A dose of the great outdoors

I didn’t think we’d be going camping again anytime soon, but like last time, we went for a quick last minute getaway this past weekend. I’m glad we did it. It was a much needed dose of the great outdoors and change of scenery.

More photos here

It was a school community camp at Wee Jasper which was organised by one of the school families. Nicholas has recently befriended one of their boys and the family asked if Nicholas would like to go along with them. We already had a family picnic lunch planned on Saturday so we weren’t planning to go to the camp. Nicholas was eventually keen but also still wanted to go the family picnic. So we decided that we’d all go camping on Friday night and leave Saturday morning. It worked out well and we all had a good time.

After school, Nicholas travelled to the campsite with his friend’s family while the rest of us followed shortly after they left. It was a nice drive of just over an hour through the countryside. Catherine fell asleep. We had briefly worried about Nicholas’ car sickness as we went on the winding road up and down the mountain. (Later we found out that he felt a little bit sick on the way. They ended up stopping and Nicholas sat in the front seat.) We were trying to get there before it got dark. We arrived and set up our tent just before the sun went down.

There were four families that night – 8 adults and 7 children. The children had a great time playing games in the dark and just sitting around the campfire. We roasted what was left of our marshmallows from Nicholas’ birthday. It was lovely to get to know some of the other parents and we also caught up with a family Catherine and I knew from playgroup years before – what a small world.

It was an uncomfortable night as we weren’t prepared for the cold. It was a very warm day but the temperature dropped dramatically once the sun went down. It took me a while to get to sleep because I was so cold. Nicholas woke up early because he was cold too. Then the cockatoos made a big racket. Once the sun came out the next morning, it was another warm day.

Another campfire was lit to warm us up. We had breakfast which was followed by some cricket, making loom bands, walking dogs and exploring the grounds. Phil and I went for a quick walk - it was very serene and peaceful near the creek. We enjoyed watching the kids play and run off together while the grown-ups sat around and chatted.

Then it was time to drive back to Canberra. Catherine fell asleep again. Nicholas sat in the front for the ride. He was a little bit worried but he did fine and didn’t feel sick. We quickly dropped off our stuff at the house, said hello to Comet and left again to pick up some food for the picnic.

Picnic lunch was at Weston Park. It was hot in Canberra but quite pleasant in the shade. We had a lovely time hanging out and catching up with the family. It was nice way to spend the afternoon. More cricket was played as well as bocce. We had been feeling a bit disconnected of late but this past weekend helped us feel less so. Socialising outdoors did us good.