It’s at times like this that I absolutely LOVE living here! Coming home to my beautiful veranda draped in my Pierre de Ronsard rose gets me every time. They are really starting to fill in now and are unashamedly exuberant with tightly furled buds that change into huge blousy blooms before wilting and scattering petals like confetti all around the garden! The boys of my household were not fans of me planting them here and winding their thorny stems around the posts so close to where we sit, but now they are starting to appreciate my original vision of a rose clad country cottage…

As part of a long term bookclub in Sydney it is one of the things that I ALWAYS make time for if I am available. The best group of gals that I have shared my life with now for nearly 30 years and it’s always wonderful to see them and catch up. We all take it in turns to host an evening but obviously since I’ve moved 2 hours away it has been impossible to host in my own home so some of the girls have generously offered their houses for me to “borrow” over the years. Some of the other girls have also moved further away so we decided to kill two birds with one stone and share a bookclub and combine it with a sleepover in the northern beaches. It was like a mini holiday as we arrived at Carolyns beautiful home in Avalon and we set up outside on a balmy evening to enjoy a meal, some wine and some laughs. The next morning we gathered at the old boathouse in Palm Beach for a delicious breakfast in the most magnificent setting – all in all it was a big success that may just become an annual event!

A few days later we headed to Tassie for our 3 monthly catch up with our girls and my heart nearly burst when they came running towards us at the airport and leapt into our arms for a big cuddle. It’s always so lovely to be back in Hobart and to spend some time with them. Loz whisked us out on the 2nd night for some grown up time in central Hobart. Our favourite ramen at Bar Wa Izakaya followed by drinks at Pablos cocktails, a great little underground bar with live jazz and a suitably interesting group of patrons and to top the evening off she had got her hands on some tickets to see The Whitlams at The Odeon. A fun night all round and typical of the wonderful diversity that Hobart and indeed Tassie in general offers.

The girls are growing up fast and have two very different personalities although they overlap on their love of the outdoors, playing Mummies and Daddies for hours with their dolls and are both always up for a treat of some sort! We enjoyed taking them to the Hobart Show for the day where they were allowed 2 rides, 2 alley games and 1 show bag each. A lot of thought went into their choices and although Indi was fascinated by the dodgem cars they both plumped for the much more sedate ride on the elephants. Glad they are still little enough to get so much enjoyment from something so simple! They rode a mechanical horse and sat on a police motor bike, ate icecream and won shiny glittery prizes as well as patting baby goats and watching piglets clad in sequin vests race! A good day was had by all and a special shout out to Papa who queued up for 45 minutes for their show bags in the rain (something he never would have done for our own kids back in the day!!)

We finally got to take Myla to school and see her classroom. She LOVES her uniform and the whole ritual of her school bag, library bag and sport bag on various days and was proud as punch to show us her classroom which was gorgeous, a huge converted weatherboard house full of character and nothing like the classrooms we had growing up. This day they were cooking dumplings and she recounted in great detail how to make them when she got home! Learning the very best way there is – very hands on – and they use ingredients from their own veggie patch to boot! They are lucky to live a mere 10 minutes walk from the school and it was one of our favourite parts of the day walking with the girls who picked flowers and skipped the whole way!

They also absolutely LOVE getting dressed up. Their costume basket is overflowing with outfits from mermaids to princess outfits to geisha/maori and Heidi dresses. They benefit from having older girl cousins that pass things on down and their current favourite was this beautiful ballet inspired dress that they both took turns in wearing and twirling around in! Gorgeous!

They have an outdoor mud kitchen that they play in a lot and when things get heated indoors (as it does with little kids) we would bundle them up and go for a walk/ride on their bike and scooter and collect various bits of nature to play with in the kitchen. Flowers, twigs, leaves, bark and petals all found their way back to the mud kitchen and they then spent hours cooking them into cupcakes, pizzas and pies and presenting them to us!

