Day 7 - The "mbwngtm" challenge: Vitamin Me!

Nearly at the end of the "my brain will not go to mush challenge". One more day to go. While writing my blog each day, sitting at the kitchen table tap-tap-tapping on my laptop I have been subjecting myself to day-time television. Its appalling. I'm surprised my brain hasn't gone to mush just from that! And if day-time television is to be believed we are all in big trouble. Our life is a disaster.  We are too fat, we need new bras, we have some sort of exhaustion disorder, most of us are deficient in vitamin D as well as having skin cancer, we need a complete makeover and our homes needs to be renovated. 

There is no mention of the all important "Vitamin Me." No info-mercials telling me I need more excitement and adventure in my life. Nooooo. Nor has "Dr Oz" berated me for not including enough arts and culture in my day. Instead of being bombarded with images of delicious food and wine, I'm being told to order tubs of "something that expands in my stomach" for free, as a way of losing weight. Seriously. And instead of being encouraged to get out and enjoy Australia's beautiful wilderness (Happy Australia Day!) I'm being asked to watch obese people cry, exercise until they vomit, and stand on really big and soul destroying scales, while I sit on my butt on the lounge. Enough people. We need to get some "Vitamin Me". 

We all need little shots of "Vitamin Me" on a regular basis. A quiet cup of tea, drunk in one sitting without going cold, a hot bath with a favourite book, or a long walk. These are some of my "Vitamin Me" pills. Like all good vitamins you need to take them everyday to keep healthy. But sometimes we need more than this. Sometimes life gets us down and wears us out. We need a massive shot of "Vitamin Me". It's called a holiday. A "Vitamin Me" holiday is a break in the routine. It's full of excitement and adventure, or arts and culture, or delicious food and wine, or getting back to nature with beautiful scenery and wildlife. Or all of these things!

Arran and I desperately needed some "Vitamin Me" last year, right in the middle of winter. We had been sick on and off for weeks and were fed-up with one of the coldest winter in Sydney in years. I had to wear a Parka, beanie and gloves on my nightly walks! We won't be making that mistake again. This year we are planning a "Vitamin Me" break. There are many places in Australia where you can experience "Vitamin Me" but you can do it all in Queensland. I haven't quite decided yet what we will do but here are some options:

1. Off the beaten track: Arran loves Four Wheel Driving and camping. I'm less fond of camping but it would be great to travel through the Simpson Desert and see a world that is far removed from urban Sydney. Aiden loves Dinosaurs so he might like Australia's Dinosaur Trail. I'd also like to see the Carnarvon Gorge. Beautiful lush forests and moving water is the perfect "Vitamin Me" shot.

"I can soo do this Daddy!"

It's tricky putting up the tent!

2. A bit of culture: It's easy to forget how much art, music and theatre can inspire you, when you are bogged down in the day-to-day grind. I always try to see the Archibald prize and attend a couple events in the Sydney Festival when at home. In Queensland I would really love to visit Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). They have a Matisse exhibition at the moment. It would be easy to get lost in his prints and drawings for a few hours. Dreamy.

Me with some "Urban Art" in Glebe. Photography by Andrea Thompson

3. Bathe in the Ocean: Ok, Queensland would have to have the most beautiful beaches, reefs and waterways in the world. Hands down. And a holiday for me, is not a holiday unless there is some beach and some ocean. I blame my parents. They selfishly took my sister and I on beach holiday after beach holiday until we are now completely spoilt! From when we were small babies on holidays at Tugan to teenagers being dragged to holiday resorts like Fraser Island, Great Keppel Island and Hamilton Island. They even own a timeshare week at Coolangatta! It's child abuse I tell you. 

A little bit of "Vitamin Me" at Bondi Beach

So maybe our "Vitamin Me" holiday will have to be on one of Queensland's amazing islands. I think the crystal clear warm waters will be the perfect antidote to Sydney's hustle and bustle in the middle of winter. What would be your "Vitamin Me"?

This post is an entry to Nuffnang's "Boost your Vitamin Me levels and win a $5000 holiday in Queensland" competition. Wish me luck!