Time to write. Write?? Yes, write. Riiiiight. (need words!)

I’ve been looking forward to today – but …

Today is a day I’ve been looking forward to for quite some weeks – my two kids have returned to school and I’m not working. For the first time in ages, I can write. Yay! But – ohhh.

I can say that I have the two most wonderful children in the world (yes, I am completely impartial, and no, I am not forgetting all the times I get frustrated with them). I have a husband who goes above and beyond in terms of coordinating our lives – for the main part, he is in charge of cooking, shopping, running kids to activities, repairs, etc, etc. I am very fortunate. But the one failing they have is that they don’t love me disappearing to write for extensive periods.

I get that. I work four days a week, I keep agreeing to be part of different activities which keep me out at least a couple of nights a week. I try (fairly pathetically) to fit in some fitness. Writing is another distraction, and a reason I am not focusing on being together. I understand the need they have for together time, and I want that as well.

Consequently, I find it extremely tricky to write when they are at home. That’s been especially true this summer given I worked for most of these school holidays. Everything happens later into the evenings, especially due to the never ceasing broadcast of cricket (son and husband are obsessed), and it is hard to get up early when you don’t get to bed on time. So, rather than feeling guilty about sacrificing time with them, I gave in. I hardly wrote at all, I did other things instead, and I loved it.

And I left writing to another time – when I would have time, and something to say. Which I thought would be today.

But now I don’t know what to write!

 

What to write??

This year is about making progress in a number of areas of my life. So I could write a bit about that:

1. I could tell you about the start I am making, in terms of building in better food into my diet (one meal a day), cutting back on diet coke, and trying to get into a habit, a routine, of a simple exercise program I do daily. But it is early days – the habits haven’t yet formed. The routines are getting developed. I’m discovering some mental barriers and system improvements (yes, even for the small changes I am starting with). But I should be a bit further along before I talk about it, probably.
2. I could tell you about the next steps I am planning to put into place around bigger issues. I have the folder made up, I’ve collated a series of spreadsheets to fill in and daily schedules to work out. But, until these are actually worked through, it seems a little pre-emptive, don’t you think?
3. Or I could ask you – what do you think I should focus on with this blog? Because one area (yet to be tackled), is a better focus and presentation. It feels like a diary – which is fine – but I am not sure that is so interesting for other people. I would like this blog to have more purpose, and I have some ideas. But I’d love to know yours, too!

 

Letting the pictures do the talking 

But I won’t go with any of those ideas. Not yet.

I’m still lingering, a little, with the thoughts of the start of the year. And I want to share a couple of photos of some lovely beachy places we went to on the mornington peninsula. One our standard stamping ground. The other somewhere new for us.

It’s been a glorious summer, for the most part (and yes, I know it isn’t over), and we have discovered some lovely places which you might be interested to visit, too. Why don’t I do that, then? Right – settled. Making some progress!

 

Mt Martha’s beaches

So many images I could share here! My childhood has been spent at the numerous beaches at Mt Martha and Mornington.

This summer we have flitted between quite a few different locations, kayaking near the pier in Mornington, heading down the cliff to our local beach, walking the dog along the dog friendly sections, and taking long walks (occasionally breaking into jogs) between long sections.

But these photos, with my husband’s side of the family on Christmas night are probably my favourite – taken at Mt Martha South Beach:

The full moon was so bright that night, it almost looks like daytime (but no – these are taken in sequence, and it is dark in this last photo). Pretty special.

 

Fingal Beach (and on to Gunnamatta)

On the other side of the peninsula, and a bit further south, are the surf beaches. We don’t tend to spend a lot of time there, but now we have discovered some lovely spots, that might change!

After walking for about 1.5km through a path shaded by tea-trees, and walking down nearly 500 steps, you come to this sight:

Fingal beach

 

Perfect for exploring, a bit of swimming in the deeper rock pools, without any others around, or the risk of rips.

Gunnamatta

Keep walking around the coves (partly because you miss the walkway back up – but let’s not dwell on that) and you reach the contrast of glorious expanse of sand and beach that is Gunnamatta.

Here, you would only swim in pretty tightly patrolled areas – certainly for us.

But it is also great for sand jumping, and races, down the dunes. Lots of fun!

Lots to look back on – and lots to look forward to – as the words slowly start to take shape again. The words will come, and I am looking forward to that. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the progressive unrolling of this year, 2016.

 

How was your summer?