Day to Day

Road trip :: Bruny Island

We all piled in our Territory on the weekend and headed over to Bruny Island.  It was nice to do something a little bit on impulse - deciding we were going and jumping in the car an hour later.  Love that!

Here we are on the ferry - well, here's the car on the ferry...

The weather was kind to us and we eventually made it around the entire island, soaking in the scenery as we went.

While we drove, I squeezed in some crochet.  It grew quite a bit more than in the photo below, but sadly I had to unpull most of it when I arrived home because I accidentally joined a different shade of white/cream to it while we were touring.  I know.  Super annoying.

Oh and here's one of the best bits about returning home.....a teenager that's very keen to earn extra money at the moment - hello car cleaning....

How was your weekend?

Driving...

{Driving....in the rain, to the video shop, a birthday party and school pick up - instagram photos on my phone}

It only seems like yesterday that I was picking up my new car, but it was actually way back at the beginning of August.  I know, that's nearly four months worth of driving and only 8 months of driving left before I have to hand it back.  Can you imagine the pain when this happens?

{Driving....down the street, shopping, school drop off and into town for a service - instagram photos on my phone}

I've spent a lot of time driving around in the Ford Territory and people are always asking me if I really love it.  Yes, I love love love it!  It's delightful to drive, cute & stylish and has the best boot space ever...which I am quite capable of filling up with groceries, op-shop purchases, Christmas shopping and all sorts of other goodness.

{Driving....with Bella - instagram photos on my phone}

My little odometer has clicked over 8000 kilometres since August.  A lot of that mileage was from our fantabulous Great Ocean Road/Adelaide trip (such awesome times!) but I'm also surprised just how much time I spend in my car around home - post office trips, school pick up, groceries, weekend travelling, video store on Fridays and twenty million drives to the local shop for milk, bread, etc... 

Sometimes I think I need to cull my road time down just a little bit and not do so many kilometres. What about you....do you spend too many hours driving in your car?

The games we play on the road

During our road trip we've been playing a little game in the car.  We call it 'punch Territory' and what that means is that every time you spot another Ford Territory on the road, you call it out and lightly punch the person closest to you.  Don't worry - our punches are more of a light tap on the arm, so nobody is harmed during the process!

In Geelong (just out of Melbourne) the game got a little out of hand because it seemed like every second car was a Ford Territory, so we had to call a momentary truce for punches and instead just do the call out.  It's fun to do, gets everybody on the look out for similar cars and often causes great hysterics of laughter.  There's a rule that you can't punch twice for the one car, so you really need to be on the look out!

Apart from car spotting, we have also seen some other pretty fabulous sights on our trip.  Here are a few of them:

• Kangaroos
• Emu
• Ducks & geese, rosella parrots, cockatoos & good old sea gulls
• Rabbits
• Shetland ponies, cows, sheep & goats

• Acres upon acres of pine plantations

• Lots of long, straight roads!

• A crane on the road

• Hay bales

• A giant crayfish

• An old drott

• Lakes, oceans, rivers & dams

• Beautiful old buildings, many scattered in country paddocks

• Antique shops, op-shops, department stores, petrol stations & a whole lot of country bakeries filled with delicious food and hot chocolates!

Of course there have been so many more wonderful things to see along the way - these are just a few that we've spotted.

It's an amazing country that we live in!  Here's to a lot more road trips & plenty more 'Punch Territory' spotting. 

Vlog - Road trip!

We had a lot of driving to do today in the Territory, so it was perfect for putting together a little vlog while we were in the car.

It's pretty bumpy and boring, but the ridiculous (and embarrassing) bloopers at the end are well worth wading through the first part of the vlog, I promise.  The rest of the family feature in there as well, also showcasing their talents in the blooper section ;)

Yours in road tripping and silly business,

Geelong to Aireys Inlet

We had a date with the Ford Discovery Centre this morning, which is based in Geelong.  It was a really interesting morning and we had the pleasure of having a mini tour downstairs with Mark (Director) and upstairs we met the lovely Brian, who happens to be the original Ford Territory Engineer.  He told us all about the concept behind the Ford Territory and the process of getting a car (like the Territory) into production. 

We also saw the prototype Territory and lots of other cool old vintage Ford cars.  I think Mr Goodsell wanted to move into the Discovery Centre permanently.  I am not joking.

There were lots of interactive displays for kids there too, so while the adults were talking cars, James and Bella were creating (yes, crafting!), playing games and learning about cars in a fun environment. 

Thanks so much for a super fun and enjoyable morning Ford.

In the afternoon we left Geelong and slowly drove to Aireys Inlet.  We stopped off at Torquay, Bells Beach and Anglesea, just pottering around the towns and wandering around like tourists.  Tonight we're staying in a delightful little rammed earth cottage - Split Point Cottages.  There's a wood heater (bliss!) which we have churning and I'm about to do some crochet and have a wine.  This afternoon we played family tennis and the girls cooked dinner - the boys did the cleaning up.

Life is good!

Sarah (from Belles Familles) - we found that quaint little coffee shop that you recommended, at the base of the light house today.  It was closing as we arrived, but we're going back tomorrow! 

Melinda - We found the op shop in Anglesea, but didn't find any treasures.

Packing for the road trip!

Today is the day that we head off on our 18 day road trip in the Ford Territory.  Hooray!  As you read this, we'll be busy driving up to the north of Tasmania to start the first leg of our journey.  The excitement has been building all week and the car is all shiny, clean and sparkly in readiness to start our drive.  

