School Holidays: into the mountains

Another week of school holidays.

With quality time at home, doing some fun workshops at the library, kitchen experiments and a trip into the mountains.

A change of scene also creates head space. A drive along the Mann River always puts a smile on my face, trying out new tracks a sense of adventure.

Bush tucker Taste and Talk at the library. Getting some new ideas for the kitchen and the garden.

I accidentally made honey macadamia brittle while trying to improve a recipe.
I must admit, this turned out so good. Not too sweet, letting the macadamias shine. There was so much positive feedback on it that I might try to replicate another batch, but making sure to press it flat this time!

More Going Nuts! kitchen experiments: Macadamia nut butters. With a hint of vanilla, sea salt and local honey. Adding raw organic cocoa made me a winner...

The scream

for coffee...

School holidays = Board games

And silly selfies.
Team: Curly Whirly

Horse riding, enjoying the sun, space and fresh air.
While David rides his bike besides me and Tyson is never far behind me.

Middle of the Winter. With sunny and dry days often reaching 20 degrees.

The nights have been a lot colder this year, we’re going through hay and fire wood in record time.

Going into the New England Highlands for the weekend.

Driving up, through the mountains, with beautiful views on the Clarence Valley.

With the road cutting through the Word Heritage listed Gibraltar Range and Washpool, National Park. Giving us a beautiful, fresh, picnic at Dandahra Creek.

Which is very much like a painting...

A run at The Standing Stones

 The Chill in Glen festival.

David was rather proud of his (mini) snow man. 

But didn’t understand why his hands got so cold!

 Finding a new and trendy coffee place.

Farmstay on the plains,
surrounded by 450 acres with only cattle to share the space.
So quiet during the night!

With the night reaching -8 degrees. Waking up was a rather cold affair!
Now I hear my fellow Dutchies thinking, “have they turned into complete wusses?!?!?”.
Yes, maybe, well, let me explain: houses build here don’t have double glazing, wall insulation or central heating. Just a bit of ceiling insulation, if you’re lucky.
For warmth you have a wood fire in the living room, that needs to heat the whole of the house.
While the very modern houses have reverse aircon...

Being on a farm, this is the best place in the house.

But seeing everything white outside from the frost....

That needs investigating!

Which warranted hot chocolate for breakfast...

 Going down at the mountain. Making a stop at the Boundary Falls for a walk.

 Spottting good boulders and trees to climb.

And of course a pretty waterfall

Next stop: Coombadjha creek,

at Washpool National Park.

 Team: Straight & Narrow

Trying to keep the kids on the walking track with a creek nearby was hopeless...
Rockhoppers, all of them.

But with a rather wild rain forest like this, who can blame them.

Revived after a weekend of fresh air.

Ready for the next school term, a rather busy one by the looks of it. We’re expecting the new cabin to be build it next week, the soccer carnival and a major overhaul of our septic system. 

At the beginning of the year I made a deal with my husband. He would go rock climbing in Thailand with a mate, I would catch up with my sister in New Zealand. 

Already looking forward to the next adventure, I’ve just booked the plane tickets for the next school holidays, two weeks exploring the North Island, before my sister Lisa will commence her training there.