February 15 relaxing in tranquillity

 

Early morning over the lake

I grew up near a lake but had almost forgotten how beautiful early morning is as the mist rises slowly off the water. A wonderful start to the day.

Yesterday it took a good part of the day to pack the car (with over a month’s supply of stuff), drive out to pick up the van and then get out of the city to one of our favourite places and finally unpack the car into the van. It was a long process and then on the way there was a partial highway closure because of fires; we are totally safe. It’s almost two years since we’ve been in the van and it was like coming home. And here we are, barely 50km north of Ballarat where I was born, in Beaufort on the lake - the place of my grandmother’s clan. Last time we were in Beaufort was 15 months ago for a gathering of the Cochran clan who emigrated to the area from Paisley (Scotland) in 1852 - they were weavers but they took up employment as shepherds.  It is also where the Buchanan and the Cochran clans formed an alliance at least on a small scale - my paternal grandparents. At our clan reunion my cousin had hired a piper and we sat spell bound for over an hour as he slowly strode back and forth in front of us; there were many a teary eye I can tell you. 

It’s a very nostalgic place for me. That aside it is a tranquil place that we’ve been coming to for years. A place where Lindsay can indulge in bird watching and I can look at plants, fungi and record frogs and just loaf about. Blissful really. 
We spent the day unpacking food out of the car freezer into the caravan freezer and getting settled. We had not had a chance to check the van in fact had not been in the van for 20 months so there was a bit of mucking around (and scratching of heads as we tried to remember how it all worked). But by sundown we were able to flop down with a drink and watch the sky change into its eveningwear.