Winter is coming...

We awoke this morning to the smell of bacon and campfires - but we weren't camping as you might think but tucked up safe in bed at home.

Although it was forecast to be a pleasant 23 degrees today, my parents thought it was cold enough to put the fire on! (And they'd had a cooked breakfast.)

Don't get me wrong I do like a good fire. Australian homes typically don't have heating, so many (particularly older) houses are built with fireplaces and wood burning stoves to keep the chill off on the coldest winter nights.

But I think its going to have to get considerably colder here before we personally start feeling cold! After camping in Snowdonia, in November, in sub-zero temperatures, with ice on the tent, the word 'cold' takes on a whole new meaning.

Shops over here are full of thermal underwear, electric blankets, hot water bottles, and intriguingly, snow boots and ski wear. The heating is already on where I work.

I think Australia gets as excited about winter coming as Britain does about summer coming!

Here's Nick with the new gate he fitted on the chicken run. Our two chickens are looking so much better now. They have both regrown almost all their feathers, and love kicking around and scratching in the dirt. They are laying eggs on a regular basis too.

Mostly the weather has been sunny and temperatures in the low twenties, perfect for us, but recently we did have a severe weather warning in the Perth area. Coastal areas were hit by storms and strong winds. We live inland so we luckily missed the worse of it. But we did have about three days of heavy rain, that have reinvigorated the garden and carpeted it in luscious green grass. I can't wait for the wildflowers to start blooming and the creek in our garden to start running.

I'm now clocking in at 25 weeks, and currently I'm feeling pretty good with plenty of energy and a ravenous appetite! I'm getting comments from strangers about the bump, and it's maternity clothes all the way now.

I'm absolutely determined to stay as active as possible for mine and baby's sake, so I'm going to keep walking and camping as long as I can. We've got a few hiking and canoeing trips planned to try and fit in before our little one joins us on the outside.


E & N xxx