As luck would have it....

Long-time readers might realise there are lots of patterns in what I do. My Facebook memories will often have the same event over multiple years as memories. I try to create certain memories for the kids. One of them is Snowtime in the Hunter Valley.

We have been going for about ten years. Just a quick overnight adventure. At first, it was just with my kids. Then it was with other families we could rope along. Now as my youngest suffers the fate of becoming an only child, I try to take one of her friends with us. We were booked to go but the last two lockdowns canceled it. This year we booked last minute but the rains didn't abate and we arrived at a closed event. 

We made the best of it trying to seek out dry activities in the Hunter  - Aquagolf, Candy Store, and the Arcade room at Crowne after a meal....but we hadn't been able to stay at the hotel with the indoor pool so eventually we just retired to the room with board games and tv. 

Even reception was trying a little 'magic' to change the weather!

I got up early to stalk the roos and the rain drizzled a little. As I waited to see if they would open the gardens, I wondered if this was another childhood experience that we'd had the LAST of without realising. COVID years did steal a lot of memories and celebrations from these kids. One kid never got a graduation ceremony or any of the fun Year 12 stuff, one kid never got to do their Sports captain duties and missed most of the Year 6 Primary school milestones. Had we come up to the Hunter for a very expensive and dull night away? My kiddo assured me it was still a great holiday (being with a friend is all it takes at the moment) but I was disappointed for her (and I guess for me, as another end of childhood moment had passed by unheralded).

As luck would have it, the sun came out, and though muddy and while much of the garden was barricaded shut, the Snowtime was open. We tore over as I had to be back in Sydney for something and spent three hours roaming around. The kids were delighted (though very wet). 

The crowds were down so there was very little queuing. There was much delight and enjoyment, even for me as I trailed after them (I did do the tobogganing as I just love that!).

My youngest assures me she won't grow out of it anytime soon, but I have a sneaking feeling that by next year, the interest will have waned. 

I am grateful I got to give her one last shot at it, to remember it fondly. A childhood memory to look back on that wasn't canceled or snatched away from her by the pandemic.

These days, that's all down to luck.

Memories are like footprints in the snow. For a while, they show that we were there but eventually vanish...Childhood is fleeting and these moments become ephemeral and ever so precious!

Linking with  #NaturesNotes for the flooding

This igloo triggered quite the reaction from my youngest, still carrying a bit of trauma from the whole polar bear experience. We walked in through the flap and she stopped abruptly when she saw all the bears - but then they started moving and growling and she yelled "What the hell is this?!" in horror....so we had an unexpected exposure therapy session thrown in for free. She calmed down quickly but I did have a brief moment of wondering if it was all about to go horribly wrong, given she won't let us even talk about it two years later.