Well winter has officially arrived in Oz, so we decided it was time to visit the place we fondly know as ‘Fridgetown’! Who doesn’t love a bit of steamy breath action early in the morning? And living in Perth we don’t get a whole lot of that, so the novelty doesn’t have a chance to wear off!

Our first morning was still and misty. As the sun got higher in the sky the mist began to rise off the dam. It was about then I wondered why I hadn’t packed my thermals!

I love to soak in the country air, views, smells and sounds. It’s such a treat to be down here, and I feel so lucky to have a farm in the family now. Growing up we went on a few camping trips, but this is different. Our children have a chance to feel connected to a place. The barn we camped in was built using saplings we debarked on a previous trip, and this time we helped demolish an old milking shed that was falling down.

The longer we stay down here, the more creative the kids become with their play. At first they’re a bit lost and don’t roam very far from home base. But it doesn’t take long for them to start wandering around the dam, or up the hill amongst the trees. They invented a bush see saw, and of course they managed to find some great muddy puddles to test out their new gum boots!

We took the dogs with us, and being city dogs they just loved the idea of rolling in cow poo. Really?! No pats for you! They also seemed immune to the cold and swam in the dam a few times. But they also liked to keep an eye on proceedings from the side. Poor Dug kept getting ganged up on by the three golden girls. He was definitely the odd one out!

I had a great time taking hundreds of photos using my trusty iPhone. Everyone thought I was a bit mad crouching down and taking pics of everyday objects! But I really enjoyed looking at things from a different perspective. And I even took a farm selfie – cos no one else was going to take a photo of me! I think my hat might have been a tea cosy in a former life 😉

I’ll share some of my favourite and slightly more obscure photos over the coming weeks. Maybe we could have Photographic Friday?! I promise I won’t subject you to all 900 though (yes, I took that many – luckily there were lots of multiples from  slightly different angles. That’ll make it easier for me to cull!).