Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Restless.
We're going to camp at Apollo Bay tomorrow!
I'm excited ..
The road trip!/ To hit the beach/ Soak in cool crashing waves/ Run free and wild into the crashing waves/ Collect some pretty shells/ Build some crappy sand castles/ Hiking in the bush/ Feeling the ocean breeze/ Sunshine & more sunshine/ Shabby camp food/ Pitching the tent/ Sun rise/ Sun set/ Going to sleep with Josh next to me/ Waking up with Josh next to me/ Sleeping under the stars/ ...
I'm excited ..
The road trip!/ To hit the beach/ Soak in cool crashing waves/ Run free and wild into the crashing waves/ Collect some pretty shells/ Build some crappy sand castles/ Hiking in the bush/ Feeling the ocean breeze/ Sunshine & more sunshine/ Shabby camp food/ Pitching the tent/ Sun rise/ Sun set/ Going to sleep with Josh next to me/ Waking up with Josh next to me/ Sleeping under the stars/ ...
Friday, February 18, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
IKEA ADVENTURES.
It was Josh's first time at IKEA. We didn't want to leave :( 
I can't wait until we move out :)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
2, 24, 730 ..
Daylesford 2011
Are you from Africa? Cause Aiii-Fric-Caaan love yaaaaaaa.
I love you baby, happy anniversay.
I love you baby, happy anniversay.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Rye in Pictures.
RYE TRIP
31st January -
2nd February
Rye Ocean Beach.
Thirsty for Rye
RYE TRIP
31st January -
2nd February
31st January -
2nd February
Like summer, I’ve begun my holiday a couple months late. The sun hasn’t been out to play much but it doesn’t really matter because I’ve been working a lot lately, barely having time for anything and trying hard to keep up with everything. I haven’t had a decent day at the beach since, well, last summer, so I’ve been desperately craving to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, the cool, refreshing waves crash into me and feeling the freedom of the vast ocean. Mine and Josh’s anniversary was approaching as well ( is approaching this coming weekend) so we took some time off and decided to go on a road trip, or two road trips; The first trip, to Rye around the Mornington Peninsula and the second, to be in Daylesford. I’ve wanted to go on a road trip since last summer and chose these two destinations because I wanted to explore a part of Victoria I have yet to know.
The drive up to Rye was nerve-racking as I had never driven such a long distance before. Google maps told me the total duration of the journey would be 2hours & 8 minutes, however it may have taken a tad bit longer because crossing into the city to the Nepean Highway was a little confusing. It was all a learning process I guess, and I am more familiar with the roads now. The warm weather made me sleepy so Josh had to keep me awake, which proved a little difficult as he was sleepier than I! I love driving through the countryside and leaving the more industrious part of Victoria behind. Being on the road, behind the wheel, and in control of your own journey is empowering. We felt so independent finding our own way there. I especially loved the idea of stopping the car whenever I pleased just to snap photos of the countryside.
We arrived at noon which meant the drive was approximately 2 hours. I was excited pulling up to the house! Josh had to get out of the car and open the gate for me to drive through. I wanted to quickly park the car, get inside the house, explore and get out to the beaches straight away. There is always a reason why I leave bookings till the last minute. Yes, disorganization is partially the reason, but I’m also very picky, and as much as I claim appearances don’t matter to me, they do. I can’t stand dirty environments especially if I’m going to sleep, eat and bathe in it. I loved the house. Everything in the house, the furniture and fixtures were all to date and modernised. I loved the materials, elements, and colours as they warm & organic making us feel welcomed and cosy.
We were tired and sleepy from the drive, so we napped a little before heading out. However, a cool changed came quickly on the 39 degrees day, nevertheless, we ventured out into town and stopped by a local café for lunch. I think it was called Get Juiced ‘n’ Fed. Not entirely sure, but it was so yummy! They had what seemed to be the best mixtures of smoothies and crushes. I was afraid I’d be too full if I had my own so I shared a large smoothie with Josh along with our meals. I had a lamb focaccia, with avocado, tomato, lettuce and garlic aioli sauce MMM! Josh had a deluxe grilled chicken burger with bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo, sandwiched with Turkish bread buns YUM! There was another menu that was so delicious sounding but it was only specials for dinner-time L. We rested for 10 minutes, allowing ourselves to rest our filled & satisfied bellies before heading out to the Rye Beach which was a few minutes walk away. It wasn’t such an attractive beach, despite having clean sand and clear, still water. The sand was so obviously artificial, the various coloured sands were all on display, from white to crunchy golden, to a gloomy grey in the water (reminded me of going yabby catching with my dad in the paddocks when I was a kid). The beach was perfect for family outings, safe for kids to splash around in. We then headed over to Rye Ocean Beach, which was in the opposite direction, on the other side of the peninsula. I loved Rye Ocean Beach. The waves were incredible! The water was beautiful and the sand was flawless! There were however quite a few rock formations that I knew would be hazardous and were going to be problematic if we went in too deep later on. The weather had not picked up, it had instead gotten colder and cloudier. We still stripped off our clothes and splashed around in the shallow waters, built some sandcastles and watched the sun aaaaalmost set, before the clouds gathered and hid it. When the cold became unbearable, we called it a day and headed home. After having dinner in, we put on some movies and fell asleep really early.
