Lunch under this huge old tree in the Flinders Ranges
Posted on by Debbie

A sentence a day for August: a writing challenge

A Sentence a Day – a month in review

I joined in with some wonderful bloggers for the Sentence a Day writing challenge for the month of June and July and enjoyed it so much I’m back again for August!

In the first week of each month, we link our posts up and can read what everyone else has been up to during the month. It’s  fun to read back through the daily entries to see what we’ve all managed to fit into the month.

I feel like I’ve been travelling most for this year and August was no exception with our big adventure to outback Australia.  This was the month of our big adventure to Outback Australia.  I have written a series of posts about our travels if you’d like to read in more detail – just look at my blog home page for recent posts.  I’ve also linked to a few in this post.

So without further ado here we go with a sentence a day in AUGUST:

  1. Tuesday: I’m still a bit sore from my 5km Run Melbourne event, so I went for a walk instead of a run.
  2. Wednesday: First run since my Run Melbourne, and it felt OK, attended a meeting and caught up on some blogging.
  3. Thursday: An early morning walk in the forest, followed by household jobs – nice quiet day apart from a meeting.
  4. Friday: Confirmed bookings for our trip to New Zealand in November, wet miserable day with snow forecast later tonight.
  5. Saturday: Wet, cold and miserable again, not feeling the best to be honest, have a bad cough. Historical Society open day and book launch.
  6. Sunday: Not feeling too good so rested most of the day and tried to pack for our trip.
  7. Monday: My women’s education meeting was on today, good to catch up with everyone.
    Sunset in Mildura
    The open road in South Australia
    Palm tree lined road in Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley, South Australia
    Why did the emu cross the road?
  8. Tuesday: Leave on our road trip – first leg of 660km from Tumbarumba NSW to Mildura in Victoria.  The car was completely frozen shut when we went to leave.
  9. Wednesday: Drove 413 Km from Mildura to Tannuda in South Australia’s Barossa Valley.
    Our cosy cottage
    Riding the Rattler Tail
up close in a wine cellar
up close in a wine cellar

Thursday: Enjoyed a day of bike riding around Barossa Trails, visiting vineyards, cellar doors and quaint old towns.  Rode 30km in total in windy, cool conditions but had great fun!

  • Friday: Left Tananda, stopped for a bike ride on the Rattler Trail in Auburn on the way to our cute little cottage at Clare in South Australia. Happy hour around the campfire was fun!
  • Saturday: A big day of bike riding on the Riesling Trail, wine tasting and markets – 50km in total.
  • Sunday: Headed out from the beautiful Clare Valley to Iga Warta an Aboriginal community in the Flinders Ranges. It was 28 degrees and so deliciously warm.
  • Monday: Our group of 5 (the famous five) were driven out to our starting point for our walk and had a lovely day walking down the Frome River (a dry riverbed) for about 15km, amongst gorgeous old gum trees and waterholes, then back to Iga Warta for the night – we slept well!
    River gum
    A welcome waterhole
    Walking the Frome River
    Amazingly old trees in the Flinders Ranges
  • Tuesday: Day 2 of walking the Frome River saw us start where we had finished yesterday, we walked through gorgeous countryside a distance of about 9kms.  Terry our host left early in the morning with a gun in his hand, he told me he was getting our dinner – we had fresh kangaroo for dinner that night!
  • Wednesday: Today was a rest day with social history and Aboriginal culture. It was a very interesting and moving experience in the Ochre pits.
  • Thursday: It was a much cooler day today but we didn’t mind as we walked 13kms through the Frome Riverbed, seeing rare yellow tailed rock wallabies, emus, kangaroos and other wildlife.
    • Rock art
    Rock art

    Friday: Today was special with a Women’s business talk from Aboriginal women showing us sacred sites and sharing stories about their culture with us, followed by 8km of walking to see some amazing ancient cave art.

  • Saturday: We drove then walked about 8km into the Red Gorge where we saw ancient rock ‘engravings’  – what a privilege!
  • Sunday:  A freezing cold rest day between walks – our friends left for home and a new walking group arrived later in the day.  I spent the day sitting around the campfire trying to keep warm while updating my blog.  There was no phone reception but they did have limited WiFi).
  • Monday: The plans changed continually due to staffing issues but we ended up driving out and walking 11km further down the Frome River.
    Handprints
    The Red Gorge
    Lizard
  • Tuesday: More changes to our plans with our vehicle and packed trailer, breaking down on the way to our first campsite.  We ended up walking 6km before help came and we managed to find a good place to camp for the next 3 nights.
  • Wednesday: Sleeping in a tent isn’t all that comfortable but I managed OK, went 4-wheel driving for a few hours on our way to our next walk and then walked 10+km.
  • Thursday: Had a lovely drive over the bare hills and plains to the Frome River, past Moosha Bore where they used to break-in camels, walked 13km today, in beautiful country. Dinner was fun cooking around the fire.
    • Windmill in the outback
    Past its used by date
  • Friday: My knee is very sore from all the hard walking on big rocks in the riverbed so I rested around the campfire, while the others went for a short walk and we packed up the vehicles and headed back to Iga Warta for a welcome HOT shower!
  • Saturday: After breakfast we all drove out to walk into a chasm and luckily my knee held up OK with the help of a knee guard and walking stick.
  • Sunday: We all had one last breakfast together and said our farewells, before we drove 430km to Morgan for the night.
  • Monday: We left Morgan and drove 450km to Swan Hill in Victoria.
  • Tuesday: The last leg to get home was a 542km drive from Swan Hill to Tumbarumba – what a road trip we had!!
  • Wednesday: Normal life resumed with meetings, a walk in our own forest and a Meet the Candidates evening for our upcoming council elections.
  • Thursday: My hair was thankful for today’s appointment and I enjoyed a lovely evening at our local cinema’s monthly Movie Club.
    • Campfire
    Damper and billy tea
    Camp ovens

    Phew!  So that was my month – in a sentence a day!  It’s interesting looking back and seeing how much I managed to fit into the month.  Lots of driving, adventures and fun!! I’m still trying to update my blog 🙂 and catch up with reading everyone else’s, so bear with me if I haven’t got to yours yet!

