Well it’s been a few weeks folks, because, well…Covid… and let’s face it every day is like Groundhog Day adding or subtracting the odd trip to the supermarket, garden centre or medical appointment. I must say however that as each day creeps towards Spring we have noticed lots of changes in the garden which help to keep me focussed on lovely warm days ahead and hopefully a Christmas with the sound of laughter and children playing whilst their parents enjoy a cold beverage! Dreaming is free right?
So as the fresh new leaves unfurl on the trees and my wisteria is sporting fat purplish buds just waiting to burst open any day it makes me hopeful that better days lie ahead. The jonquils and hyacinths have been and gone and now the sweet peas and salvias are having their turn, a prelude to the roses which after their recent pruning are already filling out with leaves and the promise of flowers to come. It is so nice to be able to bring some of the outside in with blooms strategically placed around the house to make me smile. Covid may have spoiled our lives over the past 18 months but nature carries on regardless and has probably even enjoyed the lack of people out and about. It is uplifting to see the cherry blossoms on our daily walk and the birds are dipping and darting and flirting with each other ahead of some serious lovey dovey and nest building. I love seeing the parrots sitting in pairs canoodling and snuggling up together, they seem to genuinely enjoy the whole process as opposed to other creatures for whom it’s all over in a second or two, occasionally coinciding with their death! Nature is sometimes very weird!
Before the lockdown I was having a lovely old time as I have made some new friends! Whether you are 6 or 60 it is always nice to meet new people who you enjoy being with and who have similar outlooks on life. In these times especially I relished meeting up with some girls who I met initially through a mutual friend but have continued to see through our love of dogs! We all love our furry friends and it is so nice to meet up for a walk or at our houses for some afternoon tea and chatter while the pups play together! Vanessa has the most beautiful views from her house and has sheep, cows, alpacas and goats whilst running a home away from home specifically for Golden Retrievers. Luckily Bailey and Billy have been granted a special dispensation to join in on Doggy Daycare Thursdays!
In the best news in ages, we were so very happy this week to welcome India Elizabeth Cook into the family. She kept us all waiting an extra 9 days but she was definitely worth the wait. 4kgs of deliciousness and already settling into family life in Tassie. We are so happy that they are all free over there with no Covid cases and as they are locked out from the rest of the world they will hopefully stay that way. Sadly that means I can’t be there as we had originally planned although I still hold out a tiny bit of hope for my October 18th flight yet to be cancelled. Luckily her In Laws came to the rescue, staying with them before, during and after the big event to help with our little Myla. She was very much looking forward to being a big sister but I’m not sure the reality is quite what she expected and she isn’t too keen on sharing Mummy at this point in time. I’m sure she will get used to it all very quickly and be Mummy’s Number One Helper before long. In the meantime she is rather overly enthusiastic in her affection to her baby sister and her Dad has suggested they may need to bring in security! In a lovely nod to our family India bears her maternal Great Grandma’s name – Elizabeth, as Myla has her paternal Great Grandma’s name – Josephine. A wonderful duo to emulate that’s for sure and a little bit of history passed down the line. Needless to say Gigi is very chuffed!
Another thing that brought a smile to my face this week was a parcel we received in the mail with these words on the back!! Inside was a batch of homemade baklava from our friend Nick and it definitely left us feeling all warm and fuzzy as well as overjoyed to have something delicious to eat with our afternoon cuppa. A simple kindness that meant a lot. It has inspired me to try and pay it forward …a chain letter of deliciousness and kindness…
When you move to Australia from another continent as I did and know absolutely no one, your new family and friends really have a lot of work to do to fill the void of home, but I have been very lucky with my In Law family. They are all lovely and even if we don’t see each other very often we always pick straight back up where we left off and now as we are slowing down a bit we hope that we will get to spend a bit more time with them all. Heather was my local sister in law and with 3 kids each and married to the two Cameron brothers we had a lot in common. We used to call each other every Wednesday to chat and de-brief, especially when we were missing our kids who were living overseas or the husbands were being especially Cameron-ish!!! Thirty minutes later having solved the problems of the world we would hang up feeling much better about things. Sadly 18 months ago she was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour and it all happened just as Covid raised its horrible head meaning we haven’t really been able to see her. She passed away two weeks ago at home with her family around her as they luckily all live nearby. She had some good patches in that time and was so thankful that her expat children had all come home prior to Covid and she could spend some time with them and even witness the birth of another little grandson. Family was everything to her and she would have derived immense pleasure from cradling that little guy. We went through a lot together throughout the years and I will miss her a lot. Make the most of every day folks, you never know what lies around the corner…
Happy times
My Move To The Meadow 