The next morning I was so excited to start the day and was desperate to get out to the beach and play in the sun. However, both of us being huge fans of mini golf, we decided to go play some mini-golf early and head back to Rye Ocean Beach. I think Josh and I were up about 9am, made ourselves a filling breakfast, and headed off to Top Fun on the Nepean. The mini gold course was part of an arcade, which I really didn’t want to spend any money on. But of course I spotted the most awesome, oversized sun glasses and so, we chose a game that was a quick and easy 120 tickets and BAM, 2 awesome, oversized sunnies J. Just as the last time we played, I was winning, and then halfway through Josh came back and beat me in the end, even though I forced him to wear the oversized sunnies while playing. The sun was starting to burn up, but there was a breeze so it wasn’t that bad. We quickly drove over to Rye Ocean Beach, ( I may have sped a little) and raced down to the waters. There was so much sand and it was so soft, that walking through proved to be a challenge! I dreaded the walk back up the steep hill of sand... There were so many rocks so we had to choose a spot wisely. I liked how the rocks were spaced apart, as if the in between were private to only us. The sun was nice and hot the entire time we were there. I thought if the weather improved, the waves would ease up but I realized it was due to the rocks beneath the water that cause its violent thrashing, and was the reason the beach attracted to many surfers. I loved the waves! The waves were so strong and huge, even when we were in the shallow part, waves would come crashing over our head. So we thought it were best to no venture in too deep. It was so refreshing every time the waves crashed on to us. I could feel the coolness seep into my flesh and touch my bones. I LOVED IT. I loved the coolness of the water. I loved the aqua/teal gradient of the water – it made me so thirsty looking at it, even now, it’s making my mouth water. I did not want to leave. This was without a doubt the best beach ever. Kicks Anglesea’s ass any day. After a few hours, we reluctantly left and decided to see if there was any fuss at Gunnamatta Beach... And I think it may just have been as good or better. We only stayed for a little while before heading off back home for lunch. We wanted to head to the Enchanted Maze Gardens near Arthurs Seat.
However, when we arrived at there, it was almost 5pm – an hour and half till close and It was recommended that we have 3 hours to explore place to satisfaction. So we turned around postponed the maze and went searching for other adventures. We drove up to Arthurs Seat and reached a view overlooking the peninsula. We took the Arthurs Seat Circuit Walk through the bushes, reaching Chapmans Point just off a curving road. The view of the peninsula got better and better. We continued to climb towards the summit until coming across Matthew Flinders Cairn. It was unreal knowing that such the explorer had been at that point, ad he did it minus the roads, tracks and trails too I’d imagine. Further on, we passed through the Seawind Gardens and discovered set another point overlooking the peninsula. The garden wasn’t anything extraordinary, but I sure felt the wind from the sea all up in my hair. We began to make our way to the end of the circuit and decided to visit the lighthouse at Cape Schnack.
Which upon arrival, it was clear it had already closed. Intrigued by some signs to unheard places though and fuelled with a hunger for adventure, we jumped out of the car and trudged up the hill. ‘Pebble Beach’ the sign read. All I could think of was my backyard, where grape sized pebbles covered the ground where my playground stood. The track towards Pebble Beach was on the edge of the hill – a wrong foot to the side would have led to quite a tumble and fall. Being on the edge allowed us to view the landscapes on our way up. And we did get up, it was a series of wooden stair cases decending the hill leading us to Pebble Beach. There were a few closed off tracks from the one we were on. You could tell that the previous tracks were dangerous, leading to rocks where waves were thrashing furiously, or heights where the rocks were unstable. It would have been fun to climb, and worth it to see the waves up closer. From a distance, I could tell that the beach was definitely pebbly but it wasn’t till we were on the shore that I was in disbelief at the size of these so called pebbles. They were huge! It hurt to walk on, especially with my weak havianas. We explored both sides of the beach. I collected a heap of pretty shells and pebbles while Josh looked for some crabs & other life forms. The cold began to kick in so we headed back to our house, and called it a night. We cleaned and tidied the house, packed in preparation for the checkout in the next day.
