Camping!

Ok, so here it is, finally!! Camping! The adventure we embarked on one fine Saturday morning in January, albeit a few days later than planned due to rain and flooding!

We arrived in St Helens (at Dora Point) to set up camp in a humid 28 degrees! We didn't have the worry of trying to find a decent camping spot as Suzi had already set up in a good spot a few days earlier. I left Larry and John (Bos) to set up the tent, as Larry and I always differ (heatedly) on how and where to set it up! Suzi, Eg and I took the two boys (and assortment of dogs) to the beach to cool off and play in the sand!

Our tent (and Spud)

Sebastian spent most of his (sleep) time sleeping in the stroller under the trees! He did have a bed in the tent!

Suzi's camp (we had a short driveway and a Y shaped camp - we were on the right, she was on the left)!

We spent a very relaxing week camping in beautiful warm weather! Only one light shower as far as rain went, and one overcast day compared to the 200+ mm of rain that had fallen in St Helens (and surrounds) the few days before we arrived! We spent many hours just sitting and reading or talking, playing on the beach with kids and dogs, swimming (for the brave as the water is quite cold), surfing (aka body boarding), sitting around the fire and fishing. We didn't get in as many walks as we would have liked, but we had to leave something for next time!

'The' fishing spot (at high tide, you could only fish off these rocks at low tide)

Every man and his dog (fishing)! The dogs were no longer allowed to go fishing after Spud ate the bait and Bella (Patrick's dog) ate something and got sick!

Quinlan having a turn at fishing (gotta start them young!)!

Look Daddy! A fish! (not an edible one, it was a Rass which Larry put in a rock pool so Q didn't start thinking that fish don't have heads!! It was returned to the water, a bit stunned but none the worse for wear!)

This one is edible! Patrick with an Australian Salmon (I think this was the biggest one they caught)!

The boys had a blast playing on the beach and in the makeshift sand pit at our camp site. Sebastian tried gourmet food, aka beetles (yep, that one was accompanied by a very strange face), an assortment of leaves, twigs, sticks and rocks and then proceeded to eat half of the camp site! Quinlan tried his hand at fishing and surfing (on Daddy's 'boat').

The beach!

Running on the beach (for once he didn't make a beeline for the water)!

It didn't last long though! Having fun with Aunty Suzi in the water!

We had a very enjoyable week, and came home relaxed, tanned and energized for the new year. We thank our Heavenly Father that He gives us such opportunities to spend time together and relax as a family!

I hope to be back in the next few days to add some more photos and edit this post! Right now, the photos are misbehaving and disappearing and I don't have the patience to find them!

Til then.....