tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46959135886874694622024-03-04T22:54:59.418-08:00Flamingo RoverA blog about motherhood, being an expat - Australian woman living in Scotland and the journey of indie publishing the book
'You Won't Remember This- travel with babies'Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-51200180277461575572017-08-28T05:04:00.001-07:002017-08-28T05:04:19.662-07:00What is in a Name?
Flamingo Rover started life as a travel blog, over time it morphed into a life of an expat Aussie in the UK blog, and then a life of an expat Aussie mum in the UK blog.
In time it also moved off-line and became a publishing platform as well.
With the launch impending of the new website the Flamingo Rover blog will move from blogger to wordpress and be under the Sandy Bennett-Haber umbrellaSandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0Edinburgh, UK55.953252 -3.188266999999996255.810968 -3.5109904999999961 56.095535999999996 -2.8655434999999962tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-37774111479145389732017-07-12T03:38:00.001-07:002017-07-13T06:33:40.603-07:00How to Act like a Traveller at Home
Host
travellers via Airbnb- If you have the space spruce up your spare room
and create a hosting profile on airbnb – it is a great way to bring
the travel vibe into your home. You can sit down to breakfast with
travellers from all over the world – just like being at a
backpackers – at home. And it can help you make some extra money to
go towards your next holiday.
Travel
Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-22386840576149691182017-06-30T02:33:00.000-07:002017-06-30T02:33:30.093-07:00...adventure, uncertainty and sheer boldness!
I am always delighted to touch base with the lovely folk who have contributed stories to You Won't Remember This. Sometimes this is in person. I managed to get a picture of myself, Helen Sheil (aka my mum) and Sarah Dyer at the opening night of the My Mother is an Artist, and you can read my overview of the evening for Lothian Life if you like.
Helen Sheil, Sandy Bennett-Haber and Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-48144053263844383012017-05-30T06:20:00.000-07:002017-08-06T07:24:46.147-07:00The shortcut blog about this woman writing elsewhere
So I had a plan –
which was to write one blog a month this year. And now it is the 30th
of May and so far no blog has appeared. There has been action aplenty
in life, and even some bits of writing here and there, but none of it
on the Flamingo Rover blog.
In my defence for the non appearance of a blog Finn turned two –
which means that I have a two year old and a three year old. Just
Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0Edinburgh, UK55.953252 -3.188266999999996255.810968 -3.5109904999999961 56.095535999999996 -2.8655434999999962tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-25546598577562170532017-04-12T14:50:00.000-07:002017-04-15T11:36:18.956-07:00Easter - remembering and looking forward
For me Easter will
always be a special holiday. It is a holiday which smells, not like
chocolate, but like boat fuel mixed with salt water. It feels like
crisp mornings which will turn into sunny days.
For
most of my life Easter was spent camping in Mallacoota. A seaside town
on the very edge of Victoria, in Australia.
Mallacoota, Australia. With a dog.*
In her poem Blue
Sarong, in Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-7308955237543370102017-04-02T04:45:00.001-07:002017-04-02T04:52:24.067-07:00The Sleep Series - Part two. The Bermuda Triangle
I am committed to
writing positive sleep stories, and I will get there, but first I
need to write out the Bermuda triangle of bad bed times we
experienced this week – and then I will get to something positive!
Just now I am nostalgic
for good bedtimes. It has been a bad week for sleep in our house. Or
perhaps I should say it has been a bad week for bed times. Because we
always look for Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-27343295472799342182017-03-21T04:49:00.001-07:002017-04-02T03:54:13.647-07:00The Sleep Series - Part one. I can't remember where I slept last night
I walked in the door this afternoon and it flashed across my mind, for no particular reason that I could not remember where I slept last night. I don't have a wild lifestyle. I just have two small children.
Sleeping Woman
For
the first few weeks after going into his own bed Rafa settled down
happily and put himself to sleep. Then he realised he could get out
of bed by himselfSandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-72704441372522425272017-02-24T04:21:00.000-08:002017-03-02T04:47:37.176-08:00I will teach my children lies
Winter, Jean
Antoine Houdon, 1787
I will teach my
children lies
I will teach them that
a mothers love and a fathers love can protect them from everything.