We've squeezed in suitcases and all sorts of extras - don't worry, there's still plenty of spare room for any shopping purchases along the way and extra goodies that we accumulate.  I love that the Territory is super roomy like that - if only you could actually see how huge that giant car fridge really is & the best bit?  It connects straight into the plug in the boot area, so it will be fabulous for keeping our milk/butter and essentials nice and cool along the way. 

What else does one take on a family road?  Well, here's a peek at what some other goodies that we have packed:

To make the most of the DVD entertainment system in the car, I caved and bought some brand new DVDs for our trip. Richard also caved and bought series one of The Smurfs too, so there's a whole heap of goodness for the kids to watch along the way.

I bought Pictureka last week, after one of my lovely blog readers told me about it.  We're pairing it with UNO to take away with us for night time playing.

Even though we're going to mostly rely on the Satellite Navigation system in the car, I think it's useful to have a road atlas or map of some kind on hand.  Not for looking up roads or destinations, but just to see the whole leg of our trip in one snapshot, you know?  Bella especially loves to draw her finger along our main road of travel and I think it's nice to be able to whip out the atlas for such things.

Travel journals!  We've always encouraged our kids to record their holiday thoughts in a journal on trips.  It's a fun way to document their days and makes for very interesting reading in years to come.

My crochet. Remember the vlog from a couple of weeks ago? Well, I'm all crochet-ready and a little nervous as to how much that I'll actually get done during the trip.  I'll keep you posted how it's going!  

Remember the Geocaching first aid bag that I sewed last summer?  We packed it full of band-aids, tablets, lip balm, asthma puffer and all sorts of other ailment cures.  We're keeping this nice and handy in the boot of the car, ready to pull out if needed - fingers crossed it will stay nicely nestled in the back.

Ahh, yes - would a road trip be complete without some sweet treats? I think not. 

We have so many other goodies packed too, including one of those giant clear tubs that's full to the brim with some grocery staples for the first few days.  I'm impressed by all the storage room in the Territory, it's so good to be going on this road trip and not be squished in like little sardines.

See you soon - if I can figure out how to install my mobile broadband successfully, I might even blog from the boat tonight.  We'll see how I go.

P.S. I'm on Instagram now and will be sharing lots of photos from our trip along the way - if you would like to follow me, my username is: one_crafty_mumma

Ford adventure album

Quite a few of you have asked whether there is a second Ford Territory adventure album underway for our upcoming Great Ocean Road trip.  Well, yes! I'm going to start work on it tomorrow, but this one won't be an altered book, like the first.  I'm constructing it from manilla folders and an upcoming collection from Tarisota.  I'll share photos soon - I'm super excited to be getting it underway.

Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday tomorrow.

One Crafty Mumma article

Happy Friday! This morning I woke to sunshine (hooray and finally), two boys (big & little) with sore throats and news that there was a nice article about my blog in the newspaper.

 

I was slightly horrified to read the word 'blog' being used twice in the one sentence, but it's a gorgeous keepsake to have and I love Sam Rosewarne's cute photo that he took of us.  

Thank you for your sweet comments of congratulations over the last few days and support. I always tell people that I have the nicest readers in the world and I really do.  Your emails, texts, tweets, facebook fan and blog messages have been lovely to read.  Oh and a big hello (plus wave) to any new readers that are visiting for the first time.

P.S.  If you're visiting for the first time and would like to see some close up photos of our Ford Territory adventure album (on the right in the photo) pop over HERE.  If you're interested in seeing photos and finding out more about our wonderful Hong Kong Disneyland trip, go HERE.  

P.P.S. I'll be back a little later in the day :)

Celebration.

Today was the day for collecting a new car, flowers and a super big novelty cheque.  Not just any new car though, my brand new and shiny Ford Territory diesel!

{iPhone photo}

In less than 3 weeks we're spending that entire cheque and heading off on our dreamy Great Ocean Road trip - from Hobart to Adelaide and home again.  I'll be blogging daily along the way and can't wait to share the journey with you all.  They'll be crafting too, not just all driving and sight seeing.  Hooray!

What an amazing experience these last few months have been and once again I'd like to say a very big thank you to Kidspot and Ford for selecting me as the 2011 Kidspot Top 50 Blogger winner.  If you have a blog or know of a blog that would make a great nomination for the Top 50 Bloggers 2012, I'd encourage you to send an email with the blog link to: cellem@kidspot.com.au  

Let the driving begin!

P.S. A few of the official photos are on my One Crafty Mumma facebook page, pop over and take a peek.

Thank you Kidspot + Ford

Goodness, what an amazing morning I've had - a very big thank you to Kidspot and Ford for selecting me as the 2011 Kidspot Top 50 Blogger winner.  I really have no words, other than I am beyond excited and feel very honoured to have been selected. 

I wish there were prizes for everybody though, truly.  When I met the other 4 finalists last week- Simone from Honey & Fizz, Sandra from $120 food challenge, Eden from Edenland and Kellie from 1000 homes of happiness) - I was blown away at how lovely they all were.  They all had their own stories to tell and were incredible nice and easy to talk to, such awesome girls.  They are pretty much the first real bloggers that I've had a chance to mingle with (in a group) and I was impressed!  So, please pop over to their blogs, say hi and take a peek around.

Thank you also to YOU, my lovely readers xox.  

I'll be off to book our dream trip to the Great Ocean Road very soon - I'll be driving in style too and blogging along the way :)  On a side note, if you have any must stay/must see/must do tips for the Great Ocean Road, I'd love to hear them.

Wow, what a day.  I'm think some celebratory cake eating is in order.

P.S.  Thank you so much for the beautiful Facebook and Twitter messages.