We were driving home from school on Friday afternoon. The sun was streaming in the car windows, the day was peachy. I was talking about canoes, about how I had been looking at old canoes online and was thinking that would be a great thing to get for Christmas.
As we headed up Gertrude Street, past Birdman Eating, Trippy Taco and Fatto A Mano the traffic slowed. A car pulled up from a side street, waiting to turn into Gertrude. It had a canoe on top of it. Not only that, it was packed with camping equipment. It was definitely a sign.
‘We should go camping too!’ I said. ‘Look how gorgeous the weather is. It’d be so fun to just throw everything in the car and go right now. We’d be there just after dinner time.’
Cam and Ari were quiet. We turned the corner into Brunswick Street and drove past our shop. I held my breath a tiny bit. Then Cam said ‘It’d be beautiful down the Prom today’.
‘Oh it really would be!’ I said.
We swung around the corner, off Brunswick St, up the side street and left into Fitzroy Street. The stereo was playing an old Jazzmatazz CD. Cam turned the car down the lane and negotiated the bumpy bluestones until we reached the end, unable to turn the tight corner because there were tradies’ cars blocking our way.
‘OK. Let’s do it’ Ari said.
And so we did.
Photo credit: lizard photo by Ari
14 Comments
Surprise camping! What a great thing. We are going camping soon (not surprise) and it will be the first time the children have been . They are SO excited.
Wow Pip, you have totally inspired me to head down to the Prom this weekend. I haven’t been there for about 15 years I reckon…what a travesty! Also, I just got my Ps this week, so can legally drive on my own for the first time ever – so excited about my first ever road trip 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration, and glad you’re reading Helen Garner’s latest, even though it’s ever so sad. Am really enjoying The Strays.
This looks beautiful! Where did you go camping? The beach looks stunning!
We went to Wilson’s Promontory, Polly. It’s super beautiful there. xx
I love that everywhere you travel you take your sriracha sauce
I’m such a dick, right? I just LOVE that stuff. It makes everything delicious!!! x
Nothing beats spontaneity! Looks like a stunning weekend, nothing beats being out under the stars 🙂
The Prom is SO beautiful.
Feel I can breathe better and more easily down there.
How fantastic! Spur of the moment camping is the best 🙂
Gorgeous pics!!
I love this, our kids get so excited when we be spontaneous!
I was thinking just this morning that a surprise camping trip was just what was needed. I might start with a surprise hike this weekend. How good is it to get outdoors?
I love that type of last minute camping. It’s the very best kind.
I’ve been looking for a Canadian canoe online forever….one day I will find one. The boat shop in Franklin sell Old Town canoes, they are the bees knees.
I love your tent.
Beautiful photos, Pip! Couldn’t help but notice your copy of ‘This House of Grief’ — what are your thoughts? I read it a few weeks ago and thought it was great. I’m a huge Helen Garner fan, and thought the way she writes about this tragic story was gripping and emotional in turns. I heard Leigh Sales & Annabel Crabb talk about it in their podcast ‘Chat 10 Looks 3’ (if you haven’t, you should download it, it’s brilliant) and they discussed how emotionally difficult they found it to read. I didn’t have such visceral response to it, though I found it deeply disturbing, emotional and ultimately tragic. I have been thinking about it, and wondering whether having children of your own changes your interpretation of it? Would love to know what you think!
That’s an impressive level of spontaneity! x