds and being middle of June, we were setup within an hour and sitting down with drink in hand - well I was anyway.... Tracy may have got a bit involved in organising tea for everybody apparently. Jerry towed the van beautifully as expected, this is our last test before setting off on our 6 weeks trip up to Darwin (leaving July 1st). 

The Footy is now on with Port outplaying Richmond easily. Here’s hoping the 2nd half is just as positive. 

Our adorable Easter Bunnies

Unfortunately, Easter Sunday is also the day that marks the end of daylight saving. So it was technically only 6am when the kids were up and about eager to pick up any stray bunny eggs that happened to have dropped out of the pouch during the early hours. 

As we have 20 kids here this weekend ranging in age from about 5 up to 15, it was a remarkably restrained event and almost unnatural to see them all hanging around in a group waiting for us to give the all clear to start collecting. It was amazing to see them able to pick up about 150 eggs in 3 minutes, considering it takes about 150 days to pick up 3 items off their bedroom floors. 

More beautiful weather broke through clouds over the next few hours, setting the scene for a caravan park funded egg hunt with half the park kids eagerly circling, waiting for the signal to dive in and look for even more chocolate. 

After lunch, we almost fell into the Cheese and Wine o’clock trap, but escaped just in time to take the kids up to Normanville for a swim. Their goal was to jump the waves, but I reckon the wait was going to see them reach retirement before any waves rolled in today. It was pristine and dead calm - perfect swimming weather, but not so perfect wave jumping weather. 

Eventually, the wine o’clock alarm bell did go off, so we bundled everyone into the cars and raced back to camp at full speed. 

The day ended very quickly, just like the whole weekend. The dog was even knackered and passed out on the dry grass, looking forward to a night of rest, under a blanket of leaves. 

Home tomorrow, although it will be later than normal, thanks to the relaxed attitude of the managers and the permanently open boom gate. 

Horsing around

We were greeted by some more beautiful weather this morning. Brilliant clear blue skies, 22 perfect degrees. Couldn’t ask for better Easter weather. 

I cooked up the usual bacon and eggs for breakfast whilst the kids played on their bikes and on the tennis court, and sometimes both together. 

I took off down to the marina with the dog and fishing rods in a vain attempt to catch some squid. After an hour of playing with my rod but still no satisfaction, I called it quits and drove back to camp for some lunch. 

The rest of the crew had been out on the oval playing softball , which apparrently ended once again with one of the youngest being hit with the ball by an over zealous parent

Kayla and Dylan were booked in for a horse-riding session this afternoon with about 10 others. We are secretly hoping they hate it and never ask to do it again. After what seemed like an eternity, they were on the horses back and off for a 60 minute ride through the dunes and along the beach. 

It seemed kinda crazy driving away from the yard, knowing that our 9 and 10 year old were somewhere in a 30km area on top of 1 & 1/2 tonnes of crazy animal that had the strength (and probably desire) to crush them in an instance, but being the caring worried parents that we are, we wished them good luck and headed back to camp and had a bourbon anyway!

I picked them up an hour later, and the smiles and excitement in their voices showed me very quickly that they had enjoyed every minute of it. Now I need to spend the next few hours convincing them it wasn’t as fun as they thought it was. 

Tea was hamburgers and sausages, washed down with ice cream and plenty of drinks. We even gave the kids some. (Not the drinks!)

The fire was stoked up, the wine started flowing, and another night of frivolity and laughter began.

Looking forward to Easter Bunny turning up in the morning. My diet starts Tuesday, so I will have no regrets about the exorbitant amount of chocolate and Hot X Buns I will attempt to consume over the next few days. 

Exploring

One day, just maybe, the kids will learn how to shut the caravan door and not make it sound like a tornado has ripped through and slammed it shut. 

One day, just maybe, the kids will learn to take more than one item at a time out of the van, without slamming the door behind them each time. 

One day, just maybe, the kids will learn to fire up the Weber and cook me breakfast so that when I am woken up with the 100th door slam, they can bribe back into happiness. 

One day. 

After the usual morning routines I tried in vain to get the kids to come with me and explore the local marina and pretend beach. 

Turns out that Taz is the only loyal one in the family now, so off we went. 

There is not a lot to the beach here. Rocks, seaweed, more rocks. There was certainly some good spots for a bit of fishing, including squid, however this trip was just s scoping exercise and we soon headed back to camp. 