In the morning, we packed everything into the car hurriedly because we didn’t want to waste any time before the trip was over. We drove up to Sorrento, and looked for a place in town to have some breakfast. We came across what I reckon is the best toy store I’ve ever been to. I love quirky, cosy stores in small towns – you don’t find them in the city. It was called Geppeto's Workshop. There were so many toys I wanted! Music boxes! GAH! After a few laps we stopped at Just Fine Food, which is apparently famous for its Vanilla Slice. It had newspapers on the front windows with articles of how spectacular this vanilla slice was. Josh and I both had the big breakfast and of course tried the vanilla slice. And it was so good. Crispy pastry on top, generously dusted with icing sugar, cool and rich vanilla cream, with a crispy jam base. After a good rest, we made our way to the end of the peninsula but found that it was blocked off. The area was ( and still is?) used for military purposes, and the bush was filled with unexploded bombs. We had to wait for a tour bus, or follow the tracks. The bus had just left so we opted for a stroll in the bush. It wasn’t until a kilometre later that we realized the walk would last much longer than anticipated. We didn’t have enough time so we headed back and continued to the Enchanted Maze.
The Enchanted Maze was filled with a heap of gardens, variety of mazes, and brainteasers designed in the land. I had never been in a maze before and was excited to turn on my good sense of coordination, bearings and natural instincts. We were instructed to search for 5 different Buddha statues and find our way to the centre of the maze to the Japanese Garden. It was like a treasure hunt. It was so frustrating coming across the same Buddha statues, but exciting every time we found new ones. We were also racing against the clock as well, because we still had the entire garden to explore. When we finally completed our task, we left and explored a series of gardens – shaped hedges, marble statues, tiled pictures, recycled metal sculptures, and the brainteasers. There were a few mazes that were different from one another. I was curious as to how the 3D maze was going to work. They gave us 3D glasses upon arrival. The maze was inside a building where fluorescent glow-in-dark paint was in the form of frightening creatures on the black walls. There was one room that really rattled me. It was a corridor, with a ramp connecting one side to the other. Around the ramp though, the walls, ceiling and floor were revolving. The 3D effect was so cool but so scary! It felt so real – the creatures were moving and coming to get me. The revolving of the corridor was really clever; it made me really dizzy and left me walking like a drunk. Josh had to hold onto me so I wouldn’t fall so much. Finally, we climbed up towards the tube slides. They were huge slides placed on a sloping hill. You had to drag your inflatable doughnut to the top, plop your bottom in, and they would push you off and you would slide down, spinning out of control. The kids were screaming so much (the loved it). The climb to the top and dragging of my doughnut (both of them) in the heat was such a workout. But it was worth it. Apparently I screamed and screeched so loud everyone stopped and stared. Glad I could attract an audience J. Josh loved it, he was laughing the whole way down, even when he was dragging his doughnut back, he was still laughing. And then, the day was finally over, and It was time to drive back to Melbourne.
I would choose to drive to the beaches on this end over the Geelong and the Great Ocean Road beaches any day. The drive along Great Ocean Road is much more scenic though. But the beaches, sand and water definitely take the cake.
The drive up to Rye was nerve-racking as I had never driven such a long distance before. Google maps told me the total duration of the journey would be 2hours & 8 minutes, however it may have taken a tad bit longer because crossing into the city to the Nepean Highway was a little confusing. It was all a learning process I guess, and I am more familiar with the roads now. The warm weather made me sleepy so Josh had to keep me awake, which proved a little difficult as he was sleepier than I! I love driving through the countryside and leaving the more industrious part of Victoria behind. Being on the road, behind the wheel, and in control of your own journey is empowering. We felt so independent finding our own way there. I especially loved the idea of stopping the car whenever I pleased just to snap photos of the countryside.
We arrived at noon which meant the drive was approximately 2 hours. I was excited pulling up to the house! Josh had to get out of the car and open the gate for me to drive through. I wanted to quickly park the car, get inside the house, explore and get out to the beaches straight away. There is always a reason why I leave bookings till the last minute. Yes, disorganization is partially the reason, but I’m also very picky, and as much as I claim appearances don’t matter to me, they do. I can’t stand dirty environments especially if I’m going to sleep, eat and bathe in it. I loved the house. Everything in the house, the furniture and fixtures were all to date and modernised. I loved the materials, elements, and colours as they warm & organic making us feel welcomed and cosy.
