forgive me. i have been so negligent here at RosaLindenTree. {gotta change the name one day, too long, any suggestions?}
so here i am banished out of the bus today for being too grumpy and crotchety {yes it’s not all love and coconuts.}
and i find happy refuge with a friends internet connection! yay. hours and hours of electricity. not a bad punishment.
so here comes a massive catch up with lots of photos and words! awesome.
get yourself a cuppa it’s really loooong…. but good!
a day after flying into Cairns, we are guided to Stoney Creek just north of the city, a beautiful cool place to land and have my first QLD freshwater dunk for the year and then take quiet grounding time to balance stones and add to the growing collection in the creek bed. i am so happy, jesse is so happy, the children are so happy scrambling about and crushing ochre stones. it feels good it feels right and i remember exactly why i am committed to this crazy lifestyle! and i am quickly recovering from my ten day solo pack up and leave Bellingen stint while sick and overwhelmed. thankyou dear friends who helped us and fed and housed us… right back to happy…
another favorite camp north of Port Douglas, we often come to the creek here for swimming and picnics, today a good ole spaghetti ragu with local produce for lush salad… maybe a week into the trip and we are still all getting on!! yay
and then another day beaching at Four mile Beach in Port Douglas, if you head to the central or southern end you can completely avoid the holiday crowd…
ah my boy, 
ah my girl,
i think the above two shots could qualify for the 52 week portraits (a year of portraits of my children
from Che & Fidel)
the colours of coconut palm and sky
Lily begins to find her old favorite trees…
The best forest bath at our friends home…
happiness! look at the patch of dirt he has worn clear from spinning…
Our gorgeous friends from Sacred Oz have their incredible Message Stick Vehicle at home this week. I love closely looking at all the diverse Indigenous artworks from all around Australia and often find myself with heart swelling tears. Look here to find out more about this remarkable icon of Australian Reconciliation
a very rare photograph of Jesse and I {thankyou Michael} and it’s even a genuine joy moment! hooray
- and then to Davies Creek for a week of camping. it was trully blissful even though we arrived on a monday like last year, even though we postphoned the mondayitis to saturdayitis when we left the camp, even though it rained pretty constantly all week, even though i didn’t sleep so well by the rushing water, even though even though… these precious times i hold fast to as reminders of what is possible to experience in our family, remember this Rosi when the reality is far removed from this, remember to connect, remember to have hope, remember that it is not always so, remember to have gratitude, remember to give those little ones lots of hugs… remember, renember, rember, ember
- when we arrive, Jesse gets the fire on and smokes the whole camping area for us. The children get straight into the game of foxes they played here last year… note Lily’s long blue ears and their stripey fur…
the trees, the creek, the stones, the hairyman in the forest with a hollow stick…
serious rain business to dress up for, making channels for the smaller streams, floating things dowstream, splashing and getting the hangof the balance bike… and getting nearly all your clothes wet numerous times a day! aaarh 
above you see a variety of phases of coconut, in the silver bowl fresh water from a yellow nut as on the left. on the far right an opened young yellow nut with jelly flesh, above an older brown nut whose thick white meat we grate as you can see in the centre and the empty shell can be used as a handy vessel.. mmmm below you see a young nut with a drinking hole deftly cut open…{not my work, i am more savage…}
monkeying around with slippery coconut jelly meat
campfire buckwheat pancakes… mmm
here i used buckwheat flour, but my favorite recipe using whole groats is from my friend Carly over at
noticing i didn’t photograph the rain moments so it looks so dry and fun…
we cope by making delicious food, playing games, reading, letting the kids play in the mud and water, eating something else yummy, going walking and splashing and adventuring, being patient, keeping the interior of the bus as tidy as possible while it’s a laundry site, allowing space and solo moments despite being so confined, making a bush treasure hint, crafting, knitting, writing, sleeping, listening to the water, singing…
had a little coconut frond weaving and made up this little flag fan… ahh it’s soooo hot… not, but it will be soon.
and this beautiful fruit bowl. more on weaving soon… maybe even a tutorial
inside crafting… the discovery of the one dot holepunch brings hours of amusement. poor deprived kids.
then this bear gets completely re outfitted by Lily lovingly.. 
Just before departure we finalised this upstairs canvas cot for Lily, we had been dreaming it up for years and now it’s manifest and is awesome! keeps the floor space clear and Cedar has Lily’s up front bed even though his little old cot was so cute…. Thankyou Marty for the help. It is two bamboo poles with a canvas cot slung between them. clever. good. smart. simple
i’ve had a jaffle maker for a few years and finally christened it! yum. childhood goodness. {basically took so long because i am so uptight i refused to buy square sliced bread! i let go a little when i found some organic spelt loaf.. so neurotic. but admitting it freely xxx {i trully don’t care if you eat square sliced bread by the way, i will eat it with you happily i just love love love sturdy loaves of bread with hard crusts and chewy centres! i also have a few ridiculously stupid high expectations on myself} ahhh liberation it was soooo yummy!
more good camp food. Babaganusch {spelling?} guacamole, vegies and roast spuds!
can you tell we kept our spirits up by focusing on the meals all week….
Lily’s early birthday present appeared one morning… a slack line which has brought alot of fun and challenge to us all!!
RosaLindenTree 
Hi, I just discovered your blog while looking for evidence that a coaster can make it up to the second camp gd along the davies creek national park road (dinden). Looks like you guys were there last week. We have the same bus as you but we tow a trailer. Do you think we could get in there with a trailer?