We had a big game of softball with the kids then some well needed rest. The park had close to 600 people here now with another 150 expected. 

I needed to get away and explore, so when everyone refused to come with me again, I took off on my own with Taz to look at Second Valley and Rapid Bay. 

Plenty of amazing coastal views, and the compulsory walks on the jetty, also stopping to talk to everybody (who were really only stopping to pat Taz, but I am ok with pretending it is me they were really stopping for. )

I felt much better after clambering over all the rocks in my best hiking thongs, and headed back to have my first drink for the day (yes I know it is hard to believe, but it was definitely after 3 before cracking my first coldie

The fire got stoked up after the Weber produced another magnificent set of chicken schnitzels,  and the night faded into darkness, and a whole lot of story telling. 

It’s a Good Friday

Only an hour and a half away is our destination this weekend. Wirrina Cove is just past Normanvulle and just prior to reaching the Kangaroo Island ferry (which is known as one of the worlds most expensive passages of transport)

There are only 7 families with 20 kids between us this time, so I will refer to this weekend as camping and not a holiday.

We are in the non powered section this year thanks to the other 500 people that also chose this place as their long weekend choice of location. 

The weather is looking pretty awesome for the weekend - perfect for sitting around, eating and drinking all weekend, contemplating which day next week I will be starting my diet. 

Setting up the caravan seems to be taking longer each time we go anywhere now. The boys want their independence and are sleeping in swags, which creates a host of packing difficulties, but gives us a little more room inside once all their stuff is out. 

Going off to explore the beaches in a while (secretly scoping out fishing spots for the weekend whilst pretending to take the dog for a walk). Might as well enjoy this beautiful weather while it lasts. 

Where has the sun gone

And what is with this wind? We are on holidays... there is not allowed to be wind......

Very much different weather waking up today. Overcast, windy and much cooler (I know we complained about the heat yesterday, but I didn't think it was enough to deserve this.)
Dylan was gone at 7am, determined to catch a carp. 2 rods and a can of corn in hand, off he went down to the lake all set to get his record haul of the menace of the lake. Somebody forgot to tell the carp his plans however. Not a single bite. He had been there for nearly 90 minutes trying everything he could to get one of the pests, but no luck whatsoever. He almost exploded when the kid 50 metres up the lake caught a good sized one after having a line in the water for only 10 minutes

He finally conceded and gave up with the fishing for an hour so that the kayaks could come out again, this time for a bit of stand up paddle boarding. The stability and core strength is awesome to watch, as they just get up and start paddling, with no chance of  falling in.

We spent another full day in the water, fishing, kayaking, sitting, drinking. The wind was quite blustery and annoying at times... it was almost like having a second Dylan with us....

I spent the late part of the afternoon getting the Kayaks back on to the roof racks, only to discover that one of the support stands had popped out of the roof rack mount and appeared to have stripped the thread of the bolt about halfway up. Unfortunately this was noticed after I had put both yaks on the roof and mostly tied down, so off they came again so I could fix it.
Using my awesome technical knowledge, I dug up a handful of cable ties and the made the screw seemingly tight in the bracket, and they were finally up again, tied on and ready for the trip home. Insurance is up to date, but hopefully I wont be making a claim this time tomorrow night!

Dinner tonight was take-away - Chicken and Chips. This would be my favourite of all times. As well as Pizza. And Hamburgers. And Yiros. And any other take-away.
Home tomorrow - already. Unfortunately I do need to actually work to pay for this life of glamping luxury and the toys we have to play with. Good news is that it is only 2 weeks until the Easter Weekend when we are off again. More on that later.

And the heat goes on

We actually got a sleep in today. It was almost 9am before I started stirring, at which time I was immediately pounced upon by the kids because they are “starving”. It was also very hot already. I hadn’t taken much notice of today’s forecast, however I quickly realised that it was going to hit the maximum of 35 very early.
Perfect weather for spending the day out on the kayaks on Lake Albert. 
It is less than a metre deep for as far as you can walk out, so we have told the kids they are allowed out on their own as long as they don't drown. (trying for the parent of the year award with that one...) 

