theheartofliving.com.au

I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me.
To be where little cable cars
Climb halfway to the stars!
The morning fog may chill the air
I don’t care! (Tony Bennett)

I love San Francisco. We traveled there after spending a mad but happy week over Christmas in Anaheim. As fun as Disneyland had been, we were over bustling crowds, crazy queues, merchandise, rides and junk food. We needed to unwind and relax, and San Francisco is the perfect place! Our first real view of the city was watching the fog roll in across the bay from the roof of our hotel, and we were spellbound by it’s beauty. We stayed in a stunning, wonderful apartment at Fairmont Heritage Place, I cannot recommend the hotel highly enough! We only had 4 days in the city, and there was so much to do. We went across to the pretty seaside town of Sausalito and shared burgers and chips with the seabirds, then marvelled at the giant Redwood trees at Muir Woods.

We rode the hop on hop off bus around town. These buses were favourites of ours in each city. They provided a great way of seeing all the highlights of a city and we were able to choose where to get off to explore. Bronte wanted to try ice skating in the outdoor rink and her laughter and smiles while finding her feet on the ice rivalled her Disneyland joy!

Lucas also fell in love with what he called ‘Fran San Disco.’ He left the ice skating to Bronte and made his own fun on the sidelines, laughing with Nanny and dancing up a storm. He danced and sang his way around America much to the entertainment of people passing by.

We visited Alcatraz which was just amazing. You can feel the history of the place. The tour is so well set up with ex-prisoners and prison guards guiding visitors via recorded stories through headphones. We caught the ferry back across the bay and saw the Golden Gate Bridge just poking out through the top of the fog. It is even more spectacular than it looks in photos. The next day we rode across the bridge in an open top double decker bus, the wind blowing a gale! We found our way to the beach close by to the bridge and sat and played in the sand. It was magical.

And of course a trip to San Francisco would not be complete without riding the famous cable cars. I stood on the outside step holding onto the rails as we travelled up and down the steep city hills, and loved every moment. Four days wasn’t early enough in this beautiful city, and we cannot wait to go back someday and experience more of it’s beauty!

Last year I was lucky enough to win a trip to Wolgan Valley Resort through a Tourism Australia competition. Our family just spent a few days at the resort over the school holidays and had a wonderful time. It is part of the ‘Luxury Lodges of Australia’ group and is just an amazing destination. We were all giggling like small kids when we were shown through our cottage on arrival. We decided instantly we would like to live there permanently. Stunning, huge bathrooms, gorgeous bedrooms, our very own indoor swimming pool, cold wine and beer in the fridge. And the views from every window, just sensational. The resort is nestled in a beautiful valley in the Blue Mountains of NSW. As we swam we admired the towering orange cliffs and sweeping green mountains, the perfect blue sky. By the time the kids got out of the pool the views had changed, with the valley now bathed in the golden red colours of sunset. Paradise!

There were lots of fun activities to do too. The kids got to ride horses which they both loved. We all had a go at archery and thanks to a fantastic teacher the kids both hit the target lots of times and were very impressed with themselves! Just before sunset one afternoon we hopped into a safari vehicle and went for a tour around the property. There were lots of kangaroos, wallabies and wombats, and wonderful views of the valley and surrounding mountains. The resort even managed to arrange a nearly full moon to rise over the cliffs as we finished up our safari! It was spectacular.

It really did feel like the staff could arrange a full moon if that’s what a guest wanted. It seemed like if any of us even had a vague thought that we needed something, that it would suddenly appear! Lucas (age 3) was having a typical (but quiet) 3 year old whine that his ice had melted in his drink, and he really, really wanted to eat that ice. Suddenly a whole glass of ice appeared before him. He looked a little tired at dinner. A comfy blanket was delivered to the table. Bronte really liked the look of our dessert even after finishing her own, so tucked into Nanny’s plate. Nanny suddenly had another plate full. Hey kids, don’t get used to this lol! The service was just incredible. Then there was the food. I’m sad to say I meant to take photographs of our beautifully presented, delicious meals, but somehow I forgot. The food was sensational. Top class. The whole experience was.

On the flight home Bronte filled out the QANTAS kids travel journey. Favourite holiday location – Wolgan Valley. Favourite Activity – everything. Favourite Food – Sticky Calamari. What I am Looking Forward to – Going back to Wolgan Valley. Dream on kiddo! It was a wonderful experience and we are all very grateful to Tourism Australia, Wolgan Valley Resort, Manager Joost Heymeijer and all the fantastic staff for a such a great time. Thankyou.

A very long time ago I ran away to the circus with my friend Cindy. Seriously, we caught a bus in New York City and made our way across America until we found ourselves in Illinois. Our friend Libby lived there, and along with teaching and studying at the University she was also an amazing member of the circus. We popped by for a few days and stayed for a few weeks. I learnt to juggle at Gamma Phi, and I sat in on Libby’s classes and learnt about existentialism. I can still juggle, a bit. I still don’t understand existentialism. Fifteen years later I met up again with a bunch of wonderful friends at our camp reunion in America, and Libby told me that she would come to Australia to visit. And she did. We have just spent a couple of fantastic weeks with Libby and John in Melbourne. They are full of energy and fun and on this particular day had a wonderful time at Woolamai chasing waves with the kids. Thanks for visiting guys, it was awesome!

I have known Susan for quite a few years now. She is a very talented photographer and the first friend I made when I ventured into the photographic community, and since then we have had many fun times, smiles and laughs together. Susan smiles alot, but never so wide and so true as the smile I have seen on her face since the day she met her now fiancee Campbell. It was wonderful photographing them together with their kids, a fun, crazy, loving tribe.

We chased the late evening sunshine around Abbotsford Convent but once it had sunk below the horizon we weren’t quite ready to finish up. As difficult as it can be to photograph in fading light, I am glad we stuck around. We found some more awesome locations in the Convent grounds and finished up watching hundreds, perhaps thousands of bats flying overhead when the sky turned dark.

Susan and Campbell, I am so happy for you both, and cannot wait to see even bigger smiles on your wedding day! I hope you enjoy your photos.

With the burning sun high in the sky one hot, summers afternoon, Rachel, Colin and their lovely kids met me at my favourite park so we could find some shady areas to have some fun. There were bubbles to blow, see saws to ride and trees to climb, then the drinking fountain made a perfect place to cool down. Thanks for a great afternoon guys, I hope you enjoy your photos.