Home ... and away again!

Finally downloading photos from the last week. And it is almost a full week since arriving home.

This was my view when circling over Brisbane last Saturday morning.

And on the screen in front of my seat.

I was very anxious to get back just so I could stretch out and feel the ground under my feet again. And get a good night's sleep.  The first few days I was very exhausted... a chest infection had played havoc on and off for weeks... so I felt weary from trying to push on when I could have easily given up and rested.

Hence a friend's call to see if I wanted to join her for a few days break down south at the coast was good timing. Did I? At first I mumbled about being too busy. Later that night I phoned and said... "forget that for a joke... I'm coming!"

Heading south ... about 90 mins or so from home ...  is this lovely coastal community of Brunswick Heads.

Photo: Flynn Cowan

These images from the tourist site featuring this area.

I've been passing through here since I was a young girl ... my family had a holiday here when I was very young as it was only 2 hours north of where I grew up.

The centre of town... and the van below reminds one of the predominance of colourful local characters ... it might be a sleepy fishing village but there has been strong counter-culture presence for a few decades in these parts.

Conti is a great cafe that I made myself at home in ... located at 3 Park St, Brunswick Heads... the morning started with coffee and avocado on toast. I was keen to get out my watercolours again... so, settling in at a large table near the front ... with welcome breezes coming from every direction ... I was soon lost in my simple task of working on postcard watercolour paper to my heart's content.

This was an opportunity to play with colour and composition...nothing fancy... the most simple of formats in order to get into the process. Primary task was to enjoy... nothing more.

Having the tags with me was fun too.

After a good four hours session with my paints... talking with various people and tuning in to passers by here and there, I finally said good-bye to our kind hosts at Conti and headed off... eventually for the beach ... but not before a visit to some great vintage and gift shops and a delightful ceramic artist, Lucy Vanstone.

It was threatening to rain by the time we got to the beach in the later afternoon. Walking close to the water's edge was a discovery of small round stones which I was hay to collect and all these mangrove pods, leaves and such. 

I like how this mangrove pod is shooting.

I enjoyed watching the leaves float as the water came and went. Its was so refreshing to be down on the beach fossicking and just breathing the air... didnt matter than the rain was coming! 

Today I was back in my regular life and feeling all the more refreshed for my few days away. Somehow a little of that exhaustion seemed to ebb out... 

I think I will have to make a plan to try and get away a little more often than I usually do.