Seasons come and go.

We had a pretty good summer - lots of beach time. While things were turning for the worse all over the world, we were living life pretty much as per normal here. March came and we finally made it to Bell Rapids. Did a river crossing, which, in hindsight, is not a wise thing to do ever when one is on their own. I harvested my first tomato in early autumn. It was huge and beautiful. I also managed to harvest a little bit of coriander, lettuce and snowpeas. I'm a proud urban farmer.

May came and with it, much cooler autumn weather. It was time to prep for Raya! We made sure this year's Raya was festive. We hung up lights outside and at the courtyard. Our mums sent us baju kurungs and lots of goodies. I cooked up a storm. Mastered my rendang. Baked at least 5 types of cookies. We had all our friends over on the first day. We even had a little grill going in the courtyard for the satay! It was so meriah! My tummy was full. But my heart was fuller.

We went on our first road trip in early winter. We drove all the way up to Kalbarri. We saw the Pinnacles, the Skywalk, Nature's Window, the Pink Lake, the Lobster Shack and everything else in between. We met wild kangaroos and emus. It was thrilling but it was also therapeutic. Shai is such an excellent travel partner. He's mostly calm. Mostly sensible. Well, except when he made me cross the river at Bell Rapids.

Winter was very, very cold and wet this year. We spent a lot of time just snuggling with the cats at home and snacking. My husband decided to get me an early birthday present - a Toyota Echo that I have named Elle.E. She is the cutest little thing. Nowadays, though, he drives her more than I do. I think he secretly enjoys her cuteness too. We let DJDave do the grocery runs and longer drives.

We went on another road trip at the end of winter. This time round, we decided to head south. We did the cape to cape drive that brought us all the way down to Cape Leeuwin, through the Margaret River region, and then up to Cape Naturaliste. It was SO WET and SOOOOO windy! We saw forests, caves, lighthouses, beaches, and the biggest waves I have ever seen in my life!

I know I live a life many can only dream of. Sometimes though (because routines have now kicked in), it gets repetitive and mundane, especially the chores at home. Also, when Shai goes to work, the time I have to myself does get a bit long, so I get lonely. I miss some of the activities and comforts that kept me busy back home. I'm still fairly new to this lifestyle. I will continue to learn how to cherish the sweet, simple life I have been gifted with and live life fully.

I LOVE road trips. This was our first stop. The famous Pinnacles. I was very excited to walk around the place. I took pictures with many, many rocks.