In the depths of winter it’s easy to forget the wonders of spring. But a few warm days – and the extra hour of sunshine that comes with daylight saving – and like most Tasmanians I’m ready to crawl out of hibernation and explore the world again. Especially when my two little dinosaurs are getting more adventurous every day.
Here are our top five ways to spend a sunny spring day…
1. STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS. I love the colours of spring. Cheerful yellow daffodils. A bold blue sky. A hot pink pop of tulips. If you haven’t been to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens for a while, now is the perfect time. The tulips look beautiful – all 4000 of them – and the boys absolutely love the revamped duck pond. (Of course a trip to the gardens on a sunny day is also a good excuse for an ice-cream… rainbow is Hudson’s top pick).
2. GET A BELLY FULL OF BERRIES – Spring reminds me of the delicious fruit that’s on its way. While it’s a bit early for my two summer favourites (white nectarines and raspberries) you can still make the most of the season’s best offerings at Farm Gate Market (where the boys play happily in the grassy toy area while Bryan and I eat. They also love the nearby graffiti wall). Or pick your own. Sorell Fruit Farm has just reopened for the season. There’s no fruit there for a few weeks but in the meantime they have Devonshire teas with strawberry jam. Richmond’s Littlewood Berry Farm and Westerway Raspberry Farm are two more of our spring/summer favourites.
3. HIT THE BEACH. My happy place. But I don’t get there in winter as much as I’d like. As soon as spring arrived this year we headed to Howrah Beach for a family walk/bike ride and I quickly realised just how much I’d missed the salt air in my lungs and the soft sand underfoot. So we’ll be making plenty more spring beach trips in the coming weeks.
4. WATER PLAY. I’m constantly amazed at the hours of entertainment these two little dinosaurs can get from a bowl full of water. They love splashing around outside at home, usually half-naked, scooping water from their water play table into cups and bowls. Their Care Bear figurines, SuperPups and plastic dinosaurs get a bath and I get some peace and quiet. My best tip – give your kids a cheap paintbrush and a tub of water… my two will happily spend hours painting the house, the fence, their chalkboard or each other. Best (and cheapest!) toy ever. And on a warm spring day they won’t mind how wet they get.
5. MEET SOME SPRING BABIES. I love driving past grassy paddocks and seeing newborn lambs frolicking in the spring sunshine. But it’s not just lambs that make an appearance in spring – we noticed a few joeys in pouches at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary on our most recent visit (we have an annual pass which offers fantastic value…unlimited visits for 12 months for just $40 adults and $21 for kids aged 3-15). ZooDoo Zoo often has spring babies too.