After a wonderful 10 days we headed home to The Meadow and a garden that was exploding with Spring blossoms. The jacarandas, hydrangeas and gardenias were all flowering and the first of my tomatoes were gracing the plants with plenty more to follow. Cucumber, green beans, eggplant and capsicum are all planted and the spinach and rhubarb are doubling in size every couple of weeks. I tried to be more sensible this summer with my plantings so that I don’t waste too much food and I resisted the temptation to plant the entire punnet of zucchini as they are like triffids and take over the entire patch. There are baby apples, plums and apricots on the trees too so I will be making some jam if the parrots decide to leave me any fruit this year! I was also ecstatic to see my very first dahlia blooming – she’s a real beauty I think you’ll agree!

The boys movie club and partners met in Huskisson for a few nights, staying in the local caravan park in a mixture of cabins, caravans and a safari tent. It is located right opposite a beautiful little beach and is just a ten minute walk into town and the famous Husky Pub and a few great little eateries. There was a fabulous coastal path you could walk all the way to Hyams beach if you felt like it and that crystal clear water was a magnet on a sunny warm day with nothing to do but read and chat and swim – a perfect getaway. On our last day we ventured out to Milton and The Altar Bar which our friends own and run. It is a beautiful and unique location situated in the grounds of an old church and amidst the old graveyard which sounds macabre but isn’t! They have delicious food and some awesome wines as well as cocktails on offer which we enjoyed whilst listening to some live music and I can thoroughly recommend popping in for an hour or two if you are in the area – they even offer a pickup and drop off service locally, what more could you ask for?

Time to go home to our little white house and our chocky dog but not before calling in to our neighbours to meet Harvey, their new labrador puppy who was 8 weeks old and absolutely delicious. His little round tummy and softest ears nearly had me wanting another one but I’m just going to ‘borrow’ him from time to time to fill my puppy needs as this stage goes so quickly and then they become a little bit naughty! Is there anything cuter than a labrador puppy though??

This year I purposely chose to go overseas a bit earlier as I have missed the start of Spring in the last few years and it is one of my very favourite times of the year. It lifts my spirits to see the wisteria in full bloom and all the flowers doing their thing while the birds are in overdrive – finding mates and making nests and flitting here, there and everywhere on their quest! They have been particularly fascinated with my outside mirror which is attached to a little window box and they have been perching on the box and making sweet talk to their reflections – everything from magpies to tiny little wrens have been duped into thinking there is a fine looking bird taking interest in them! The wrens have taken it up a notch by targeting the side mirrors of our cars and also the shiny handles of our French doors! We’ve been forced to park our cars in the garage all day by a creature the size of a 50 cent piece!!! I do however love hearing their whittering in the hedges and their swift flitting around the veranda as they carry on their busy little lives…

Unfortunately the August winds decided to come in September this year meaning no sooner had the wisteria bloomed the wind arrived to blow them all away. A few more sheltered racemes (the name for the long flowers) have survived to tell the tale but the rest have been blown like purple confetti all around the property coming to rest in purple puddles in the corners. Blink and you may have missed the entire spectacle!

I had a quick 2 week trip back to the UK to celebrate my Mum’s 88th birthday and it was wonderful. We all converged on my sister’s house in Wales and enjoyed the perfect mix of family home time and getting out and about and exploring some of the beautiful Welsh countryside. Poor Mum had no chance with both daughters united in our desire for exploration and lunches in lovely locations and she was corralled into the car on most days and did thousands more steps than she was both used to or comfortable with but the sun was shining and we had places to see so she did it! It’s amazing what a girl can do with the promise of a nice lunch in the sunshine! We had a lovely day trip to the wonderfully named Mumbles where the sunny blue skies and clear sparkly water were more reminiscent of Europe than the UK and I LOVE how despite the not always reliable weather there are so many outdoor and rooftop eateries and bars here.

With over 600 miles of coastline we were spoilt for choice about where to visit and where to eat overlooking the water. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at Penarth marina before walking across the barrage to Cardiff Bay for a coffee and a trip back on the ferry. Cardiff Bay is a lovely redeveloped dockland area which now houses the Welsh parliament, the Wales millennium Centre (their National Arts Centre) and Mermaid Quay housing lots of restaurants, bars and cafés and it was good to see so many people out and about enjoying all it has to offer.