I am so glad I found your blog. We are a travelling family too. Maybe we’ll cross paths sometime. 🙂
Hi there! Im glad you found me too!
Oh Davies creek is so beautiful. Well with regards to access. Campsites 1 and 2 definitely not with a trailer. Possibly camp 3 it’s closer to the rd but beautiful and sunny we can’t remember any major steep bumps but each year the rains change the rd.
we’ve been into camp 4 also last year.
weve never stayed at 5 or 6 I think because the bridge is a little steep and if it rains that bit of rd is clay.
the main access rd up there is likely to be fine and the waterfall carpark offers a place to park and turn around. It’s a couple of Kms past the waterfall to the campsites. You could always walk out and scout the sites. Best of luck. Is yours long wheel base also? What’s your travel plan?
We are heading up to chilligoe caves next.
Rosi
Thanks so much. That’s really helpful. Yep, we are long wheel base. Not sure about plans yet. Have considered the caves too, but we all seem to want something different. Some family members hanging out for beach…Also totally over the rain and clouds and would love to get some solid days of sun on the solar panels…Not complaining about the weather today though.
So many lovely photos Rosi. I love the one of you and Jessie and also the last one of you solo. Oh and so many of Lily and Cedar. It was really special to read along and see how you guys are going. Sending you much love. Rae
Thanks Rae. We’ve just had a rare sunny day and it makes me happy! I’m glad you follow our journey and have a bit of understanding of what we get up to in Our other life.
Xx r
oh miss rosey! young nuts old nuts love you guys and your nuts. (esp the nuts) Thankyou for sharing so many pictures, a visual feast – but i am still hungry!!!!!! Can you guess what for…? yes, one of those crunchy succulent delishous toastie sandwhiches.
You melt cheese beautifully!
What a camp site hey, so good, so exciting, so special
love and miss xxxxx c
Mm I could go a toaster right now… Yes we are nuts but not too hairy…
Lucky us we have a boot full now from a crazy German fellow. Nuts that is. You are what you eat apparently. Shall I express post you one…
Xx
Hi Rosi (Jesse, Lily and Cedar).
thanks for your post. I read all of them when I can (when I have reception! I’ve finally got myself a Telstra sim card…swore I wouldn’t, but necessity for business) and they feed me and keep me going on our journey. I feel so much of your ups and downs…we are travelling a similar path. I laugh and cry as I read. The truck is so small and cramped and I’m so tired of moving things around to get to my toothbrush! 🙂 I’ve given up on blogging…just another thing to try to make ‘work’…then I reflect and feel that if I have to try so hard, then it’s obviously not meant to be…or is it? We are in WA…heading to Broome tomorrow and looking forward to some organic, fresh food. I’m fasting at the moment…best to when there’s not a lot of options…I’m trying to let my food nazi ways slide, but it’s really hard 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing. I’d love to stay in touch with you. Many blessings and hugs from one travelling mama to another. Kyles (The SoapNut Lady 🙂 )
Hey Kylie! Great to hear from you and thanks for the travel empathy!
Jesse wants to tell you we now have little window suction tooth brush holders:) hooray!
I bet you are loving the fresh food in Broome. It can be so tricky when travelling the remote rds.
Oh Lordy so beautiful broome. Hello Moni!
I’d like to keep in touch too. I can’t figure out where your blog is??
We are enjoying a rare sunny day!
Xx
R
Hey truelly love this post the gorgeous picture of you and Jesse really made me smile. Just an idea you can boo hoo me if you like!! But wondered if your two children would like to be penpals with my two boys who are 7 abd 3 (next month) just thought it could be fun.
Let me know.
Happiness & laughter
Emma
Hi Emma. Thank you I’m so glad you enjoyed this Long post! Well I mentioned the penpal idea to lily, she said she doesn’t like writing! (She would rather draw which makes language lessons interesting..) but i like it and will bring it up again. It could be if your boys initiated it with an invitation it may spur her along. What do you think?
Cedar is not in the age yet to contribute
Thank you
Rosi
Hi Rosi,
Well I could always write to you and add something in.from my boys Bodie is 7 so more into sending pictures or something his made. Donny is 2 so he would be just read too. So what do you say? We could just give ut a go! If so what’s your postal address!
Emma 🙂
Ok Emma lets try it!! I’m practicing saying yes to life!
R Klass C/o port douglas post office 4877 QUeensland Australia Will be out address for the next 3 weeks and then
32 Rawson st Bellingen 2454 NSW Australia after that.
Fun!! R
Rosalindentree.wordpress.com I’d be honored if you visit my blog!
Cool I shall write soon. Hope your having a good weekend 🙂
Beautiful Rosi – love the portrait of you, and the one of you and Jesse – very rare, as you say. It looks like you manage the wet well!! What a great read – worth the wait. Love to you all, and looking forward to more – “deprived” my ********* – what a wonderful piece of history you are giving them with this blog and photo updates. To be treasured forever. Much love and many hugs, Jane xx
Thank you Jane.
If ever you want pictures for ‘the wall ‘
You are welcome.
Lol to you both all your adventures in Europe are just around the corner!!
Xx
ahh rosi, that was a really fun post! i love that your poor kids are ‘so deprived’. lucky things! glad that the reunon was joyous, wishing you many more joyous moments. bpn journee!
Thank you Tali
We will be seeing you in sunny bello before too long:)
Xx