I had resolved to make today the day to get to the shops, reacquaint myself with Myer and potentially, do a little damage to the budget. 

Ray and Caleb had some serious toy shopping to do. Caleb had been saving his weekly $6 in his hand (and $6 in the bank) for a while to buy a toy he saw the last time we were here. Secretly I knew there wasn’t much chance of it still being on special and as they discovered, it wasn’t. Not too disappointed, Caleb chose something else to spend his hard earned money on. This wasn’t a simple task. Ray reported that it took a lot of deliberation, comparisons and supposing. Ray is really good at providing the patience required for these negotiations, whereas I have spent literally years perusing the toy isles with Jye, Aaron and Caleb and have now adopted the countdown system. This means I take a wander along the shelves, look at the toys, listen to the parent/child conversations happening and then return to where Caleb is and tell him he has one minute to decide. When the countdown is complete, I leave and he inevitably follows. This system hasn’t failed me yet, and has secured me valuable shopping time alone as Caleb suggests he and Ray shop the toys and I get released from duty. 

So, I headed to Myer where I wandered aimlessly around, the career fashionista at severe loggerheads with my current “oh so casual” travelling persona. It was pointless buying cute tops and jackets when my daily uniform is now shorts and tshirt. 

I gave up and headed to Lorna Jane where I bought 2 pairs of casual pants that I will get plenty of wear out of here and at home. I also grabbed 2 t-shirts, finally feeling like I had done a little shopping at least. 

We enjoyed lunch in the food court, watching the world walk by. We picked up our mail and I was ecstatic to collect my new bag ordered from Curlybird Designs in Melbourne. Making all original bags and a variety of other items, Kathy is one incredibly talented lady and mum to 3 boys who attend/ed Boronia Heights. It will really brighten up my drab wardrobe! Check out her creations at Curlybird Designs on Facebook. 

Our afternoon gathering at the caravan park was in full swing when we returned there, so we joined the group until it got too chilly to stay outside any longer. It’s moments like these that I think about the Winters in Melbourne we are missing and truly count my blessings.