Yesterday we went to Melbourne and found LOVE!

I have a few winter warmer tricks at home to get us through the freezing cold days, but yesterday needed something bigger. Something stronger. Something more hard core than soup, stripey socks and silly dancing to get us through the irritating coughs, sniffles and muddy puddles everywhere.

So we got the girls out of bed a little later than usual. We ate breakfast when they should have already been at school. We piled in the car and headed off to Melbourne.

We were on the hunt for a Turkish coffee grinder and an adventure.
We ate lunch and drank lots of coffee at the always awesome Seven Seeds.

As our waiter placed each plate in front of each of us he whispered a barely audible yum! which was cute and so very accurate.

My salad was made of freekah, corn, chickpeas, pomegranate, rocket and feta and was possibly the best salad I've had all year, if not ever. Bren had kangaroo and the girls thought that was hilarious.

Then we drove through a yarn bombed city street. Royal Parade renamed Royal Granny Parade. Each of the trees wore a colorful decoration. And I wished we had had more time to walk along and admire every amazing work of art. (Watch the video about it here).

Then we walked up and down Sydney Road Brunswick. We admired the new to us shops and decorations and people. We bought some clothes in an op shop, some pies in a Lebanese bakery and a Turkish coffee grinder, some Turkish coffee to try and six small Turkish coffee glasses.

We ate a sandwich dinner at my farmer boy's folks house and then we drove home in the dark. Possibly a bit later than we should have.

My clever, thoughtful boy had left the kitchen stove burning and set up the lounge room fire so all we had to do was light it and we were extra toastie.

When they were tucked into their snugly beds, he told the girls a story of a talking Turkish coffee grinder. They laughed and laughed and all slept through the night for the first time in ages. No eczema, no coughs, no drinks, no nightmares.

We felt happy, like we'd done the right thing by our family by having a day away.

But this morning was a different story entirely.

This morning we woke up a bit late, the little two girls were coughing constantly, Miss Pepper had a rash, they were all three cranky maganky and it took everything I had not to get swept away with the wind and the rain and the storminess.

I had thought that one great day away would mean an easier next few days, but it felt like the opposite. Like it was all so much harder than it should have been.

Never mind. I wont be put off. But maybe next time we'll take two days away instead of the one? Maybe.

And there's only 10 days until the winter solstice and two and a bit weeks until school holidays. We'll be OK.

But if you have some winter warmer tricks up your sleeve, feel free to share. I'm all ears.
Oh and freekah? Been there, done that? Are you a fan?I think I am.

Bye. xx

ps Miss Indi took the top pic. xx