Sydney Children’s Portraits: 30 Minutes In The Life June 2014

Winter is a time for wrapping up in blankets, sipping hot chocolate, watching your favourite movies. Well it is unless you promise to take your girls to a farm to pick mandarins. So although I wanted to take the first option, my girls persuaded me that the second option was a far better idea.

We wrapped up in layers, with scarves and jackets, and dragged out the umbrellas. We set out for an adventure, and boy did we got one. The GPS had two options to take, and I took the shortest route. Well that turned out to be a road less travelled. It was a single lane, dirt road that hugged the hills. It winded down through lush forest with big gum trees, and big green ferns on either side of the road. I wish I could say I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t really breathing. I had no idea where this road would end, and I could not turn back. So I pushed forward, and hoped my girls would not notice that I was a little( well a lot) scared.

And then the road came to an end, and we continued to follow the signs to arrive at the Mandarin farm. It was a little oasis, squashed between two hills. I have no idea how or why they started this farm in this location, but the trees were covered in mandarins. And then as I started breathing again, I realised this was the best option. That being outside with my girls was a joy no movie could replace. We picked the ripe mandarins, and enjoyed their sweet taste. It was cold, but we really did not notice. And when we arrived home with our big bag of freshly picked mandarins to share our with the rest of our family, the pride on their faces filled my heart. I know I would take that road less travelled again.