On leave

I’m taking a holiday. It’s impulsive, which is a good thing for me. I’m flying to Phuket on Wednesday 3 March for 11 nights.

My brother booked a ticket last year to the UK but at the last minute couldn’t go, so he had to select a new flight to keep the credit. He picked Phuket in March 2010. He runs his own business, and told his apprentice that he would be taking leave in March, so his apprentice asked if he could go too. They are good mates. Then the apprentice invited his brother. And at the last minute – about 3 weeks ago – I invited myself.

So two pairs of brothers are off on a tropical holiday in Thailand! I haven’t been away with my brother for years, and have never been away without my wife and daughter. It will be hard…

We are staying at Karon beach for 5 nights, which will be all about sitting in the sun, sitting in the pool and reading. We’ll visit Patong beach, Phuket city and play golf. Then I hope to convince the guys to get a ferry or speed boat across the bay to Krabi. The guys don’t know it yet, but I’m taking them there so I can live out a dream. But I think they too will like what I'm planning ...

When I was 21, a friend and I booked flights to Kuala Lumpur with the plan of staying a few nights, then getting the bus across to Thailand. To Krabi. We wanted to go rock climbing on the limestone cliffs that characterise that region: I’d been doing indoor rock climbing each week at Nunawading, and wanted an adventure and to do some outdoor climbing for the first time.

But it didn’t happen – soon after booking this trip, I decided to spend my savings on renting an apartment in Hawthorn. So it goes.

Ten years later, almost exactly, I’ll get the chance to climb at Rai Ley beach with my brother and new friends. I hope we take a ride in a long boat, do some diving and deep sea fishing, and maybe a trip in to the jungle. And eat heaps of great food. It will be amazing to finally visit this place.

Check back soon for my next blog, coming to you from Thailand.

Breakfast out

My daughter turned 2 last Friday, and to celebrate I did what all Dad’s surely do with their kids at this age: I took her out for breakfast.

Before our Little Girl was born, her Mum and Dad had a routine: on Saturday morning’s we went to the café for raison toast and coffee, to read the paper and have a chat about the week. We did this in Wangaratta and kept it going when we moved to Ballarat.

Little Girl was born on a Tuesday, and after a good stay in hospital we were set to take her home on the next Saturday morning. My wife was worn out and had cabin fever from being inside a hospital for nearly a week, so we went to the café on the way home – with a brand new baby. She slept the whole time, others adored her and we enjoyed having her out with us.

The routine continued from there: we took her out each weekend and started to try out new places that were suitable for littlies. Now it’s something I do with her, and my wife takes some time out. We have settled on a place in Sturt Street, it’s her favourite and mine.

She is now a fully fledged café regular, and knows what she wants when we get there – she asks for a coffeeeeee and a discuit, please. But not last week – this was special, her second birthday, so she was able to have hancakes and coffeeeee. I had bircher muesli, and coffee too.

We had great fun, just the two of us sharing breakfast early on a Friday. Good times.