That by treating others
with respect they in turn will be respected.
That by doing their bit
to protect the environment, conserving resources and treading lightly
on the earth they can make a difference.
I will teach my
Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-78718977643516609062017-01-23T08:37:00.000-08:002017-03-15T14:13:17.132-07:00How To Feed Your Soul
Have you already lost
that New Year glow? That warm fuzzy feeling that this year things
will go OK, things will be accomplished. You will be calm,
intelligent and accomplished?
I reached a proper low
around the middle of January. The bottom out involved words like: stomach
bug, medical fasting, colonoscopy*, husband projectile vomiting, two
small children, no family nearby, vandalism to the Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-23709783432531553872017-01-14T02:22:00.000-08:002017-03-11T03:39:32.841-08:00Five Tips from a One Time Group Travel Virgin
On 'that' trip. Scotland 2011
In I my pre-mum, pre-writing about travel with babies life I was often to be found curled up with a good book. On occasion I got myself out of the house and had an adventure or two. If you read until the end of my rather long tale of group travel virgin blog you will know that I married my tour guide. That fact basically makes meSandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-37778878312005776022017-01-05T11:16:00.000-08:002017-01-18T03:54:18.801-08:00Tale of a Group Travel Virgin
I wrote a travel story
recently that saw me looking back to a trip that I took ten
years ago. Writing it was quite an interesting journey in itself –
funny how when you look back patterns reveal themselves. That's one
of the reasons I love writing. The story did not get chosen for the
project I sent it off to- so I thought I would post it here.
Slow Starter
Darwin
to Broome
On the Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-54187338039235380462016-12-20T11:45:00.000-08:002017-02-28T02:32:42.584-08:00 Counting down to Christmas
A week or so to go:
Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming... and I've done very
little.
Edinburgh is bloated with pre-Christmas activities. I think perhaps the intention
is to distract us from the gloomy weather setting in – so the
locals feel cold and are indoctrinated to think 'ah Christmas is
coming' rather than 'ah, must immigrate.' Even though, once the
Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-55734013669257869072016-12-06T03:07:00.000-08:002017-01-18T12:01:56.999-08:00Cover Art
So much of my
communication with the world these days takes place on a screen. Big
screens, small screens, in the case of my phone: a repeatedly
smashed, repaired, smashed and dropped in the toilet screen. And I
am not complaining; computers and phones help me stay in touch with
my family and friends in Australia, they help me see the journey of a
dear friend as she battles major illness and Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-53099786192395586052016-11-11T02:29:00.000-08:002017-03-10T06:37:53.232-08:00You Won't Remember This- travel with babies -Published
In the underrated film
Sex and the City II Carrie announces 'I've been cheating on
fashion with furniture.' I have a similar confession to make, I've
been cheating on blogging with editing/publishing.
Twenty writers from around the world (OK 19, plus me!) have trusted me with their stories of travel with babies, they have waited patiently while I edited, had a baby, looked after it,Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-73106618613449783342015-11-13T14:23:00.000-08:002017-02-28T02:33:37.036-08:00Wordless
As this wet and windy week has gone
on I have fallen in a bit of a physical heap. Various aches and pains
laying me low. A sore throat has been the latest symptom added to the
list. Nevertheless I managed a 'very' social day yesterday – which
included an afternoon playdate at a friends house with lots of mummy
and kid chat, and an evening out to celebrate a work colleges
promotion – being on Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-83176401996642462382015-10-12T13:56:00.000-07:002017-02-28T02:34:01.809-08:00Clutter QueenI find notes she's left. Little tid bits. A train ticket from Melbourne 2011, half a postcard, a small pile of stamps shorn from past post, a stack of old magazines with pictures cut out, a bag of lace doilies- moth eaten but with some usable fragments, wrapping paper from last Christmas and don't get me started on the drifts of old receipts - avalanche warning!
