After two cancelled weddings thanks to Covid my gorgeous God-daughter Francesca finally got married to her person Goodsy! On a gloriously sunny afternoon overlooking the beautiful Kangaroo Valley they said ‘I do’ to each other in the company of a small group of friends and family and their two little daughters, India and Harper. As the days leading up to it were decidedly wet and gloomy we all felt so blessed to be in this wonderful place witnessing two people who are very much in love pledge their vows to each other. Chezzy’s Mum and my bestie Leigh had worked SO hard with her hubby John to prepare their property to look it’s very best for this special day and no matter where you looked there were flowers and trees and green vistas. The sound of birds and the breeze whispering through the trees was the backdrop to their ceremony before the sounds of eating, drinking, chatting and laughter took over as we celebrated into the night. A really beautiful day with some of my favourite people. Just magic.

I felt like a 5 year old off to my first party when Tom insisted on taking my photo as I left for the wedding! It was so nice to get dressed up and put some make-up on and feel like a girl again even if it was only for one day! My feet had forgotten what it felt like to wear heels after 18 months in sneakers! Sadly my gardening and walking clothes have become far too prevalent in my daily wardrobe and as they are so comfy I find reasons to stay in them for way longer than my walks or gardening efforts take! After losing 7kilos of covid squishiness it is so lovely to access a whole new wardrobe without having to shop as all my old clothes now fit again and feel like new! I even ventured to Wollongong and the BIG shops for some new swimmers and actually enjoyed the experience for once!! I was surprised how lovely The Gong was, the main central shopping district was as pretty as a picture with troughs full of flowers everywhere (Berry township powers-that-be take note please) with leafy suburbia and a CBD that is literally a 5 minute walk to the beach and all within an hour of Sydney. I will definitely go more regularly from now on.

Apparently it is Storm Season. I don’t really remember anyone referring to it as that before but the media have definitely coined the phrase this year and I can see why. We have had some magnificent storms, some with gnarly cloud formations and short sharp downpours and others with great rumblings of thunder that make the house tremble and with flashes of lightening that split the sky with such force you’re grateful to be snuggled up inside. We’ve never had any issues with Bailey and storms thank goodness but there are lots of local dogs that really hate it and either run away in fear or whimper and hide indoors. Now that La Nina has joined the party the storms are starting to give way to rain, lots and lots of it and two years since we were in the midst of raging bushfires we are now hearing about many areas under water and crops lost. Life in Australia is never gentle. I am trying to be grateful for the rain, at least I don’t have to water the garden and I must admit the hydrangeas are loving it!

Since restrictions have eased somewhat we have dipped our toes back into the waters of a social life, starting by inviting our lifelong friends over for dinner on Melbourne Cup Day. It was the first time we had seen each other in months and we were like kids in a candy shop being able to chat mask-free and enjoy an afternoon of food and wine together again. We all appreciated it so much more for having been deprived of company these past 6 months and since then we have seen other friends and the MOTH has even been to Sydney for work, staying in the Big Smoke and enjoying the fancy restaurants again!

How adorable are these little boys? Cooper is really keen on cooking and helps his Mum at every possible opportunity all dressed up in his Chef’s outfit and with his little sous chef gurgling happily in the background! He is a really loving little boy and loves nothing more than snuggling up with his Mummy on the lounge holding hands and watching some TV on a rainy afternoon… a happy place for both Mum and Son! I am so looking forward to having them and their 2 little girl cousins here for Christmas this year. It will be Bedlam of course – but of the loveliest kind!

So as our little town starts to open up we are back to fighting for parking spaces and restaurant seats as people from Sydney and NSW travel once again. Some shops and restaurants have undergone renovations and used this time to reinvent themselves with new hours and different offerings. It has been a time to rejig what is important to people and redefine what they want going forward. The workplace will probably never go back to a pre-covid format which means people are much more flexible which should be a good thing and give people a better work life balance. We are starting to dream of going back to Europe, our much planned and looked forward to trip from 2020 now reimagined for September 2022. It is still too early to look for flights but we have a vague itinerary that gives us something to look forward to at least and once we see how Europe copes with Covid this winter (so far that isn’t going too well) we will have a better idea what we can and can’t do. In the meantime we dream and plan and save!! And if we get stuck there is always a road trip?