We were tired and sleepy from the drive, so we napped a little before heading out. However, a cool changed came quickly on the 39 degrees day, nevertheless, we ventured out into town and stopped by a local café for lunch. I think it was called Get Juiced ‘n’ Fed. Not entirely sure, but it was so yummy! They had what seemed to be the best mixtures of smoothies and crushes. I was afraid I’d be too full if I had my own so I shared a large smoothie with Josh along with our meals. I had a lamb focaccia, with avocado, tomato, lettuce and garlic aioli sauce MMM! Josh had a deluxe grilled chicken burger with bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo, sandwiched with Turkish bread buns YUM! There was another menu that was so delicious sounding but it was only specials for dinner-time L. We rested for 10 minutes, allowing ourselves to rest our filled & satisfied bellies before heading out to the Rye Beach which was a few minutes walk away. It wasn’t such an attractive beach, despite having clean sand and clear, still water. The sand was so obviously artificial, the various coloured sands were all on display, from white to crunchy golden, to a gloomy grey in the water (reminded me of going yabby catching with my dad in the paddocks when I was a kid). The beach was perfect for family outings, safe for kids to splash around in. We then headed over to Rye Ocean Beach, which was in the opposite direction, on the other side of the peninsula. I loved Rye Ocean Beach. The waves were incredible! The water was beautiful and the sand was flawless! There were however quite a few rock formations that I knew would be hazardous and were going to be problematic if we went in too deep later on. The weather had not picked up, it had instead gotten colder and cloudier. We still stripped off our clothes and splashed around in the shallow waters, built some sandcastles and watched the sun aaaaalmost set, before the clouds gathered and hid it. When the cold became unbearable, we called it a day and headed home. After having dinner in, we put on some movies and fell asleep really early.
The next morning I was so excited to start the day and was desperate to get out to the beach and play in the sun. However, both of us being huge fans of mini golf, we decided to go play some mini-golf early and head back to Rye Ocean Beach. I think Josh and I were up about 9am, made ourselves a filling breakfast, and headed off to Top Fun on the Nepean. The mini gold course was part of an arcade, which I really didn’t want to spend any money on. But of course I spotted the most awesome, oversized sun glasses and so, we chose a game that was a quick and easy 120 tickets and BAM, 2 awesome, oversized sunnies J. Just as the last time we played, I was winning, and then halfway through Josh came back and beat me in the end, even though I forced him to wear the oversized sunnies while playing. The sun was starting to burn up, but there was a breeze so it wasn’t that bad. We quickly drove over to Rye Ocean Beach, ( I may have sped a little) and raced down to the waters. There was so much sand and it was so soft, that walking through proved to be a challenge! I dreaded the walk back up the steep hill of sand... There were so many rocks so we had to choose a spot wisely. I liked how the rocks were spaced apart, as if the in between were private to only us. The sun was nice and hot the entire time we were there. I thought if the weather improved, the waves would ease up but I realized it was due to the rocks beneath the water that cause its violent thrashing, and was the reason the beach attracted to many surfers. I loved the waves! The waves were so strong and huge, even when we were in the shallow part, waves would come crashing over our head. So we thought it were best to no venture in too deep. It was so refreshing every time the waves crashed on to us. I could feel the coolness seep into my flesh and touch my bones. I LOVED IT. I loved the coolness of the water. I loved the aqua/teal gradient of the water – it made me so thirsty looking at it, even now, it’s making my mouth water. I did not want to leave. This was without a doubt the best beach ever. Kicks Anglesea’s ass any day. After a few hours, we reluctantly left and decided to see if there was any fuss at Gunnamatta Beach... And I think it may just have been as good or better. We only stayed for a little while before heading off back home for lunch. We wanted to head to the Enchanted Maze Gardens near Arthurs Seat.
However, when we arrived at there, it was almost 5pm – an hour and half till close and It was recommended that we have 3 hours to explore place to satisfaction. So we turned around postponed the maze and went searching for other adventures. We drove up to Arthurs Seat and reached a view overlooking the peninsula. We took the Arthurs Seat Circuit Walk through the bushes, reaching Chapmans Point just off a curving road. The view of the peninsula got better and better. We continued to climb towards the summit until coming across Matthew Flinders Cairn. It was unreal knowing that such the explorer had been at that point, ad he did it minus the roads, tracks and trails too I’d imagine. Further on, we passed through the Seawind Gardens and discovered set another point overlooking the peninsula. The garden wasn’t anything extraordinary, but I sure felt the wind from the sea all up in my hair. We began to make our way to the end of the circuit and decided to visit the lighthouse at Cape Schnack.