The real worry with it being so shallow was if there was enough water under the kayak to allow me to sit in it without become stuck in the mud below....... Luckily, the science of buoyancy allows even me to float on a kayak, so I also ventured out a couple of times
The poor kayak was turned into a green iceberg where 90% of it was under water leaving a 5mm lip above the sinking line as I paddled around trying my best to use my awesome core muscles and stay upright (it is not as easy as it looks...... especially with the kayak wanting to come up for a breath of air every couple of minutes !)
I finally mastered it, at which time i stopped so that i could finish on a positive note.
Tracy and her dad went out later on looking the part with their synchronised rowing as they vanished through the reeds.

It was a beautiful night with the weather hovering in the high 20's late into the evening. The mandatory Weber BBQ produced some awesome hamburgers from a mix i made during the week at home, and of course were cooked perfectly.
I was exhausted from a full day in the sun, and trying to stay afloat. A few drinks, some TV and general chit chat rounded up the day.
Looking forward to another day of the same tomorrow.

Meningie - a not so short trip

Yet again, despite all my best intentions, it was after 5pm before we were motoring down the road for our next adventure. 

I had got the car and van packed in record time and even got my special 1st Aid pack sorted, ready for the following 3 days. 

We got an impressive 50m before I noticed how heavy the van was and realised I forgot to plug in the lights and brakes.  Luckily we live on a series of no through roads so I could stop where I was and plug it all in without worrying about other traffic. 

I had heard the the freeway was closed due to a serious car accident near Tailem Bend, so we (ok.... I ) decided to head through Wistow, Langhorne Creek, across the ferry at Wellington and then down to Meningie. Much nicer option than sitting in traffic in 34 degree heat for what could be hours while they clean up   It was a pleasant drive, listening to the kids argue about anything and everything whilst Tracy pretended to be asleep next to me and the dog continuously climbed over us all looking for the best vantage spot. 

We had just reached Wistow when I heard on the radio that the freeway was cleared, but decided to push on anyway as ithis route was only about 5km longer and a much more pleasant drive. 

Before I knew it, we were at Wellington, waiting for the ferry.

Along with about 60 other cars in front of us.

The ferry takes about 10 cars at a time, with a 12 minute round trip. It was at this time I was visited by Grumpy Barry which resulted in the family going for a walk with the dog to the river, leaving me to boil in my own steam knowing that we were here for the next hour to travel 300m. Thankfully there was a breeze blowing which kept me cool as it dissipated the steam coming from my ears, and a few old buildings to stare at and allow me to remember it is the journey, and not the destination that makes the best holidays.

Almost exactly an hour later, I was at the front of the queue and driving onto the ferry. Thankfully the remainder of the trip was less than 30 minutes more. We did have to pull over with about 5km to go, thanks to the sound of a Kayak about to fall off the roof racks. They were still tied on tight, and the sudden realisation that I was standing in the worlds biggest bull ant nest with my best camping thongs, got me back in the car quicker than the million flies buzzing around my head and we were off again. 

We got to camp right on sunset, at which time I could start experiencing the joys of Tracy making me adjust the level-ness of the caravan 1mm at a time until a marble wouldn’t roll off the inside table. (Luckily I am excellent at doing this, so I just smiled and rocked the car back and forth until she was happy.)

A couple of hours later it was all done. The boys swags were up, tea had been microwaved and eaten, a bourbon went missing out of the fridge - time to sit and relax. 

Going to be a hot one tomorrow - perfect for the kayaks. 

Driving in circles

After half the crew packed up and went home, we decided to go for a drive with the Hardy’s to Corny Point and then another few km further on to a place called Pine Point. It was reported to have great hot chips, despite it being a small general store selling everything to the 40 shacks in the town, including fuel, groceries and of course hot chips.

The rumour was true - the best hot chips I have had for many  months. 

Back to Corny Point, we took off down the dirt track to the lighthouse and amazing rugged coastline. 

The kids were getting restless, wanting to get into the water and go swimming. There was nowhere nearby suitable, so we ventured down to Gleeson’s Landing, only to discover later on that I should have turned right and not left if we wanted a sandy beach. By this time, the restlessness was turning into grumpiness, and the kids weren’t overly happy either, so we decided to go back to the surf area next to the Caravan Park. Which we could have walked to if we hadn’t chosen to drive around the peninsula for the last 3 hours. 

The boys surfed, Kayla buried herself in the sand and I watched a group of seals out beyond the breakers. 

After tea, we joined the remaining families and went for a final walk down the beach, snapping some photos and reminiscing. 

Tomorrow we leave, which is timely considering the forecast for rain from midnight tonight and generally horrible weather.