Take a hike

We had the wonderful idea of a family hike out to the Swan View Tunnel today, being that it was a public holiday and everyone could join us. 

It was great. We got out to the tunnel, everyone was happy... having a good time...

Then we got out the other side and Alex happened.

This was my last piece of enjoyment. To my right, Alex has thrown himself on the ground and yelled, "I don't wannnnnnt to." No amount of love and cuddles or anyone else offering could convince him otherwise. It was game over.

We had to go back to the car, I had to carry him and he was not walking for anyone or anything.

Fun times, fun times.

So please, with my compliments enjoy everyone else's photos that I got to see afterwards when they returned an hour later, after I had been sitting in the car with a disagreeable toddler. So fun.

a stroll at the tunnel

it's the first day of school holidays for us here in wa and as luck may have it, it's also a public holiday so dad is home! so much to the disgust of our children, we decided to go outside and for a decent walk. we had actually decided to go to balls rapids (as we've lived right by it for 6 years and still haven't been!) but when we drove up, there was literally about 100 cars there... so we decided the swan view train tunnel was a better option.

for a kid that didn't want to go, he was pretty keen on the walk!

last time we brought the kids out here, alex was still in the pram. this time he loved running through the tunnel and splashing in the puddles left from all the rain we've had!

i have always been a huge fan of the tunnel. it looks so amazing, just there in the middle of the bush. i actually said to doug this visit that i wondered why they had closed it after so much effort... and when we came out the other end, i realised there was a bunch of signs with the history printed and in pictures. turns out, after all that work, it was a ventilation issue - all the smoke from the train was a hazard to the passengers and employees, so eventually a new track was constructed (around through the rock again) that bypassed the tunnel. 

it's a lovely walk, as the track is high on a ridge with a valley of bushland running down beside you, just a little horrifying with a three year old who seemed determined to dance along the edge

because as you can see behind us, it's quite the drop!

it was a lovely day, heaps of wildflowers blooming and cheerfully lining the track

i actually wish you could smell these - they smell like heaven!

and we all had a really good time.

i honestly wouldn't want to live anywhere else but here. i love the trees and the bush that just seem to go on forever.

of course we had to climb all the rocks, pick everything up, wander wander wander... walks are always so much longer with children. i remember when i was very small (maybe 4 or 5 years old) my grandfather joseph came to stay with us on the farm so that he could paint the house for my parents. we would go walking around the paddocks and he would walk so slowly, so he could look at everything. it was so nice to be with him and spend that time. he was my absolute favourite and i still look back on that time with love.

joseph didn't want to walk back through the tunnel but everyone else did, so we walked around the ridge and chatted, mostly about nintendo and lego (insert yawns and eyerolls here from me!)

then it was time to go back to the car and head back to the swan valley for the promised reward of icecream and a play at oggies cafe.

a walk with the boys

while maddie has been off enjoying a sleepover at the pinkers, joseph was miserable because he wanted to be there too. it was almost funny, but i started to feel sorry for him when he kept asking over and over when maddie was coming home. so i found him something to do yesterday that would entertain him for a couple of hours.

i bundled both the boys up into the car along with the pram and josephs little bike and drove out to the old train tunnel in swan view. joseph has been dabbling with riding the bike without training wheels for a while, but just wasn't committing to it, but recently he's been riding around the grass at the park and getting his confidence up so i figured it may do him some good.

i wasn't wrong! the minute we go onto the walking trail, he was off, leaving me behind in his dust as i pushed alex along. we got to the tunnel and actually walked all the way through (last time we came almost two years ago he was having none of it) which i will never do again with a pram, because it was near on impossible... i ended up having to swap the handle over and put the big wheels first, but it was worth the effort to make the boys happy.

success! out the other side. we set off again and joseph rode along 50 or so metres in front of me the whole time like he was embarrassed to be seen with me haha.

eventually i told him it was time to turn around so that we didn't get too far from the car and risk him complaining the whole way back and the little monkey sped off and took the trail back while i freaked out the entire walk back because i couldn't see him and worried he could have gotten lost or fallen down the drop down by the path. ohhhh being a mum is scary sometimes.

but... when i finally made it back there he was sitting patiently on a rock by the carpark. i was unimpressed, but very grateful he was safe.

we did have a lovely afternoon though and i was so impressed with joseph's newfound riding ability. it won't be long before he's got it perfect!

joseph's favourite part was when i let him climb up this giant rock and stand on the top where he could see for ages.

i guess being a boy mum isn't all that bad. ❤

the blue boathouse, kings park and the swan view tunnel

i am truly trying to pack as much into each day as i can while sam is holidaying with us. so today we set off on an adventure that lasted us the entire day. after the kids were safely packed off to school again, we headed for perth city! off to kings park (of course, who doesn't take overseas visitors to kings park?!) but first off, a stop at the blue boat house on crawley bay. you can read about it's history here. it's always had a firm place in my heart, doug and i even had some of our wedding photos taken by it all those years ago. 

it's so pretty, i couldn't resist showing her. i was just hoping the whole time that she didn't think i was a total weirdo,

but judging by the smile on her face in this pic, i'd say she liked it just fine. 

next stop, the top of perth - kings park. baby alex was dying for a feed by then, so we dropped sam off to do the tree top walk while we went and found a shady spot to sit at the pioneer womens memorial.

 i was talking to mum on the phone for a few minutes while he lay on the lawn and oh my word, we were fully being stalked by magpies! poor alex was completely unaware, while those black and white beaky fowls circled him waiting for an in. until i yelled at them, threw a wipes container and clapped my hands a few times. i must have looked like a freaking fool, but i swear they were plotting to have him for lunch. not on my watch mate!

we stopped off for some pics of the perth skyline from the front of the park...

(views for dayssss)

before heading back to ellenbrook for school pick up. damn kids. 

after school was off to the old swan view train tunnel in the john forrest national park. i love the bushy walk out to the tunnel with its gorgeous views (because really, this right here is australia!)

and the tunnel itself is amazing too. (you can read here about why it was closed off.) it's design and old style are super cool and i love going on to look at it.

this little dude wasn't too impressed with the situation, and skulked about a bit, refusing to go in, while sam and maddie had a look around. what a cute angry face he has!

cuddles with mum helped a little, and he was happy to wait until they were done so we could walk back.

what a gorgeous view huh!

highlight of my day though, had to be taking sam to have her very first golden gaytime. only the best australian icecream ever (if you haven't tried one yet, there is something wrong with you and you should immediately) whose name has somehow survived possible banning and stayed strong as an aussie icon. they are delicious!

cheers sam! here's to the best time you'll ever have in australia haha!