HOLIDAYS :: AUSSIE, MATE

Does it feel like every waking moment is spend in the presence of some kind of electronic device? I'm almost surprised I don't plug myself into the wall to charge over night instead of sleeping. I'm sure some of you can relate! One of my fave things about my recent Australia getaway to small town Rockhampton was that it was screen free. That's right – even my cellphone was out of service. While the first day away did make feel a bit like a recovering addict (I kept feeling for my phone to check it!), the subsequent says were so lovely. I traded electronic time for having fun with the Aussie family and kinda feeling like a kid again.

I think it was the curiosity in the unfamiliar place around me that got me feeling all youthful... or perhaps it was just running on a schedule someone else had planned rather (fine by me!). To set the scene, I have to tell you about where I was staying. My husband's grandparent's house is a big lovely home just north of town, surrounded by paddocks, bush and even a mango orchard. I would tip-toe around in my bare feet (not in long grass, mind you!), listening to the frogs croaking in the drains as the sun's warmth hung in the air around me. I was in awe as I watched the colourful birds sing and flutter about (all the while asking Ben "what's that one? What's that one?"), and watched the kangaroos hopping in the distance. Nope, I'm not joking - I was loving the true blue Aussie environment!

I know not everyone enjoys being stuck with the family for extended periods of time, but I can't think of better company. And we all had so much fun! We popped into Dream World and Movie World on our way in and out of the country, we visited gorgeous beaches for a dip, spent the day on the water with snorkelling and boomnetting, and just spent time catching up with our Aussie relatives and hearing heaps of their stories. 

Come to think of it, I don't think it was that lack of cellphones or computers that made it feel like a real break. It was just about being somewhere else, thinking about things you usually wouldn't ponder about, and seeing another style of life that is so unfamiliar to my own. Ben's grandfather would pop into his brother's house to pick up some tomatoes he had grown, and take them home to make delish tomato concoctions for breaky. Later in the day a visitor would swing by and grab some silver-beet on his way out. I just loved it! There's a real community/neighbourly vibe out there that you just don't see in a city like Auckland.

Home again now. While everyone was ready to get back to the city, I did know I would miss that homely feeling over there. Not to mention the frogs croaking in the drains – don't think I'll get over that.

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