Every time I come across one or Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK55.953252 -3.188266999999996255.8109675 -3.5109904999999961 56.0955365 -2.8655434999999962tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-31146783559063731192015-06-15T07:27:00.001-07:002017-02-28T02:34:31.768-08:00Imaginary Mansion
Noun
ˈ
mansion
noun;
mansions
plural noun
a large, impressive house..
synonyms:
stately home
,
hall
,
manor
,
manor house
,
country house
.
antonyms:
hovel
.
In May we welcomed baby Finn into our home. With our nuclear family up to four, and our post baby support team swelling the bodies in our two bedroom flat to six, I have been imagining what life mightSandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-18812721741134192592015-03-25T12:34:00.002-07:002017-02-28T02:34:59.212-08:00Bath Time
This pregnancy has seen me take many
baths. Resting, with the weight taken off for a little while has been
helping me get through my busy days. The bath was one of my
pre-requisits when we were flat hunting: No bath = No deal.
I recall a conversation a month or two
back, with someone who commented that baths were good 'me' time,
letting you shut the door on the world for a little while. Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-17358581123863746982015-02-28T03:04:00.001-08:002017-02-28T02:35:22.093-08:00Learned BehaviorMy 18 month old son was exhibiting somewhat disturbing behavior the other day. After my initial surprise at his actions had worn off I realised that his behavior was of course entirely the fault of his parents. He is not in daycare, does not spend large chunks of time with anyone besides us, nor does he watch a lot of television.
He has been demonstrating just how susceptible he is to following Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-2015877386291526082014-12-29T09:24:00.001-08:002017-02-28T02:35:45.539-08:00Any Day Adventure
A day can take you a lot of places,
even when you don't really go anywhere at all.
Today at the bus stop I was reading a
library book my husband picked out for me. Love with a Chance of
Drowning, by Torre DeRoche is a memoir about an adventursome couple who sailed from the
USA to Australia via all sorts of Pacific Islands. I am still at the
sea-sick stages of their journey (hers not Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-13775777393545975892014-10-02T11:12:00.000-07:002017-03-22T01:17:15.298-07:00The 'You Won't Remember This' Conversation
Having a child draws you into all sorts
of new communities. Some days our little family: mum, dad and Rafa
can be more than enough to handle; on other days gathering others
around you is essential. Living on the other side of the world from
the friends and family I gathered about me during the first thirty
years of my life can make many things about being a parent
challenging.
On Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-62896312392436184612014-07-30T04:34:00.003-07:002017-01-18T11:53:34.757-08:00The Cut-Outs
The Matisse exhibition in London has
been tantalisingly near, yet far all summer. Yes it is only four and a half
hours on the train from Edinburgh, yes I am on maternity leave and my
time is my own. But somehow the no's have stacked up against it in my
mind. After four and a bit months living out of suitcases home
has become a very nice place to be, and the notion of navigating the
London Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-68305647565488161742014-07-07T02:36:00.000-07:002017-01-18T11:52:15.253-08:00The New Project
I am looking to collect up travel
stories with a twist - travel with babies. Do you think you could be
interested in contributing a story, poem, memoir, or travel tale? My
concept is still sketchy, but I am ultimately looking to create a
book of beautifully written and engaging stories from around the
world.
I am provisionally entitling the
project: You Won't Remember This – travel withSandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-28368795835086758832014-04-23T04:38:00.000-07:002017-02-28T05:22:52.948-08:00Domestic Bliss
If you ever find yourself getting
tiered of that daily grind of chores – washing the dishes, taking
out the trash, doing the laundry, cooking meals ect. I have a great
cure.
Just pack up your entire house, put
most things into storage and put the things you cannot live without
into suitcases. Fly around the world, stopping off to see friends,
family and magnificent locations. Be sure to Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4695913588687469462.post-34507879355689115742014-04-09T13:17:00.003-07:002017-01-18T11:51:15.627-08:0049 Beds
Since leaving Edinburgh in November
2013 to begin our round-the-world honeymoon we have slept in 49 beds* and visited seven different countries: England, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada.
Along the way we have caught up with friends
and family around the world
We have also...
Driven on the left and right sides of
the road.
Grown two teeth (Rafa)
Learned to love swimming Sandy Bennett-Haberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05072883268587738524noreply@blogger.com1