St Nicholas Day :: blogmas day 6

It wasn’t quite 5am this morning, with only the faintest glimmer of the approaching dawn on the horizon, when the first cup of coffee was poured, the chores done, the last bits packed. By 5.30, we were in the car and sending a road trip selfie to the still-sleeping child we were off to collect.

Said child finally surfaced around 10, alerting us to his presence with a cheeky text. “How the heck are you almost on the freeway already?”. Mate, we’ve got half a day in before you realised the sun was up! We pushed through some gnarly traffic, and landed around 1pm.

The afternoon disappeared in a blur of packing the car, checking into the motel, heading west in search of a German bakery – please don’t ask how many bratwurst and wiesswurst we brought home – and then back to the hotel via the airport. We had big plans to hit our favourite bar at Circular Quay, but it was packed, so instead we wandered the Martin Place markets.

The boy dropped off to celebrate a year lived well at the college end of year party, the mister and I found ourselves a quiet spot for a bevvie or two to celebrate our own year of learning to live without our boy at home.

Two days shy of ten months since we moved him in, and my car is almost as full as my heart. Two whole months of summer fun ahead with all four of my chickens in the nest? Yes please! But first, this weary traveller needs some shut eye before we do it all again in reverse tomorrow, and turn a wheel for the eight hour drive for home and quiet and wide open spaces. And my boy back where he belongs.