Family Fun

We had grand plans to take the boat out on Sunday but the Daddy of the house developed a streaming head cold and wasn't up for it so we decided to have an 'at home' kind of day - playstation, some dvds and just hanging out. Yeah, right. The aforementioned Daddy of the house has a bit of an issue with sitting still so that plan didn't last too long. Then he announced that we should grab the already purchased picnic food and head out for a drive. Being the good wife I am I promptly agreed, packed the picnic and the kids and away we went. Well, nearly. I kinda have issues with spontaneity - Hubby says I need two weeks advanced warning that it might be called for and, where possible I should be given clues as to what direction it might take LOL. So, after fussing about and worrying about every little thing that could possibly go wrong... I pulled it all together and then, away we went.

We headed out towards the Swan Valley and found a spot by the river for our picnic lunch.

We watched boats go by, kids fooling around with a truly cool looking rope swing and had some nosy, and noisy, visitors join us on the river bank. The kids were intrigued (and possible a little bit terrified) by the geese but happily threw them chunks of the leftover bread roll. From a distance they deemed to be safe.

We hopped back in the car and did a bit of exploring. We wandered out to Houghton's Winery and had a look around. I was completely unaware that they open up their lawn area for picnic-ers on the weekends. There's a huge grassed area with big shady trees and picnic tables, for those who choose to bring their own meal and a cafe for those who don't. The menu consisted mostly of shared platters but they looked good. Of course you could also do a little wine tasting and choose a bottle to go with your lunch. I think we might be heading back there sometime soon.

We also visited a section of the river that, in winter is a raging white-water monster that is an integral part of the Avon Descent. On Sunday, before the big storm that hit Perth the very next day, it was simply a rough and rocky river-bed. And we got to see exactly why so many boats come to grief at this very spot.

Our final destination for the day was the Margaret River Chocolate Company (aka the Chocolate Factory) in the Swan Valley. But I'm saving that post for another day!