On Sunday I stepped through my front door for the first time in nine days. As eager as I was to get away, I was just as happy to return home again. As I unpacked our suitcases I reacquainted myself with our dwelling. I walked from room to room, folding clothes, putting away books, replacing toiletries. As I went, I noticed all the little details. The domestic comforts. The meaningful mementos. My favourite colours. Everything was familiar, but seemed to shine in a new light after our short absence. The home body in myself was content. Not long ago I had been feeling fed up with the constraints of home after my eye surgery. It's so good to really feel again that there is no place like home. Absence, it seems, does indeed make the heart grow fonder.
Getting away was absolutely what I needed though. I enjoyed it immensely. I've returned reinvigorated and inspired. I filled my suitcase with new books, leaves, shells, sketches and notes. I felt the sand between my toes each day and the sun on my back. I walked over rocks and over dunes. I swam in the sea and I fished in the river. I celebrated my tenth wedding anniversary and my fifth Mothers Day. I explored the coastal towns of Yamba, Broomes Head, Maclean, Byron Bay and Kingscliff. So much natural beauty. I met up with the lovely Megan of The Byron Life - and the time flew by much too quickly. I packed handmade and locally produced goods in to my suitcase. I explored with my family. I watched my son catch his first fish, his first wave. I watched my daughter walk on the beach, and point at everything with delight. And I carried my camera all the while to try and capture some of the beauty and share it with you.
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All but the first and last three photos were taken in Yamba. The last few were taken in Byron Bay.
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All but the first and last three photos were taken in Yamba. The last few were taken in Byron Bay.
