One year on...

This same Saturday last year was my son's 20th birthday , I woke up at my usual time of early o'clock ( anytime between 4-5am) and was making an birthday cake in the kitchen ( probably with a big dog right under my feet) and I was heartbroken. I did not know if Scott would be here for Ru's 21st birthday and the thought of this was just so unbearable but it was a real concern at the time. I sobbed and sobbed and howled and howled and probably dripped tears into cake mix ( not snots  though ) 

This morning , one whole year on, at early o'clock I packed a bag or seven , as usual Haggis dog was under my feet , he was following me everywhere I went and eyeing up the cake that was getting packed for pudding tonight ( thankyou Fiona for baking and Isla for icing ) 

We have travelled a few hours upstate to a stunning part of the country in the Pyrenees , where hill after hill just rolls onwards, where autumn colours are still to be found but lots of bare winter trees along side eucalyptus trees abound. 

Whilst I've packed for every eventuality , my son has packed very minimally! We arrived at a very tiny but perfectly proportioned cottage on the grounds of a winery. With a car emptied ( brand new car that was shiny and black when we left a very rainy Melbourne ....now more brown than black! ) and a bowl of home made lentil soup inside us, Ru and Ben set off on their  bikes. The winery has mountain bike tracks and the owner a keen cyclist , so off they went . We sat on the verandah , enjoying the silence, the views of kangaroos on the top of a nearby hill when all of a sudden they ran down the hill, into our 'garden' paddock , just metres from us . Then they jumped over the fence ( but one wee roo got his leg stuck in the wire....thought I was going to have to administer first aid to a kangaroo but it sorted itself) . It is beyond thrilling to be so near to these fabulous animals. I love them. 

We went out for a brisk walk in the chilly but fresh air , the only sounds were the wind rustling through the eucalyptus leaves, kookaburras laughing  and the occasional bang from a bird scarer on a nearby farm....apparently Jack had ( literally!) just sown his oats and this was to stop the cockatoos eating the seeds....#countrysideproblems. We surprised a big grey kangaroo who hopped off then watched us watching him then hopped off again. The views are stunning and just go on and on as far as you can see. 

Brisk walk back and sat for another wee while on verandah until it got too cool / too mosquito-y.

Then inside our tiny little home and enjoyed dinner of chilli, rice and salad. I am so thankful that one year on I am spending it with my husband and my son, that my tears of last year just fell in a cake .

Living , loving and always laughing .