Australian coffee.
Sydney coffee.
Strong and hot...full of salt air and life by the sea.
It works well with sandy feet and brings out sun kissed cheeks.
For a moment I'd like to hold your hand, and take you with me walking around my home by the sea.
I hope we'd talk for hours with our faces up to the winter's sun, and share thoughts on why we all live where we live.
There is nothing like a walk by the ocean to bring out how you feel about life.
I truly believe that where we live is almost as important as how we live to our day-to-day happiness.
It's the corner stone to the rest of our lives...
It's the Saturday morning local cafe, the Sunday night favorite takeaway, the local farmer's market and library.
For us it's the ocean front seat we tie our bikes too...It's the sand we throw down our boards, towels and vintage umbrella on...and it's as simply perfect-to-us as our local yoghurt bar on the beach front.
It's the community we want hugging our family tight.
We live on the edge of Australia.
That sounds a little dramatic- but our life is dictated by the wild and wonderfully erratic ocean, and our little town that hugs this coast.
Our kids live on their bikes...the ocean is a *throw-a-towel-in-your-basket-bike-ride-away*.
We drink strong coffee walking our puppy along a coast line that is busy with people embracing life from 6am till sundown.
We own too many surfboards and towels than is honestly needed, and we love the freedom that ocean days embrace.
But...the true beauty of where we live, is that we are coastal living next to one of the world's most vibrant cities.
We have chosen to raise our children surrounded by sand, salt and fresh air...a perfectly lovely half hours ferry trip from the center of Sydney City.
It's the best of both worlds.
It's life in the English countryside, on the doorstep of London.
It's my sixteen year old being able to surf with her Dad, brother and sister, before heading to the MCA for lunch or an exhibition.
Although I was born and raised by the coast, I was always one to want to live in *other places* before I chose a forever spot. Fortunately I fell in love with a man who approached life with the same thoughts.
We plotted and planned an adventure together, with whatever children we were to be blessed with.
We now have three very well travelled, balanced, accepting, wonderful gypsies on our hands, that have lived and loved our family homes on both sides of the world.
We feel it's been a gift to them.
Living in the wilds of the Northern English countryside, traveling throughout Europe and Africa was a gift for four years.
Returning to the coast of Australia was another gift...one that feels like a continuation of our adventure as a family.
Living by the sea, is much like living surrounded by wide open green spaces.
Sitting by it clears my head. Sitting by it with my kids clears everyone's head.
Embracing it in all weathers, awakens the senses and freshens your perspective on life , each and every day.
I love our family life here.
I've loved life by the coast as a child, as a single girl, as a couple and now as a mother.
It's a life choice that makes me happy and content...I know it's the special place that we'll send our kids out to the world from.
For now, I'm happy to be sending them out, all over our wonderful city from.
Sydney as a City starts at the beautiful heads into our Harbour.
We live on the coast alongside the {Northern Head} to Sydney Harbour.,We could live on any number of beautiful beaches along the coast on either side of the Harbour heads, but our beloved home Manly Beach, is nestled alongside national parkland, and sits on a rare stretch of land with the ocean on one side, and the harbor on the other.
The city is a 25 minute, incredibly beautiful, ferry ride from our home.To travel from life by the beach, to the beauty of a day under the Opera House and Harbour Bridge still makes me sooo happy...it's a journey of familiar love and life.
{singing bird cages in Angel Place}
Our life is dictated by the ocean, on the doorstep of one of the world's most beautiful cities.
{my gift from the loveliest of blogging girlfriends}
I feel we are blessed to call the Australian coast...and our place on it home...
Blessed to send our children back to their own journey of discovering the world from this home...
Blessed to embrace its freedom, fresh air and beauty.
This is why we choose to live and love life here...
Thanks for the ocean walking...and the coffee...it's been lovely sharing our home with you.
Melissa x
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Melissa writes the blog Miss Sew & So.
This is part of my guest post series "Why I Live Where I Live"....if you would like to take part, please get in touch :)
