I woke to a beautifully foggy morning, tree tops disappearing into the mist, everything wonderfully still and quiet.

What a lovely way to end a holiday and return to regular life.

Now the sun is shining, the sky is clear and blue, and everywhere I look something is blooming.

spring flowers in Queensland

I had every intention of writing a post for you yesterday, but my plans were thwarted by the Great Goat Raid of 2012 in which a gaggle of goats got into my garden and decimated it.

This is not to be confused with the Great Chicken Raid of 2012 in which a passel of chickens did exactly the same thing a few weeks ago. Gosh. 🙂 There may have been a few frustrated tears spent and the air might have been tinged a slight blue after some choice words were expressed, but in the end there was nothing for it but to don my big gardening hat and get to work. Planting a garden once is a job in itself, but THREE TIMES in one spring? Sigh. 🙂

Needless to say we are taking steps to turn my garden into a veritable fortress, and Bear is giving me a trip to the nursery to get replacement seedlings, bless him. 🙂 So hopefully one day soon my garden will look like this again.

veggie garden

Aside from these minor catastrophes, I’ve had a fantastic stay-cation on this little Aussie goat farm I love so much. As a travel writer, few things make me happier than packing my suitcase and heading off to explore new places, but every now and then I need a real break, one where I can rest without the pressure of seeing and doing. That’s what I did on this Spring Break and it was marvelous.

I slept in, had long, leisurely breakfasts, read all sorts of interesting books, watched movies, took little day trips to various markets, thrift stores, and garden centers, tried out new recipe ideas that have been simmering away in my imagination, and started sorting through the boxes that were shoved in my wardrobe when I arrived and haven’t been organized since.

I’ve also been learning a new skill: wood-burning. So fun!! It’s like drawing next to a campfire, the intoxicating scent of burnt wood filling the air as I cover bare wood with all sorts of etchings. These are my first attempts at the craft, and I can’t wait to learn more.

wood burning designs

Some really good things have happened too. I took on two more writing jobs that are proving to be so much fun: travel stories and a history book. I love the challenge of these projects and it’s great to shake out my rusty vocabulary and put a delectable array of marvy words to good use.

The best news of all is that I received confirmation this weekend that the first phase of my Australian visa has been granted and I am now eligible for Medicare. 🙂 HOORAY! HOORAY!!! I am beyond excited and so grateful. All these months of seemingly endless paperwork have been worth it.

Now, dear ones, I’m going to sit back with my coffee, enjoy this morning sunshine and attempt to get over the dreadful cold that hit me last night.

cup of coffee in sunshine

What are your favorite memories from the last two weeks?