The last day... funny how it feels like we have been away forever AND that it has flown by!

I was woken from my Hogwart's dorm bed by two girls saying "come quick, a bird just slammed into the window". Before I was even awake, I was traipsing on the grass looking for a dead bird who, as it turned out, had only been stunned and flown away.

Badger and gone up to the kitchen to get ready and after packing bags, I joined him for a much appreiated half hour of sanity before the kids arrived for breakfast. The automated toaster and expansive counters made braekfast a breeze and we even managed to eat first!

Our drive this morning was through farms and fields on the way to Kaa's parent's farm. "I don't know the address," Kaa told us, looking at the map. "It's somewhere near the W in Toowoomba." What he failed to mention was it was also next door to a country pub, and right past a couple of huge silos, so he got the dunny brush for that one...

The welcome at the farm was nothing short of miraculous and Veera put mine and Badger's food efforts to shame. The table was set with every imaginable treat... one table for kids and one for adults. Around us ran black and white sheep and the kids got to tiptoe through the chook pen too. Their favourite passtime was picking wool off the fences and spinning it between their fingers. (Of course, this meant it was pretty essential to wash their hands before digging in the sweets!)

We shared stories of our adventures and took pictures at the farm before waddling back onto the bus and wondering if we should skip lunch as Kaa gave us a tour of his hometown. Amazingly, by the time we reached Kilcoy, there was enough space in our stomachs to stop at the Yowie statue and gobble up most of our remaining fresh food (squashed between slices of bread).

As we neared the Sunshine Coast, Kaa put Mama Mia on and the racket in the bus was extraordinary. Then, as we rounded the roundabout in Buderim, the backing track for the Buderim Cub Scouts song blared. We opened the windows and sang at the tops of our voices as startled parents looked on.

Hugs, kisses, stories, water buckets, dustpans, sponges, dishwashing and screwdrivers later, and the trailer as opened for bags to spill. A few more hugs, and we were all on our way back to our respsective homes, the web of connection temporarliy broken but the memories remaining.

Thanks so much to everyone who made this adventure possible... and of course, most importantly Kaa and Rikki who spent six months planning!