Home again.

We're back, refreshed and inspired! It's always lovely catching up with family and friends, especially when they live so far away. I hope we've topped up enough memories to last us quite a while, but still look forward to more in the future.

The strip map ideas didn't eventuate, so unfortunately I can't show you my intentions at this stage. Hopefully I'll have a chance to do be more organised in the future. However, we did stop by some very interesting places along the way.

One lovely cafe had only been open two weeks; a chance visit. I always love pleasant surprise visits to little places along the way. This one was in Bowning, along the Hume Hwy - left as you travel north, before Yass. A family owned business just started up, it's called "Rollonin Cafe". We spoke to the gentleman who owned it and discovered he had handmade the traditional slab hut himself! All locally felled timber, wonderful workmanship. Clever ideas such as this washstand made from an iron Singer sewing machine base, marble slab top, tilted so the water ran back to a simple drain and into the garden. Lovely meals, too. Yes ... I do recommend!!!

Visiting the Highlands was just delightfully refreshing. So many wonderful bookshops, antique stores and breathtaking views! I have to tell you about a tea shop we visited. My sister had wanted to visit there for some time, so in we trouped with all the children and lots of 'be careful not to touch!' as china cups and teapots were delicately positioned everywhere. The best part was the selection of teas, in tiny glass pots, so we could drink in the fragrance of each blend. I couldn't go past the Rose Oolong or the English Chocolate Mint tea. The children enjoyed sharing a couple of cups with friends and family also once we got it brewing.

Sydney was an experience with regard to traffic and crowds! We made good use of the family discount tickets on the weekend, which gave us all train and ferry travel for $10AU all day. It was a lovely warm day, so the ferry trip was the highlight, then walking around the Opera House.

Other sites on our trip were Wollongong and Canberra. We had a lovely gentleman tour guide through Parliment House. He had a special interest in the symbolism of the building as well as links to British tradition which we found fascinating. I was amazed at how attentive the children were for the whole 45mins. They then had a couple of questions, so chatted with the guide who was delighted and gave them some free souveniers.

That's about it in a nutshell. Two weeks of travelling, feasting, talking and learning ... yes, always learning! Now time to settle back into a routine and enjoy time at home before starting another homeschooling year.