At this solstice time of year we are usually on the move in some warm exotic location where the skies don’t darken until long after the clock says they should. But currently being south of the equator means that I get to celebrate my first “winter” solstice in June, and Clare marks the occasion of my birth (just three days after the solstice, on the 24th) with a surprise trip out of town. Considering that we haven’t travelled anywhere further than the grocery store in the past three months, packing up the car for an extended getaway feels like a launch to the moon.
The sun is out and we enjoy the vibrant final blush of autumn as we make our way into the surrounding hillside, even stopping to enjoy the murmur of a local waterfall. We find the picturesque cottage fitted with a woodstove and a stack of firewood on the deck outside. No longer worried about the excessiveness of heating a massive house in Melbourne, we are happy to throw another log on and let the heat crank in our snug cottage for two. Once comfortably lounging in single layers for the first time since our foray into tropical Queensland, our bodies are more inclined to find each other’s skin offering distraction which perhaps has been a bit distant of late.
Nevertheless, we manage to rouse ourselves from the bed and assemble a delightful Alaskan birthday breakfast before making our afternoon appointment for the nearby fabled springs of Hepburn Valley, where we soak for several hours with some of the pools all to ourselves. We regain our land-legs back at the cottage where I’m introduced to a massive collection of awaiting birthday cards that I carefully relish while sipping one of my many birthday beers (thanks again Brett).
My spirits now utterly buoyed, Clare takes me to a fire-warmed restaurant where I enjoy what undoubtedly will be my favorite meal of the year. We finish the evening with brownies and ice cream back home in front of the fire and watch a film about one of my all-time favorite animals…sharks. And no, it wasn’t Jaws, though such would have been far less terrifying than Open Water. A film based on true-events in which a married couple surfaces after a paid-for scuba dive only to realize they’ve been left behind because of a failed head-count by the crew of their dive boat–a potential scenario that hits far too close to home for us! As much as we are missing our life on the water, I’m glad that Clare took me to some hot springs rather than to the open sea this birthday.
She even manages to piggieback our midweek getaway into a weekend stayover at our friends’ place in the coastal surf town of Torquay, where the typically fickle sun blazes for our entire stay. Daniel and Tayna, ever the generous hosts, fill our bellies with all of nature’s delights–including an unexpectedly delicious chocolate zucchini slice–and have us hike/biking through forest trails to hidden beaches.
We find ourselves back once more in our chilly house under grey Melbourne skies, but at least now I have a whole host of well-wishing cards and gifts to throw some color on my days. Apparently some of you have sent things that haven’t yet arrived, so fingers crossed that such will eventually find its way, but regardless, I feel the love and appreciate all of your heartfelt gestures. Thanks to everyone who helped make this a very special birthday indeed during this otherwise unfortunate year.
