5 days in Darwin

Lucky I am. Don’t I know it, cherish it, appreciate it.

I know some of you, in fact a lot of you have lost your mums.

My heart literally aches for you every time I read a post about your loss and sadness. I grieve for you, I grieve with you. Even though your grief is still incomprehensible to me

If you are a lucky ones like myself, do something special with your mums regularly. It may be something that may seem little to you, don’t underestimate that small stuff, it is huge to them.

My mum and I go to the Frankston food court for lunch, yes true! Why? Because she loves it. Fish and chips and a cup of tea. Then a little bit of shopping. We go to movies together, she falls asleep, I wake her up, she gets grumpy with me, we laugh, we have a ball. No matter what we do, where we go, when I take her home we have another cuppa together, if I’m not working, we will watch one of the quiz shows, we compete, we win and when I’m leaving, she cuddles me so hard. “Thank you, I’ve had a beautiful day” she will say with the biggest smile.

Those are the little things, the moments that are special to her and that I will always cherish.

I am thankful every single day that I still have my mum with me.

We aim to have a little holiday together every year. It has been a cruise for the last two years which works really well. They suit her mobility issues. She loves the food, the activities and the ease of the travel.

Boarding flights, going to tourist activities, boarding buses, boats. Then there is the places we just cannot go, bugger that we say, let’s go somewhere better! There are times when it can be really hard and tiring for her and me. But would either of us change a thing. No way!

So Darwin it was this year and we took Darwin on and we slayed it. We left no stone unturned, especially when I nearly toppled poor mum out her wheelchair. Yes seriously. We got stuck, my gaffe, she tipped, I held on tight, I saved the day. We laughed! Phew! Lucky I work out!

My mum is a trooper. I admire everything about her. The strongest, bravest women I know or have ever met.

We enjoyed a movie at the deck chair cinema, a lovely evening and yes I’m still scratching. Bugs just love me. I could be cheesy and say it’s because I’m sweet 😂

Enjoying dinners, ice creams, walks and enjoyed a beer or two.

The markets were fabulous. We hit more than one, of course, tell me a woman who doesn’t like to shop, just a little. Skinny aisles and wheelchairs make for a lot of work, the reward sitting at the end of one aisle within a smoothie and my arm around my mum. Just people watching. Isn’t watching and taking in the world, just the best!

Everywhere we park our bums my mum makes a friend. She is totally deaf in one ear and 80% deaf in the other, she has no voice, she can’t walk very far anymore and needs mobility aids, but people are drawn to her, want to be her friend and love her! With all her disabilities, I dare you to take her on… I just laugh to myself at the very thought. She is switched on, funny, doesn’t take herself or life seriously. A good role model, don’t you agree?

The markets, yes, yes, our firm favorite was Mindil sunset Market.

I was actually wondering where all the people and cars were. It was so quiet in Mitchell street (town centre) It was like a big old ghost town. Night two Mindil market was our night time entertainment. Darwin has a population of 120,000, well I found 90 % of them at Mindil Market. Luck was with us, we got a car park fairly close by.

It was colorful, food vans, every cuisine you can imagine, assorted delectable aromas wafting through the air, stalls selling their handicrafts and goods. I come from a land downunder bellowed through speakers. On the stage right at the markets edge, the band was playing, surrounded by people were sitting on the grass, fold up chairs, on benches, walls, anywhere they could, eating, drinking and socializing.

A balmy brilliant evening, where we watched the sunset over the water, made friends and chatted to locals.

Now where did we leave the car?

I am, I am, I am a museum girl, I could spend hours reading, taking in every detail, reliving the moments. Both, the War Museum and Cyclone Tracey museum affected me, bringing me to tears. There is a sound simulation room in the gallery, that is pitch black, the deafening roar that gives only a minute understanding of the experience that the people endured whilst cyclone Tracey flattened their homes. Darwin has survived some tragic hardships, they survive, they stand up again and rebuild. You have to admire the hard working Aussie. Mum enjoyed many moments, exhibits and endured some, just for me. Bless her patience.

If you love a museum, they are a must.

Being the ridiculous dog lover that I am, even though I had a brief liaison with Brutus, (not quite as cuddly as my four legged furry friends) where are all the dogs?

Brutus? Dominator? Open your mouths! Day 4 before we saw our first dog. Day 5 we headed to the botanical gardens for “ a walk-in the park” though it wasn’t it “ a walk-in the park” as there was bloody big hills and I was pushing 65kg in a wheelchair up steep hills. Exercise for the day ✅, resulting in 2 hill climbs when I say to mum “ do you think we should go for a cold drink somewhere”

The point of this conversation was to tell you I witnessed my next 4 dogs whilst puffing and sweating my guts out! 5 days,5 dogs.

I do miss my babies.

The waterfront and beach suburbs of Darwin are home to some of the most beautiful real estate I’ve seen around.

We drove around, daydreamed, talked about a fantasy life where we moved from brrrr freezing Melbourne to the tropical warmth Darwin. It really is a lovely city. Small, easy to get around. Lovely restaurants. Oh and cocktails. I made friends with Brutus the croc.. he did smile at me, he did! I’m sure of it.

We made another beautiful memory. My mum and I. We are lucky and we know it. Next trip, a cruise. ❤️

Thank you Darwin for your hospitality, I will definitely recommend a trip to Darwin. I’ll be back Brutus I promise. So much more to see and do!

So as we dropped her off at 1:30 in the morning, she cuddled me tight and said geez I love you & I love you back Mum. She thanked me for the most beautiful time. I responded, no thank you for sharing it with me!

Love you to the moon and back ❤️

#SoSC