Update from the road

Alternate title: Yes, I'm still alive!!

I finally find myself taking some time to visit this space on the interwebs. I wont bore you with the usual excuses or apologies...let's just jump straight into a catch up. 

Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grande National Park, WA - simply spectacular!

When we last chatted I was enjoying my time on the apple isle, and the remainder of our stay was just as great. We never did make it to the west though (car trouble!!) so we'll definitely be planning many more trips to Tassie in our future.

Once we returned to the mainland we did a little exploring in Victoria. Although, full disclosure, we really only scratched the surface. We had a couple of days in Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula before scooting over the other side of Melbourne as we made our way towards South Australia. On the way we took in Lancefield (visiting family), Ballarat, Barwon Heads, the Great Ocean Road and Portland. Some beautiful spots, but hardly an extensive visit.

From there we simply kept navigating the coastline into SA and through to Adelaide. We hadn't been back to Adelaide since we relocated so it was great to catch up with friends and visit old haunts for a couple of weeks. We also managed to coax some friends onto the road and spent a fun weekend in Clare Valley enjoying plenty of food and wine (my favourites!!).

It was also great to get out and explore parts of SA that we had always meant to, but never got to, while we lived there including Innes National Park and the whole of the Eyre Peninsula. Mr GGE did lots of fishing and managed to feed us a few meals of fish and squid around these parts. Just as good as being able to go out the garden and harvest some additions for dinner.

Sourdough bread rolls - great for lunch on the road.

At the end of April we headed West and hit the Nullarbor plain to make our way into WA. It was a great experience driving across such a remote part of Australia. Not nearly as 'boring' a drive as it's made out to be, but I acknowledge I'm used to driving big distances. The highlight was camping on the edge of the great Australian Bight (about 5 meters from the edge!)...although it did get a tad windy come 4am!!

We've been in Western Australia since the start of May. Taking our time and exploring so many parts of the state. We headed south to Esperance and have been sticking to the coastline for the most part.

Honestly, I've been pretty blown away by the beauty and unspoilt spaces we've found here. And another highlight was getting to meet a fellow blogger in person when we were in Perth. Sally from One Family, One Planet had me over for a pot of tea and some delicious homemade goodies while we talked non-stop about life, food and everything in between.

Currently we are camping near the Ningaloo reef outside of Exmouth, and I think it has definitely earned a spot in the top 5 highlights of the trip. I'd never actually heard about Ningaloo before researching the trip. It's an amazing reef system on the coast of North Western Australia where you can walk out from the beach, dive into the water and start snorkelling. In fact, you can simply swim in the shallows and be visited by many friendly fish, which the girls have delighted in.

We are here for another night before heading inland to Karijini national park – another spot that's been high on the 'can't wait to see that' list.

So, that's the very brief version of what's been happening with our travels.

In food news, I've been able to get into a good rhythm of baking along the road. I've perfected my bread in the weber (will post on that at some point!!) and on baking day also stock up with scrolls, pizzas, calzones and cake for snacks. It's been good to make a few more things myself after my first month of not so much.

Pizza - dinner, snack, lunch...a versatile baked good!

I still find we buy a lot more foods that I would normally make at home but it's all been about finding the balance and not losing sight of what we are actually on the road for – spending time together and taking in the amazing country around us.

I have managed to keep some ferments stocked in the van too. I made a fresh batch of sauerkraut on the road and a few jars of salsa which was a favourite find last year. But that's the extent of the preserving!

Because I'm not doing as much of my own growing and preserving I've been trying to source local stuff where I can. Although many of the remote parts of Australia do prove a challenge for that. It's been good to stick to my basic food buying decision process as much as practical, to feel I'm making conscious choices as much as practical. To not let my food values get swept away in the 'it's all a little too hard' moments. But I'm human and very far from perfect on this count...

And while I'm definitely not wishing our time away, there is a part of me that is looking forward to getting home (actually having a home fixed in place!) and embracing the rhythms of days and seasons again. Planting things in the soil. Stocking the pantry with coloured jars of seasonal goodness. Taking ownership and connection to where my food is coming from.

Until then though, I'll have to make do with living vicariously through other sources and dreaming up plans of my future gardens. In the last couple of months I've been getting a chance to catch a quick read of many of my fave blogs...when a spare moment and actual internet coverage align (although simply lurking at the moment, so forgive me for not commenting lovely people).

And I'd love to hear from you too. What's been happening in your part of the world? What are you growing, gathering or enjoying at the moment?