We had booked a little B&B in Tenby for the weekend of Mum’s birthday and we set off on another gloriously sunny day for this quaint seaside town famous for its long sandy beaches and pastel coloured Victorian houses perched on the cliffs above the most charming harbour. We were staying in The Old Town (which literally dated back to Norman times) and within the 13th century parapet walk complete with arrow slits which made us just a hop, skip and jump from everything. The tiny alleys bisected streets crammed with gorgeous old houses, small unique shops and cafés, sometimes only 3 or 4 tables big, plying tourists with local seafood and cream teas. The church bells pealed as buskers entertained the passersby as they ate their ice-creams and enjoyed the late summer sunshine. It was delightful.

The next day we decided to visit Caldey Island, a peaceful haven about a 20 minute boat ride from Tenby which houses an Abbey of Cistercian monks known as Trappists. They live happily on the island and make an income from making chocolate and perfume. They have been here in some form or another for a thousand years and the whole island really does feel serene. Another big walking day for Mum but after an afternoon rest she was ready to head out again for her birthday dinner down on the beach. We hadn’t realised there were 4 beaches however, so of course it was a much longer walk than anticipated!! A cab home was very welcome. Brekky overlooking the transparent water of Camarthen Bay and a delicious lunch in Saundersfoot had us feeling very holidayish as we made our way back home to an evening of boardgames, cheese and wine!

My sister cooked up a fabulous roast beef and yorkshire pud Sunday dinner which we had with my Niece and Great Niece. Four generations of verbose women in one room so you can just imagine the volume and shriek factor! It was so lovely to be able to catch up with them especially as Amelia is no longer a child – she was definitely part of our girl gang this year!

Our last day took us back to Cardiff Bay for a delicious lunch at Côte Brasserie followed by a trip to the movies. One of those fancy arty farty ones with vintage couches and cocktails to watch the movie “It ends with Us” which was a good rendition of a book I loved. A stroll around the wharf in the sunshine and then home for the LAST SUPPER which I always dread, but we were determined not to be sad with many promises of returning within the year and gratefulness for modern technology keeping us in touch in real time etc. A teary farewell at the train station and then the 36 hour door to door journey home began….!!

It was a rather strange arrival home as I landed BACK at 6am and Tom was leaving at 3pm to fly TO London! We passed like ships in the night but managed a phone call from the airport after he booked himself and 72kgs of his life onto the plane to start his new chapter. We had managed to organise a family night together before I left to farewell him and I had even successfully fulfilled his request for Beef Wellington for his last supper! We will really miss Tommy as he has spent a fair bit of time with us this year but we are very excited for the opportunity that he has in London and I will happily add on some extra time to my UK annual visit to show him some of my favourite spots in England and explore the bits of Europe that the MOTH isn’t keen on doing!

Somehow we never seem to be the kind of family that requests tacos or a roast dinner for a special occasion and I ended up doing the Wellington on the Thursday night and backing it up with 100 layer lasagna on the Friday night for Sam’s birthday with 8 of his friends staying over in The Meadow! I’d never heard of this NY ‘cult’ dish but gave it a good crack and I must say it was delicious, all creamy softness inside and crusty yumminess on the outside as you slice and pan fry each serving of lasagna and serve it on a nice sauce loaded with parmesan. A do ahead dish with a bit of pizazz that was well received.

I had no sooner unpacked and thrown the washing on when I had to go and represent the family at the local elections where our friend Peter Wilkins had thrown his hat into the ring with some other like-minded Independent candidates. We had the T shirts and made a strong showing on the day and as people were very keen for a change we found our job relatively easy with everything from Green Bins to Wind Turbines to Potholes and Politics being discussed. Peter was the sports commentator for the ABC for many years and has a natural gift for public speaking and combined with his passion for the area I think he will do very well as they WON by quite a margin. Now the hard work begins, although not before a celebratory drink at the pub!

