The good clan Jones made our way up to the Central Coast over the weekend and had a few nights in a little cabin by the beach. Nice to get out of Sydney and wake up to the sounds of waves on the beach and birds on the trees.
We went up to the coast on Saturday straight after swimming lessons. First stop was Avoca Beach. Hayzey was fascinated by the whole thing - pointing at the water and making all sorts of excited sounds. LGR was cautious - wouldn't go near the water but was quite happy to play in the sand.
From here we drove to Terrigal for lunch. Five years ago I thought Terrigal was a great place - but now I think it's overpriced and wanky. We had some lunch on the beach and then walked up some sort of hill (backwards while watching cricket). LGR managed to walk up the whole thing, much to my surprise. He loved coming back down - I think he ran the whole way in a zigzag patter.
From Terrigal it was off to our accommodation at Bateau Bay. We checked in and very shortly discovered that we'd been charged for a certain type of cabin but had received something of a lesser standard. Mrs G had a quick chat with reception and we were off to our new cabin - which was much more in line with what we had in mind.
We didn't do much for the rest of the day - we bought some supplies for breakfasts and dinners and went for a swim in the pool. And it was a very nice pool - saltwater and around 26-28 degrees. Gorgeous. LGR loved it, and even managed to make a friend. We ran into LGR's friend several times over the next two days.
Hayzey, as it turns out, loves water even more than LGR. She was grinning from ear to ear and making some very excited noises. Her little legs would kick endlessly and whenever she got a chance she would splash water onto her face or even dunk her face into the water. I put her under the water a few times and this didn't phase her at all.
The kiddies went to sleep very easily, but woke up at about 05:00 on Sunday morning. I went for a run (thru the bush on the cliff tops) and by 07:30 we were breakfast'd and in the pool (again). After a while Mrs G and Hayzey went back to the cabin and LGR and I had a crack at the beach. He didn't like it; so we went back to the pool and met up with his friend again.
By 10:00 we were on our way up to The Entrance. I like The Entrance. It's much more open and accesssible. We meandered around the town square part of town for a while looking at stuff and playing games and had a little picnic lunch while listening to some live music.
After lunch it was a drive to let the kids have some sleep (they were both knackered) and then back to the cabin for a quick change and into the pool again. Once more LGR's little mate arrived and they played together for about 90 minutes. LGR had the foresight to take two noodles to the pool and was thrilled that his newfound mate enjoyed playing.
After the pool we went back to the cabin and had showers. While Mrs G and Hayzey played inside LGR and I jumped in the (outdoor) spa that came with the cabin and sang songs. It was very sweet, and probably the highlight of the trip for me. We then all went for a walk on the beach. LGR was still scared of the waves but we managed to coax him out onto some rocks in the water (it was low tide) and we all had a nice (but careful) game clambering about on the rocks.
Once again the kids were in bed pretty easy and Mrs G took advantage of this to jump in the spa. It was very nice - just under 40 degrees, sheltered from wind but with views of surrounding bush and a perfectly clear night sky. Very nice, very relaxing.
Monday was our last day. The morning thing was again to get up very early, have some breakfast and go for a swim. It was a bit chilly, but the pool was still warm. As long as you stayed in the water :-) LGR's little mate wasn't in the pool this time and the poor little chap was hearbroken. He wanted to 'play with my little friend' and was very upset that he wouldn't get to say goodbye :-(
We checked out at 10:00 and went home via Ourimbah (Mrs G wanted to see some stuff there). Both kids were awake all the way along the freeway and chattered the whole time.
All in all it was a nice little break - the type of thing we'll have to try to do more often.