Hush hush - the secret is soul

Last night we had a sleep over at our nephew and niece's house (okay it's their parent's house, but don't tell them that).

After having spent over two months overseas, we had a lot of playtime to catch up on.

'Stacks on' was the most popular game of the evening (imagine layers of people stacked like a pancake with laughter as the syrup) that had us all giggling uncontrollably.

It was getting late for a school night and instead of tucking the little ones into bed, we were invited into the kitchen corner to engage in a hush hush conversation.

"You can take him tomorrow if you want."

"Pardon?"

"We give him one teacher-free day each term and he hasn't taken one this term." And with that, we had permission to take our young nephew out on the town for the entire day (his sister is still a little too young for such an expedition).

We decided to have lunch at Lucia's (pictured above) - a culinary institution located in Adelaide's Central Market. I have long been astounded at how food alone, was able to carry the original 70's decor of orange Formica tabletops and brown vinyl chairs through the ages.

This Italo-Adelaidean icon has gone through three generations, withstanding the pastel 80's and minimalist 90's influences, to have come full circle and be regarded as funky retro in the new millennium. Now that's what I call standing the test of time.

I often wonder what has been the secret to Lucia's success. What I come up with is soul. Sure you can talk about quality produce, consistency, value and not giving into to fads and whims - but it's soul that gives it resilience. It is soul that has seen it live on.

Then I thought about our time here in Adelaide.

While we came to Adelaide for work, we took time out on a 'school day' to have a sit down lunch with four generations of Patrick's family (him, his mother, grandmother and nephew). Sure there are other things each of us could have done that were high on the list of priorities, but we chose to spend time together - and that my friends, is soul.

Until tomorrow, may you inject soul into your everyday life and realise that what lies beneath it all is something else that stands the test of time - family.

Grace xx

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Cool Bananas

Tonight is my last here in Penang.

It's the final evening of my two-month adventure that has seen me do some many and varied things like;

• Getting lost in Paris, and finding a très chic coat on the side of the road, then a few days later celebrating the first day of summer with la fête de la musique.
  
  
• Mountain biking and being cheesey in Switzerland.
  
  
• A side trip to Germany to hand deliver an Eiffel tower key ring prize, then take in two operas and a concert (not to mention purchasing some fabulous shoes).
  
  
• A reconnaissance of our Adventure Travel Tour de France tour, squeezing 10-days into six - and four adults packed like sardines in the back of a van for a night.
  
  
• The actual tour where I was interviewed and broadcast on national Belgian TV.
  
  
• A relaxing few days in Singapore where I got to compare the difference between black and white pepper crab (black pepper won by one and a half claws).
  
  
• Getting in a pickle when I booked flights to India without securing a visa first (and learning that the laws changed a few months ago).
  
  
• Seeking refuge in Penang until I could get a flight home and discovering life's a beach when you get to hang out with friends that you've known since being a pimply faced teenager.
  
  
• Discovering a new dental profession and finding out that my repair work is likely to cost a gazillion dollars.

All in all, it has been amazing. Despite the twists and turns, dramas and frustrations, stress and exhaustion, it has been a great journey. I've learned to ride the bumps on the road, smile and say "cool bananas" when I want to chillax.

Until tomorrow, find time to reflect on what you've done recently - it may be more than what you think.

Grace xx

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3 Sleeps to the City of Lights

That's right gorgeous people, I have three sleeps to go before I'm up, up and away bound for Paris - city of lights.

How do I feel?

Excited, nervous and a tad stressed.

Okay, so here's the low down.

My husband Patrick and I, along with three other colleagues, are hosting a tour of fabulous, bubbly and enthusiastic New Zealanders for this year's Le Tour de France.

Our tour officially starts on the 14th July, so we made the difficult decision (not) of heading out a month earlier to do final preparations before the big event.

Patrick is going via Singapore to do a week of mountain bike skills coaching, while I'll be solo in Paris to practice my newly learnt French.

Instead of seeking out hotels, hostels and B&B's, I've decided to get local and seek out apartments and couch surfing. The latter is proving to be quite the adventure. I have virtually met a handful of very friendly Parisians who are keen to have me in their home and show me around their city. They've been completely delightful and I'm looking forward to meeting them.

During my search, I came across an absolutely stunning apartment advertised for a total of €1050 from May 14th until June 24th, which worked out to about €25 per day. I asked if it was available for my dates. It was. Bingo! or so I thought.

Turned out she mistyped her dates by 30 days, thus affecting the calculations and rendering the price to a far less attractive €105 per day. Bummer. Actually, tragic. I had fallen in love with the vision of me living in that apartment and possibly penning a splendiferous bestseller... or my daily blogs at the very least.

While it's still cheaper than many equally fabulously located hotels, it's still too pricey for this little budding author. I have to sell a few more thousand books, or find a sugar daddy, to live that lifestyle.

So with three sleeps to go, and no sugar daddy, I have loose plans to surf a few Parisian couches and let the adventure unfold before me. But before I do, I must climb a mountain of work - that's the 'tad stressed' part.

Until tomorrow, what adventure are you counting down sleeps towards?

Grace xx

PS. I took the above photo in 2005 during our first trip to Paris.

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The most inspiring family I know

Yesterday my friend Ryan celebrated what he described as his 34th lap of the sun.

Though I must confess, he didn't do it all by himself; he was riding on the coattails of planet Earth that did most of the hard work for him.

Ryan and his clan are currently doing a six month sabbatical in Spain. This is not the first time the family have uprooted themselves from the comforts of their own home to experience life elsewhere.

In 2004, they relocated to Nanaimo (Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada) for a period of two years. It was during this time that I realised the only thing stopping me from being anywhere in the world, was me.

If anybody could find an excuse not to travel, it would surely be a family of four with two children under the age of six. What might appear as insurmountable odds for some, turned into comic challenges for these transient vagabonds.

At the end of their sojourn, they spent three months travelling around the north American continent in 'Wicket', their beloved Dodge mini van (aka caravan of courage). With tales of freezing overnighters in the back of the car (a result of boycotting overpriced holiday parks) combined with their staple diet of porridge (which Jesse fought against with dry retching horror), loaves of bread, roast chicken and ranch dressing, one might be inclined to ask "Why do all that again?"

The answer is simple: Adventure.

Life is made up of experiences, which transform into our most potent possessions - our memories.

When it's time for us to go - we cannot take our house, our cars, our jewellery, our 'toys' and our collection of worldly objects. All we are left with, and what we leave behind, are memories. Our memories belong to us and those we share them with. We cannot be separated from them, they are ours to keep. They cannot be stolen, traded or sold. They remain with us till our final hour.

To Ryan, Jo, Zach and Jess, thank you for being a huge part of my life. Our amazing adventures are now some of my most fondest memories. From our time together in Canada (namely Stobie Pole, Fengi and ice cream the size of babies heads), to our Nubsical journey with our buddy, Mr. Tingwell - not to mention last night's hilarious long distance video call (pictured). You guys rock and continue to be an inspiration to me. Olé!

And to you, reading this blog... be sure to create great memories, for they will surely be the most valuable treasures of your life. Start a new adventure today.

Until tomorrow, "¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!"

Grace xx

ps. If you want to follow this family's adventure blog, just click here.

BTW did you know that it's 17,310km (10,670miles) between Madrid and Melbourne? Our 'space age' technology never ceases to astound me;
N-V-T-S nuts!