Last weekend, four very giddy ladies set off for a cosy winter escape to the south coast. My lovely friends Amber, Jess, Kate G and I packed up and left the kids in the capable hands of our wonderful hubbies so we could enjoy a little 'girl's only' retreat!
We stayed at Jess' beautiful family coast house and to say we were excited about a child-free weekend would be the understatement of the century!!!
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| I made Chocolate Bark to nibble over the weekend. I think it was all gone by the first night!!! (And I made double this batch, haha). Dark chocolate, sprinkled with cranberries and toasted pistachios, almonds, chia, sesame and sunflower seeds and salt flakes. Mmmmmm. |
All in all, it was blissful.
Truly could not have been better... all I had been daydreaming of and more. We stayed up chatting till almost 1am both nights, then slept in till almost 10am both mornings! Scandalous, haha! It seriously felt sooooo decadent, to have no noise and no compulsion to get up for anything. The peace and quiet was just amazing. And we just talked, talked, talked. About... you know... everything and nothing :) Oh, and ate. And drank tea by the fireside as it poured down outside. We watched movies, read books and even crafted!! Well, two of us (cough, cough, Jess&KateG, clever ladies!) crafted mostly ;) I was encouraged to get in on the act even though I have noooooo crafty skills.... and managed (with much coaching from a patient Kate G) to create a cute little felt bunny. I was pretty proud of him, haha and felt immensely satisfied when it was done. I can hardly bear to gift him to the kids, lol!!!
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| This iPhone pic pretty much sums up the weekend - roaring fire, chocolate, nail polish, chai tea and crafty remnants :) |
We strolled down the main street of the sleepy little coastal town, digging through op shops for treasure and meandering through fancy clothes stores.... just relishing the opportunity to browse without little people tugging sleeves and requesting food. The second day was blustery, chilly and more than a little overcast... but we eventually managed to extract ourselves from the fireside to have a coffee at a charming local cafe and wind our way down to a secret beach with the most amazing rocky shoreline.
I cannot begin to tell you how refreshing it was. I was so thankful for a chunk of time with such inspiring, amazing women. How good it was to soak up their good hearts and weighty life stories. How indulgent it felt to just chill out and listen to good music and chit chat about favourite artists and concerts. How peaceful it was to just sit.... to eat only when we felt hungry, to potter through the day with no agenda, no rush and no one else to tend to!
It was rejuvenating and delightful and I am very grateful to this dear trio for inviting me along on such an amazing escape. I am still daydreaming about our time - yes, it already seems like a dream!!!
I highly recommend getting together with your friends for a weekend escape :) Keep it simple, book it well ahead (we coordinated our calendars three months ago!) and just enjoy the company of friends and a change of pace. A step outside of the every day is always nice!
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| I can't believe I somehow made this cute bunny!!?? Ok, he is only about 2.5 inches long and I had a lot of instruction (thanks Kate G!!) but goodness me, you would have thought it was the Mona Lisa, I felt so satisfied, haha!!! I am really not crafty so I just was in shock I think ;) |
I was also thankful to take some mental space (as I love to do when I get away) to reflect on God's provisions in my life. He guides me through life's ups and downs and provides reprieves where it is needed. He blessed me greatly with this weekend, and encouraged me through the generous spirits of three dear friends... one old, two new, all amazing :) There was a bit of a water theme this weekend it seemed, with rain and oceans and creeks. While the rain trickled down, I was thankful for moments of peace to reflect on the streams of Living Water that flow through me and give purpose to my days. God is good :) It kind of reminded me I should go back to the Source a little more often!
Sooo....
We were so chilled out I could barely bother to take any photos (that chocolate wasn't going to eat itself, you know!!) but on the last day I grabbed a few snaps as we packed up the house (sniff!) and checked out a magic little beach....
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| Baby, it's cold outside (so we just huddled inside by the fire!) |
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| A beautiful bush/beach retreat :) |
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| Coastal Cafe |
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| It was grey and stormy and the waves sure were crashing! |
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| We picked our way down a precarious path to a secret little beach. As we reached the cliff top, I started shrieking 'Dolphins!!! Dolphins!!!!!!!!'. Yeah. I'm not one to play it cool. Seeing a pod of beautiful dolphins (about four?) playing around just a hundred metres from shore totally made my day :) |
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| We managed to balance the camera and the timer to get a group shot... barely making the frame! Amber, Jess and Kate - thanks girls, for a perfect weekend. I feel truly grateful to know you :) So inspired by you all! |
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| The most amazing beach filled with beautiful textural stones. It was so enchanting to dig through them all, so pretty! We took a few home for the kids to enjoy too :) |
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| Tiny black pebbles made up the shoreline |
A magic beach, a magic weekend. Sigh.
Great memories to tide us over - till next time!! ;)
PS It was also wonderful to wind our way home early Sunday evening, to be greeted by my champion husband (he said he had a super fun weekend with the kids) and a clean house, dinner ready, and three hysterically excited kids (bearing freshly picked flowers) who had already been fed and bathed. What a welcome!!! They inundated me with more cuddles than a mother could ever hope for. Coming home is the best bit, after all xx
Gorgeous photos- so nice you could enjoy that time away !
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