Which upon arrival, it was clear it had already closed. Intrigued by some signs to unheard places though and fuelled with a hunger for adventure, we jumped out of the car and trudged up the hill. ‘Pebble Beach’ the sign read. All I could think of was my backyard, where grape sized pebbles covered the ground where my playground stood. The track towards Pebble Beach was on the edge of the hill – a wrong foot to the side would have led to quite a tumble and fall. Being on the edge allowed us to view the landscapes on our way up. And we did get up, it was a series of wooden stair cases decending the hill leading us to Pebble Beach. There were a few closed off tracks from the one we were on. You could tell that the previous tracks were dangerous, leading to rocks where waves were thrashing furiously, or heights where the rocks were unstable. It would have been fun to climb, and worth it to see the waves up closer. From a distance, I could tell that the beach was definitely pebbly but it wasn’t till we were on the shore that I was in disbelief at the size of these so called pebbles. They were huge! It hurt to walk on, especially with my weak havianas. We explored both sides of the beach. I collected a heap of pretty shells and pebbles while Josh looked for some crabs & other life forms. The cold began to kick in so we headed back to our house, and called it a night. We cleaned and tidied the house, packed in preparation for the checkout in the next day.
In the morning, we packed everything into the car hurriedly because we didn’t want to waste any time before the trip was over. We drove up to Sorrento, and looked for a place in town to have some breakfast. We came across what I reckon is the best toy store I’ve ever been to. I love quirky, cosy stores in small towns – you don’t find them in the city. It was called Geppeto's Workshop. There were so many toys I wanted! Music boxes! GAH! After a few laps we stopped at Just Fine Food, which is apparently famous for its Vanilla Slice. It had newspapers on the front windows with articles of how spectacular this vanilla slice was. Josh and I both had the big breakfast and of course tried the vanilla slice. And it was so good. Crispy pastry on top, generously dusted with icing sugar, cool and rich vanilla cream, with a crispy jam base. After a good rest, we made our way to the end of the peninsula but found that it was blocked off. The area was ( and still is?) used for military purposes, and the bush was filled with unexploded bombs. We had to wait for a tour bus, or follow the tracks. The bus had just left so we opted for a stroll in the bush. It wasn’t until a kilometre later that we realized the walk would last much longer than anticipated. We didn’t have enough time so we headed back and continued to the Enchanted Maze.
The Enchanted Maze was filled with a heap of gardens, variety of mazes, and brainteasers designed in the land. I had never been in a maze before and was excited to turn on my good sense of coordination, bearings and natural instincts. We were instructed to search for 5 different Buddha statues and find our way to the centre of the maze to the Japanese Garden. It was like a treasure hunt. It was so frustrating coming across the same Buddha statues, but exciting every time we found new ones. We were also racing against the clock as well, because we still had the entire garden to explore. When we finally completed our task, we left and explored a series of gardens – shaped hedges, marble statues, tiled pictures, recycled metal sculptures, and the brainteasers. There were a few mazes that were different from one another. I was curious as to how the 3D maze was going to work. They gave us 3D glasses upon arrival. The maze was inside a building where fluorescent glow-in-dark paint was in the form of frightening creatures on the black walls. There was one room that really rattled me. It was a corridor, with a ramp connecting one side to the other. Around the ramp though, the walls, ceiling and floor were revolving. The 3D effect was so cool but so scary! It felt so real – the creatures were moving and coming to get me. The revolving of the corridor was really clever; it made me really dizzy and left me walking like a drunk. Josh had to hold onto me so I wouldn’t fall so much. Finally, we climbed up towards the tube slides. They were huge slides placed on a sloping hill. You had to drag your inflatable doughnut to the top, plop your bottom in, and they would push you off and you would slide down, spinning out of control. The kids were screaming so much (the loved it). The climb to the top and dragging of my doughnut (both of them) in the heat was such a workout. But it was worth it. Apparently I screamed and screeched so loud everyone stopped and stared. Glad I could attract an audience J. Josh loved it, he was laughing the whole way down, even when he was dragging his doughnut back, he was still laughing. And then, the day was finally over, and It was time to drive back to Melbourne.
I would choose to drive to the beaches on this end over the Geelong and the Great Ocean Road beaches any day. The drive along Great Ocean Road is much more scenic though. But the beaches, sand and water definitely take the cake.
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