Day 74

25th February 2022

Off Grid

I’m sorry about Friday’s post!!

We went away for the weekend, and I didn’t realise there wouldn’t be any reception!

After I stopped feeling bad about not writing, a freedom swept over me. It was pure heaven to be off grid.

Not even the FBI could reach us if they tried!

Thwarted

Do you remember the last scene in Goodfellas when Henry’s about to move a shipment of drugs but first has to drive all over town, because Lois his drug mule won’t fly without her lucky hat? His brother is staying with him, and he’s cooking a big dinner for guests, and there’s a helicopter following him and it’s go, go, go!

Well, that was my day on Friday.

I’d organised to work half a day from home so I could clean the house for our house sitter, (first time away from Pepe! 😢) and I wanted to get some cooking done so I could relax while we were away.

I was ploughing through my work stuff when Liam called.

“Is everything ok?” I asked.

“Not really.” He replied. “We’ve broken down on the side of the mountain.”

Ok, I called my boss, logged off and jumped in the car.

First, I had to cross town to buy a car battery.

Note to self. Car batteries are f*cking heavy!!

While I was waiting in line at the battery shop, I called ahead and ordered hot chips for the kids. (An hour + wait inside the car, while pouring rain = bored, whingy kids. I needed insurance).

I finally got over the mountain, held the umbrella while Liam changed the battery and the kids sat quietly in the back eating the hot chips, soothed by their reinforcements. (Mama win!)

They couldn’t go to their farm school day as we were needed to get the car to the garage to have it checked out.

My quiet cooking/organising day was gone. 😒

I spent the rest of the day working, cleaning & did a speed run to the supermarket to get some things for the weekend.

That’s when the phone rang again.

“Hi, it’s so & so, I’m having an emergency can you collect so & so from school?”

Ah….

“Yes, of course.” I said.

I dropped everything and ran to school.

Now there were 3 children in the house and my frantic packing continued.

In the end, the house was clean, we were packed & on the road, arriving to the house just 15 minutes before our friends.

It was a hectic day.

I had planned on arriving looking fresh & relaxed & not the bleach smelling, sweat monster I was; however it was all worth it because we got to do this!

Swim

Slide

Play Games

Ride In The Ute

Forage

Gin + Tonic

When we finally got all 8 kids to sleep, (they were sleeping in bunk beds in an enormous room, and it was all giggle, giggle, giggle all night), we sat outside on the deck, the rain falling softly around us, in the middle of the bush, and played Rummy-O, drank gin & tonics, told stories & laughed.

There was even a very scary, grown-up ghost story!!

It was so nice to see our city friends after such a long lockdown.

It was perfect.