It’s time now to get stuck into the garden, there are new veggies to be planted, everything needs to be fed and pruned and tied up and cut back and dead headed so that is where you will find me over the next few weeks as we whip things in to shape after the winter! My holiday nails are already a thing of the past and as the mulberries are in full throttle I have permanently stained fingers as I pick bowl after bowl of them for the freezer to make fruit galettes later in the season. Happy Days!

While half our friends were basking in brilliant sunshine in Europe we were freezing in uncharacteristically chilly conditions in Australia. Warnings of arctic blasts affecting our East Coast came rather too regularly for our liking and firewood was used and re-ordered much more than usual. The August winds came to add to the wind chill and discomfort and we became inside dwellers, just waiting for conditions to return to our usual crisp blue sky winter days. The wind managed to dry out the squelchy-ness at least and we finally don’t sink into the grass with every step we take although one serious downpour and we’d be back to square one. Trees have been pruned, roses, salvias and hydrangeas have been cut back and the early jonquils and snowdrops are already nodding their heads, a little splash of colour in the garden together with the camellias but it wont be long before the buds start appearing on the wisteria and the trees as we continue on the cycle of life. The Olympics have been keeping us entertained while we hibernate indoors and despite the time difference we have been able to keep abreast of most things almost in live time! An early wake up time is rewarded with the finals in many instances…

We did have a lovely break mid July when we drove north to The Sunshine Coast and beautiful Noosa to spend a week with our Tassie crew, who were also escaping the cold. We enjoyed the journey, stopping overnight in Forster and then Sovereign Island where we caught up with my sister in law and her partner and had a lovely evening catching up on the past year since we last saw them. It was a perfect location for us to pick the girls up the next day from Brisbane airport where two very excited little girls (and one big girl) were happy to see us and eager to see their holiday house and enjoy a break from their school routine as much as us. Our rental was perfectly situated a flat 10 minute walk into Hastings street and the beach and as we had the car with us it was easy to get out and about to the river and further afield to Eumundi Markets and Sunshine Beach to explore. Both girls were VERY enamoured with our little heated spa pool at the holiday house, which served to both delight them and tire them out meaning they dropped into bed and slept like logs every night!

We hired a boat and took them fishing where Indi snagged a lovely flathead before we released it back to the river. They weren’t too sure what to make of its bloodied mouth and it flapping around on the deck but have since talked about little else other than them catching a fish! A trip to the markets with both girls firmly clasping their wallets containing their saved coins to spend on something of their choosing was BIG! Crystals were high on the shopping list, handbags and jewellery followed and the piece de resistance was queuing to have their faces painted – a happier mermaid and fairy you have NEVER seen! It was quite the economics lesson for the girls with them having to ask how much things were, see if they had enough coins and then either negotiate a price or sadly have to realise they couldn’t afford their longed for treasures. Reality sucks but they both left happy after churros dipped in chocolate sauce!

Their cousins live nearby at Peregian Beach so in an unlikely but well timed reunion the Tassie side of the family came together a long way from home. The big girls bought over some toys and lots of patience and the little girls loved every minute of their time together. Nanny and Poppy also met up with us at the Sunshine Beach Surf Club for a lovely lunch in the sun. The girls were so good, dining out in restaurants every night (albeit early and with lots of colouring in and promises of icecreams afterwards to ensure compliance!!) and Loz and I even managed to sneak in a couple of cocktails on Hastings street one night when the MOTH was glued to the State of Origin at home on the TV happily “babysitting”…

A Xmas prezzy from our lovely daughter prompted us to book a lunch at the gorgeous Rickys on the Noosa River and have a couple of hours of grown-up time and it was fantastic. The location is second to none, looking out over the sparkly water with the odd boat puttering past and water birds diving for fish which made for a very relaxing lunch. The food was excellent and the wine delicious so we were happy campers and it reiterates that Noosa can be anything from a simple camping trip and a hired fishing boat to eating at a top notch eatery and everything in-between.

