After eight days on a fantastic, road-tripping adventure through Southern Queensland with my dear friend, Sue, I am home at last. 🙂
We had a marvelous time, exploring beautiful places and gaping in wonder as we exclaimed, “I can’t believe this is REAL!” Australia truly is a magical place of staggering beauty and quirky places and delightful people. I can’t wait to tell you all about it a bit later this week.
But today, my first full day at home, it’s time to settle back in to normal life, drink copious amounts of Earl Grey tea, and chat up a storm with Bear to catch each other up on our various stories.
I’m also back to work today, scheduling writing assignments and photo shoots, arranging meetings, trying to get my vacation head back in the game.
But it’s not all work.
I arrived home to lovely rain, and today is dark and cool. Such a nice reprieve from the heat. I bottle fed Kebab, laughing at how quickly he guzzles it now that he’s bigger. I visited with my dog Luna who was outrageously excited to see me back where I belong. And I wandered my gardens checking all the plants and harvesting all sorts of good things.
Tonight we’re definitely feasting on this bounty.
While I was away I took a couple of hours each day just to read and write and think. Sometimes it was while tucked cozily in my little tent as a storm raged outside, others it was sitting on a cliff edge overlooking endless acres of gum trees while stark white cockatoos circled far below.
It was wonderful for settling and clarifying my thoughts, helping me work through things that otherwise get stuffed down in the bustle of daily life. Returning home now I feel enriched on so many levels, in experiences and encounters, as well as altering of mindsets and deepening of resolves. Mostly I feel peaceful and content, and that is a treasure.
What moments do you treasure most from your Christmas/New Year’s? xo
So glad you had a great trip. Wishing you all you need in 2016 ?
What an amazing sounding holiday! The Australian environment is pretty amazing… What a wonderful bounty to come home too!
Have a lovely home coming and New Year, we are driving home from holidays now too 🙂
Thanks for sharing
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Sounds like you had a magical week of adventuring with your friend. 🙂 Your posts really do remind me just how lucky I am to live in Australia. What a treat to come home to all that deliciousness, bet it tasted amazing too?! I do hope you have an amazing 2016 Krista, a year filled with much fun, creativity, yumminess and all the love. I look forward to following your adventures. Big hugs and loves. xox
Sounds like a great little adventure, Krista. Very best wishes for 2016 <3
Welcome home and Happy New Year! That’s a nice haul you’ve got there. You sound very refreshed. We look forward to Krista 2016 – it promises to be an exciting year! xo!
Oh… I love when it rains and I am at home! Those veggies look so vibrant ♥
summerdaisy.net
Krista, it sounds like your road trip was absolutely great but also it sounds like you are glad to be home (which I can understand.) I liked having lazy days at home over the break and sleeping late. It was really good – and now I’ve had to get back into a routine again.
I’m wondering what you made with your bounty. Especially the chillies. Australia is quirky. Sicily has that same quirkiness/eccentricity. I love that. How wonderful your camping trip sounds and how great that you could grab a couple of hours to yourself each day. On New Years Day, Marty, myself and our daughter went to Paradise Waterhole in Big Crystal Creek and swam in the gloriously cold water, ate a picnic lunch and then visited Balgal Beach on the way home to collect shells. Such a wonderful day and we were sandy, tired and complete by the time we got home late in the afternoon. HAPPY NEW YEAR.
I suppose for me it’s the time spent with the oldies, trying to make their Christmas less ‘institutional’. Oh and food.. lots and lots of wonderful food.
Glad to hear you had a lovely trip and also that you were happy to be home.
Welcome home Krista. You always know how to center yourself and that is a special art. Hope the New Year brings inspiration and contentment xx
Welcome home! Dogs are so loyal and really show how much they love you after a time of absence. I do love the look of your vegetable harvest. Are those purple beans? I haven’t seen beans like that before; they look amazing xx
What a beautiful start to 2016 you have had. And what a great haul to come back to. Wishing only good times for you in 2016 x
Welcome back. I’m back at work now too, sadly. Still, the holidays were fun while they lasted.
Kate
What a feast your garden provided you as a welcome home gift.
What a glorious bounty of foo d! And so fresh from your garden too which only nourishes even more 😀 I think taking a couple of hours a day to think and write is a very wise idea.