Big4 Bellarine - the real deal

I haven't done much work with brands.
I have kind of tinkered around the edges.
And mainly I have told myself it is because I just don't have time.
Sure there is a part of me that likes a little bit of free product here and there. But when it gets down to it, I think the real reason is that a lot of the time I find all the marketing mumbo jumbo a bit uncomfortable and disconcerting, especially if I feel like me (or my readers) are having some sales pitch rammed somewhere it doesn't need to be.

But every now and then, something comes along and you know it's the real deal. No bull. No ramming anything anywhere. Just the real deal.

Last weekend I had the great fortune of being one of 40 mums invited to a sleepover event at Big4 Bellarine Holiday Park just a little way from Geelong. Lots of others have written posts about what happened on the weekend so if you want to read about that go here and here. Suffice to say we were well fed, watered and pampered. It was a lovely break.

I was particularly impressed by the way Sophie, one of the co-owners of the park, told us the story of how their wonderful park came into being. She told the story with thought, honesty, grace and the fabulous sense of humour of someone who has put it all on the line to get a business going and is giving it a real crack. Hearing the story was one of my favourite parts of the whole weekend. I really truly love it when people's authenticity shines through and with Sophie it shone brightly.

I have booked a little winter break for later in the year at Big4 Bellarine. I am really excited about showing the Captain, the Batsman and the Bowler around all the fun facilities they have. I have had a good chat with Sophie about autism and how that affects our family and how it can make holidays a bit tricky. She really listened.

I already knew Big4 Bellarine was the real deal after my weekend experience but you know when I really knew?

I knew when a little package arrived this week. It was personally addressed to the Batsman....a social story to help him understand where he is going on our winter break and what it will be like. It's this kind of stuff that makes the big difference. The Batsman loved it. You should have seen his face.

Yep. The real deal.

Final words: I had a great time at Big4 Bellarine. I was not paid or asked to write this post. I just wanted to share something real. Really. xx

Anzac biscuits into autumn crumble



I made Anzac biscuits during last week.

I made loads of them.

Given my propensity to "over-cater", I clearly made more than we could possibly eat.

So when it came to thinking about a Sunday night dessert for the Captain and me, a little re-invention possibility came to mind.  A couple of apples, a pear and two handfuls of frozen blueberries completed the picture.



I crushed up the leftover Anzac biscuits and mixed them with a few oats and seeds.

The pears and apples were peeled and chopped and tossed with the blueberries, some cinnamon and a spoonful of brown sugar.

Fruit on the bottom. Crumble on top.

Half an hour in the oven and voila.

We were so keen to eat it that I forgot to take a picture of it cooked.

For the record, we ate it with a lovely dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Gourmet Girlfriend who is one of my food heroes has written a post about using leftovers today. Go read! And thanks GG for the inspiration to post this.