    Why not try this challenge for yourself?  It is surprising what you might write over the course of the month and it is fun reading.  You can then link up and read other posts from those taking part in the challenge.  I’ll warn you that it is hard to keep it to just one sentence sometimes – or is that just me?

    The year is just racing by isn’t it?  Wishing you all a fantastic month ahead and thanks for stopping by my blog.

    What happened in August? A sentence a day.
    What happened in August?

    See you next month!

    Deb 🙂

    By clicking on the blue frog button below you can add your own link or view other entries for this month’s sentence a day.

    You can also find Deb’s World in lots of other places – stay in touch by clicking any of the buttons below.

    48 Replies to “A sentence a day for August: a writing challenge”

    1. Pingback: A Sentence a Day for December: A time for celebrations – Deb's World
    2. Pingback: A Sentence a Day for November: Adventures in New Zealand’s North Island – Deb's World
    3. Pingback: A sentence a day for October: A month of Wedding fun! – Deb's World
    4. Pingback: A sentence a day for September: a writing challenge – Deb's World

    5. Even one sentence can be enough to tell an entire story. I engage myself in this challenge on a daily basis by writing in my diary every night, taking note of what happens in my life. It really is interesting to look back on what I’ve experienced, and sometimes I blush from embarrassment at the ridiculous things I’ve thought and done- but in a way, this also shows me how much I’ve grown (hopefully that’s not too cringeworthy for me to say with my own mouth!)

      Thanks for sharing- just followed and looking forward to more of your posts! Glad I stumbled upon this blog.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

        1. No problem- it’s my pleasure! I love meeting new people on here.

          And definitely. I remember even before blogging, as a kid, adults around me would encourage me to write everyday. To record my surroundings and keep those memories intact to look back on later. Of course, I didn’t know what they were talking about. But now I do. I think one sentence is long enough for me to keep the memories from that day, while also being short enough for me to be present in that moment.

          Even the little things are wonderful to look back on later, and to me, offer the same amount of nostalgia as the bigger or more eventful ones.

          And same to you 🙂 so glad to now be following.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

      1. You are so right Terri, it was a jam packed month! Hopefully you can join in again soon. The 52 week challenge is going great and a lot of fun as it’s mainly with family members. We are all so diverse with our representation of the week’s themes. Thanks for stopping by and leaving me a comment.

        Liked by 1 person

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    12. What a wonderful month you had, Deb. To travel is to live, right? As I read your sentences, one thing that stood out was the long distance driving. I can relate to it as I’ve done something similar in Canada. Both of our countries are so big that it takes hours to get from A to B. Have a fantastic September!

      Liked by 1 person

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    14. Hi Deb, what an amazing walk about! Did you arrange the trip on your own, or use a walking holiday-type of company? Would love their name if the later, because this type of trip is right up our alley! (We did something similar to this up, over and through the Swiss Alps a few years ago.

      I love your nickname – Hummingbird! It made me laugh because me girls call me ‘Tigger’ because they say I bounce, bounce, bounce, rarely sitting still. I’m thinking you can totally relate!

      Love your active, diverse month!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Thanks Tamara, I laughed at your nickname Tigger, I can so relate to the bounce bit!! The trip was
        S organised through friends but the place we stayed is a commercial operation Iga Warta and they offer tours and accommodation. It’s camping style but the experiences were unforgettable. Happy to have your visit and comment on my busy and active month. This month is a bit slower 😊

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    15. Wow, Deb! You are one active person!!

      All those adventures, hikes and walks in such amazing places.

      I truly enjoyed reading about your month!!!

      Looking forward to September!!!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Thanks Jennifer! It was a very active month I agree 😊 Thankfully the riding was mainly flat and the wine tastings sure made it fun, especially trying to fit the bottles we bought into our bags and then riding back to our cottage. Clinking all the way…..

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    18. I’ve never seen the sentence a day posts. It makes for a fun read to see your whole month like that. I can’t believe your car was frozen shut. I didn’t realize that it got that cold there. You’re in Australia, right?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Yes Phil in a little town up in the Snowy mountains in NSW. We can see the snow capped mountains from our house and sometimes we even get snow falling here but it doesn’t stay around on the ground for too long. We often get frosts and winters can be bitterly cold. Spring has sprung here at the moment but we are still lucky to get into double digits temperatures (Celsius). It’s a good fun way of recapping the month in one go! Thanks for your visit 😊

        Liked by 1 person

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    21. It is amazing how much a single sentence can convey. Sounds like a busy month full of adventure and trying new things. Wishing you an equally positive and rewarding September!

      Liked by 1 person

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