Lace is more than grandma doilies and cheesy curtains. It is also wire and bone and wood and plastic and can convey emotion as well as any painting. It makes you start at the skill involved and wonder in awe among its repetitive patterns or organic woven landscapes. It is a car, a stack of books, horse hair and cool imagination. It is dimly but effectively lit and so, the shadows become as important as the 3d form.

All this and more was learned while wandering through the exquisite 'Love Lace ' exhibition at the Powerhouse.
You know it's good when it draws the attention of two young boys away from the plethora of touch screens, kinect devices and space equipment.....they were a bit entranced and even a little spooked by the other worldliness they have managed to create in the space.

We were on the hunt. For a 20 million year old blade of grass. Trapped in a hunk of cliff at our hometown beach of Mona Vale. After being somewhat distracted by some impressive piles of stones (LOVE beach art!)....

....we found some! Lots of them! Carbon fossils in shale. Beautiful impressions of a life lived by a plant long, long ago. It was exhilarating being archaeologists with the sun on our backs, sea wind in our hair and many whoops of "check this one out!" on our lips.
And I started to feel awe. The awe of splitting a rock and exposing this ancient relic to the first air it's felt for millions of years. Awe for the way things change, how energy is stored and how great it is to experience a glorious fun day with my kids....

No better way to start the term than with a road trip I reckon. So off we went, with people to see, water to swim in, rides to scream on, ice cream to eat and of course fun to be had. Super awesome!
In order to tick the boxes the boys did their workbooks on the 20 hour drive up and then down the coast. Not too much pain, fractions seem a little easier hurtling along at 110 kms per hour and discussing area and perimeter comes naturally when surrounded by big sugarcane fields. Or so I tell myself anyway...;)
Our main reason for driving up was to see the new baby in the Baines/Carew/Nichol family. And little Asher is quite the spunky bub. Felix was interested enough to have a little cuddle....

Although I was besotted with the baby, the boys were more interested in 'the worlds' as we call them. Movie world was fun as always, uncrowded (the joys of visiting during term) and quite shagadelic baby!

Wet n Wild was tons of fun as we raced each other down the slides, played in the wave pool and laughed our way around. Especially when Lucky commented on how much my boobs jiggled when I ran.
Seaworld was our favourite. We went from 0 to 80 in one second on the Jetrescue, cried at the dolphin show and lost ourselves in the beauty of the sea creatures.

But nothing behind glass or man made can possibly compare with the magic of swimming in the turquoise waters and frolicking on the sand of the gorgeous Gold Coast beaches. The ocean was so warm I couldn't help but wallow in cliches of 'paradise' and the boys were happy with a hula hoop and a tennis ball...

We spent great family time with my sister in law as she graciously hosted us in her lovely home. The boys grandparents were also there at the same time and we had fun with them all paddle boarding on the emerald water of Currumbin Creek.
And we even introduced them to the joys of sushi train!!! Better late than never!

It really feels like we've done it all. Fish n chips by the Tweed river, cups of tea with old friends, chalk drawing on the Greenmount footpath, ice cream sundaes at Coolangatta and a big hit of beauty and spirit at the Crystal Castle on the way home.
Good times.....