'Passing the time'

 Nahlia modelling her new skirt... made out of my grandmother's hand-embroidered tablecloth.

 Mum took me to see the Phantom of the Opera... what a nice treat!  It's always fun to dress up occasionally...

 My first attempt at pumpkin sourdough bread.... not bad, but it rose even less than my normal sourdough does.

 Enjoying some Kombucha on a couch covered with fake grass... at a funky cafe in Yungaburra.... 'That Retro Cafe'.

 Nahlia first trike... the beginning of learning her bicycle skills.

 A picnic rug / play rug...

 Another birthday...

 ... which we celebrated at 'Koala Gardens' in Kuranda.

This was amazing to see, but as we lived among wild kangaroos in Melbourne, we realised quickly that these were not real kangaroos...  :(

 Having a splash in a wading pool, Kuranda.

 It started with a new phone cover, then the creative splash went onto a new purse, which I really needed, and finished with a tissue holder..... which gave me a three piece matching set in my handbag!  Totally unplanned, I just followed where the creativity led me!  So fun!

 'Maya Chocolate Pie'... my raw birthday cake..... *drool*!

Reading about peaceful parenting... with Nahlia! Ha!

Loving the water yet again.... enjoying Lake Tinaroo.

Having fun and making friends at Playgroup!

A beautiful sunset at my Mum's place.

... So this is how we've been spending our last few months in Australia!

And now, with four weeks to go until we fly out of Australia, we're slowly getting excited!  There's many little things to do before then, 'tying up loose ends', finishing a few last sewing projects, visiting friends in the area, and plenty of sorting and chucking, and then there's the packing, packing, packing!

The Atherton Tablelands

 Milla Milla Falls

Milla Milla lookout

 Dedicated Dadda brushing dolly's hair

 Packing up the annex for the last time - caravan is SOLD!

 So nice to see you again, Rob :)

 Two red cabbages = 6 large jars of sauerkraut.

Summer days in the tropics

 Lots of songs from Nanna Birdie...

 Raw Borscht from the Boutenko Family ... yum-o!

 A friend of my Mum gave me a Kombucha Scoby... more probiotic fun for me and my tummy!

 Ulf brought this stroller home one day and Nahlia played with it non-stop everyday for about a week!

 More music with Birdie.

 Homemade playdough which worked out really well.... Ken even lent a hand! Ha!

 Nahlia's first encounter with playdough... she loved the feel of it and basically just squished her hand into every colour until they became one colour altogether!

 Mamma's wallet... one of her favourite toys... hmmmm...

We visited my Aunty Ethel in Cairns last week, and had a nice dip in her pool.  It was lovely to see her again and her sewing projects!  It was very encouraging for me, as I arrived in Atherton with two large boxes full of fabric, most of which was ear-marked for certain projects.  Thankfully I've been able to do a lot of sewing here and have knocked off about half of my old projects and squeezed in a few new ones too! Yee-ha!

So I guess it's safe to say that our Australian WWOOF trip has come to an end for now. We have learnt so much and encountered so many different ideas and ways of thinking and living that have been challenging and enriching.  Our dreams and goals for the future have been impacted by all that we have experienced.  Nahlia learnt to walk and talk whilst WWOOFing; something that we'll never forget.  Ah, the last six months have been a blast to say the least....! 

Now we're back into some slow and somewhat settled life at my Mum's place, watching Nahlia learn and grow, being toilet trained, exploring everything, learning new words super quickly, and mastering new playground equipment with intense rapidity!  She loves her 'music' time with Birdie and all the singing and dancing that happens around here!  She amazes us everyday and we're learning so much from her.

We have listed our caravan for sale and have had several people look at it, but no offers yet.  We have adjusted to life in a house once more, after six months in our little home with wheels.  It was such a great little caravan for us and served us well.  We're hoping to find a 'new owner' who will love it as much as we did.

Ulf has been on the hunt for a farm job since the New Year, but as yet has had no luck.  It seems that he missed out on the current season of banana and mango picking, but perhaps he'll find something when the next fruit starts to be harvested, which will be avocados in February.  Yesterday he started a volunteer job at the local Biodynamic and Organic Co-Op, which is one shift of four hours per week.  It's not hard work, but it gives him something to do outside of the house!

At home, Ulf has been helping my Mum a lot in her permaculture garden; laying cardboard and mulch for new garden beds, planting out, and pruning.  WWOOFing for my Mum - hahaha!

We are also preparing for the long journey to Germany that lays before us in March.  Emptying the caravan out has prompted another 'chuck out' of excess belongings, which always feels good, but somehow being so close to our destination (in time) now makes it harder for me to throw things away!  Getting my sewing projects done also reduces the amount of our 'stuff', but produces more items to pack!! Arrggh!

Our thoughts are also turning to Germany and all that might enfold there.  Will we go WWOOFing there?  Will we settle at Ulf's parent's home for a while?  Will we start a new adventure of own?  We once again find ourselves in the midst of the excitement of dreams, hopes and wishes for the next chapter of our adventure...