On what feels like the 158th day of rain in the past 6 months it is hard to feel cheery. The cows are almost floating away and you can hear them coming before you see them as they slosh through the black muddy water that lies on top of their food. They are most certainly NOT getting the nutrition they need at the moment and the farmer visited yesterday saying they are looking to agist them somewhere else out west somewhere until the ground dries out and the grass grows back. Seriously who would be a farmer? They roll from drought to floods and everything in between and it must be heartbreaking for them coming into winter with hardly any edible pasture for their cattle. We have apparently had 1300mm or over 51 inches of rain since the beginning of the year here and it’s only April 12th. I have literally not watered the garden once since October and I’m not sure how much of a garden I will have left after all this rain finally disappears. It has wiped out my entire veggie patch and lots of the sun loving plants – hopefully they will bounce back in Spring, we will just have to wait and see. The Shoalhaven Road network has been severely impacted with 48 major landslips, 114 minor landslips, 4 bridges damaged or destroyed, 8 causeways washed away and 65 culvert crossings ruined bringing the current damage bill to more then $35M just within a 250km stretch of roadways. Potholes are huge and causing lots of damage to cars with some people getting multiple flat tyres in one week and patience is stretched to capacity by motorists also grappling with major roadworks which have now also been further delayed meaning one lane highways for the Easter weekend….what joy!

I’m really hoping that the sun will come out in time for the MOTH’s 70th birthday celebrations at The Casa in Kangaroo Valley in a couple of weeks time. Our family is coming from Sydney and Hobart to pay homage to the Patriarch and some sunshine would mean we could really explore this beautiful property and enjoy The Valley. If the rain persists there will be a LOT of hide and seek and ‘colouring in’ going on indoors with the 4 grandkids ….eeek! This was an old art gallery before it was renovated just over a year ago and has a rather unique décor and a beautiful location so let’s hope the Universe comes to the party and the rain holds off so we can enjoy all it has to offer!

It has been a sad few weeks with the passing of both my Dad and our lovely friend Peter. Both had been unwell for quite a while and I suppose you could say it was a blessed relief for them to be out of their pain although no matter how much you know it is going to happen it is always hard for those left behind. Peter’s funeral was held on what would have been my Dad’s 86th birthday and afforded me the perfect opportunity to think of him – an emotional day all round. Living so far away I rarely saw my Dad and our relationship was more like one of pen pals in recent years but I have some fond memories of us growing up and of various happy times together over the more recent years. Fly high Dad…until we meet again…

We have been lucky to reconnect with Peter since moving down here. It was such a surprise to find him living just 10 minutes away from us. An old school friend of the MOTH and a lovely man who never lost his twinkle and wit right to the end, I shall miss his banter and our get togethers. Farewell Pete, we will raise a glass to you often and keep a loving eye on Susan for you.

I don’t know if we are completely mad but we have started planning our holiday to Europe later this year. It will be a combined celebration of our big decade birthdays – mine delayed from 2020 – and hopefully after 2.5 years of Covid spoiling things we will be able to finally get to Switzerland, Italy and Scotland. We had tickets to see Andrea Bocelli for 2020 and they have finally been rescheduled for this year so let’s hope the tickets really are still valid as we are planning everything around being in Marostica mid September! It is a medieval town in the lower mountains of Northern Italy and he is singing outdoors in the Piazza which sounds magical to me. I have been looking forward to it for a long time now so fingers crossed it goes ahead. Planning International travel isn’t as much fun as it used to be to be honest. Apart from the fact that prices are high post Covid and with erratic global fuel prices, Covid recommended travel insurance also costs an arm and a leg. Hire cars are either impossible to find and if you do find one available the fee is exorbitant so we have decided to travel around Europe by train – less pressure and a wonderful way to see the surrounding landscapes. That in turn has influenced where we will stay – in town within walking distance of restaurants and attractions and not too far from public transport. Scotland however is to be a road trip. The North Coast 500 touring the highlands of Scotland and staying at a mixture of pubs, bed and breakfasts and fishing lodges and tracing some of The Cameron history. We’ve decided to throw caution to the wind and book everything in the hope the world will still be here in August and you never know what lies around the corner so we’re off to adventure while we can and before we’re too much older!!