parbuckling, problogger + snail mucus

On Saturday the Big Sister has been invited to a Frozen Princess Party. The party is to be held in a proper castle. She is, of course, beside herself and has been since she received the invitation.

As excited as she is, I think I might just have her licked. This morning I’ve woken up in the beautiful QT on the Gold Coast ready for this year’s Problogger Conference. I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for a long while. In the lead up my days have been filled with preparations to ensure things run smoothly on the farm while I’m gone from my little family for five (!) whole days.

My roommate is my good friend and the wit behind Have a Laugh on Me, Emily Toxward.  Last night we lay in bed and talked blogging til late.  It was like a childhood sleepover for internet geeks.

I was lucky enough to come to Problogger last year and I left filled with vigour and great ideas. Last year’s conference was the inspiration for Flossie, which I’m proud to have accomplished, even if it is now continuing in a different form.

This year’s schedule is filled with equally exciting content. I’m always surprised to learn just how many clever people are doing clever stuff on the internet; things I’d never dreamed of and didn't know existed. Plus, there’s a cocktail party tonight. The theme is ‘Ahoy’. I can’t wait to use some of the sailor talk I’ve been practicing. (Not that kind of sailor talk Nanna!)

As if two days in salubrious surrounds and great company wasn’t enough to look forward to, on Sunday, I’ll be travelling to Southern Country Queensland as a guest of Tourism Queensland. We’ll be spending a few days exploring Killarney, Ballandean, Stanthorpe and surrounds. Meeting farmers, local producers and (quite) a few wine makers. My partners in crime are Claire Hewitt and Jennifer from 84th and 3rd.

Preparing for this weekend wasn't all about teaching Bearhands how to pack school lunches and what uniform the Big Sister wears on Tuesdays. There's been a lot of preening. Packing five days worth of 'going-out' clothes took more thought than it should have.  Cramming four months worth of beauty treatments into four hours proved a challenge.  I was so short on time, I let a cosmetic saleswoman talk me into a BB cream that contains snail mucus.  As I type there is snail mucus on my face.  If nothing else, it should be a good conversation starter once I've run out of sailor talk!

I’m looking forward to sharing a few stories from our trip with you. If you’re the impatient type, you can see our little adventure in real time on Instagram.

I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

what are you up to this weekend?
do you have any thoughts about the parbuckling of the Concordia?