A walk through the national park and the pandanus trees that are synonymous with Noosa was a hit for the girls as they kept a look out for koalas and whales. We were rewarded with a whale spout quite close to shore and a slight breach which made for gasps of excitement all around! Sadly, the koalas have really become a rare sighting around Noosa nowadays, gone are the days you’d be returning home up the hill and spot a little lump or two in a tree – whether or not they are just hiding themselves better off the beaten track or have moved away it’s hard to know. Hopefully they are still out there somewhere.

After a very early start to the airport to farewell the girls we drove back to The Meadow and after a recovery day we were straight into a lovely weekend with the little boys! Despite the chilly weather they both played outside most of the time – as fed up as we were of being inside so much no doubt. Some vigorous scootering at the park warmed them up and they discovered the pump track which made for lots of fun, Ollie is nearly always the smallest person on these things but never hesitates to push off at the rate of knots! A visit to the cows, sandpit fun with Papa and swinging in the garden with Dad and they were asleep on their feet!

Fast forward a few days and I’m writing this while Bailey lies on the floor in front of me crying and trembling after her operation this morning to remove a cyst from her cheek. It had recently become quite large and although it wasn’t overly bothering her she kept knocking it on things making it bleed and there was a small question mark over whether it was nothing to worry about or could be something more sinister, so the decision was made to remove it. She is 9.5 now and apart from being de-sexed at 4 months she has never had an anaesthetic so it was all a bit scary for our girl I think. She is such a calm dog and took it all in her stride but when I collected her from the vet she waddled out looking very unimpressed with her eyes all droopy and her back legs hardly working from the drugs. Thank goodness she wasn’t any heavier as I had to heave her into the car and then she refused point blank to get out the other end and I spent an hour with her resting on my lap in the back of the car until she felt a bit less weird! The next 24 hours were reminiscent of having a newborn as she didn’t sleep for more than 2 hours at a time and was constantly crying and whining and trembling. Poor little darling really didn’t understand what the hell was happening to her of course. Lots of cuddles helped but the night was LONG. Thankfully 48 hours later she is back to her old self and the wound is healing well. Now we wait for the pathology results…….

On the same day we received the sad news that one of our oldest and dearest friends was gravely ill in hospital and unlikely to make it through. The MOTH arrived at the hospital first thing in the morning to discover he’d missed him by just 10 minutes and we were both in shock. While he waited to say his goodbyes so many memories came flooding back of their shared times together as they had lived in Paris, Rome and Sydney as young men sharing houses together and I had met him a year before I met the MOTH making him one of my oldest friends in Oz. He had no children of his own but was Godfather to our Sam and took a huge interest in all our children’s lives growing up. He was a photographer and documented all of our important life experiences. He was our wedding photographer, took some gorgeous pregnancy shots and then featured at all the kids birthdays. For every first day of a new school he would be on our doorstep at 7am to capture the big moment – each child has pictures of their first day at junior and high school and the group family shots that went with these days have become the time markers of our child rearing years. George remained very Italian to his last day – loving family, friends, food and wine. The most generous and kind hearted guy with a big personality and it’s hard to believe he has gone although the many many stories of him will live on. A good fella who we all loved…arrivederci Georgie xoxo

Wet, wet, wet pretty much sums up our Autumn so far. So very tedious as we really needed a good 2 months to dry out after the LAST big wet! Also very annoying as a majority of the rain has fallen on the coast where we’re drowning and not inland where they need it – a typical Australian story. In the couple of weeks that we didn’t have any rain it was beautiful, the leaves turning all shades of yellow, orange and crimson and leaving puddles of colour all around the garden. The sun shone, we managed some tidying and weeding in the garden and sat on the veranda basking in the warmth until the sun went behind the escarpment and we moved indoors to the delights of the first wood fires of the season…..the best of both worlds! It’s usually one of my favourite times of the year but it has been very patchy this year and we are just about to order our 2nd truck of firewood and it’s only the first week of Winter!

I went up to Sydney to look after the little boys for a weekend and as I am very unused to being indoors with them (they are VERY active) I decided to take them on a day out to Darling Harbour and The Maritime Museum. We packed up their bodyweight in snacks and started the adventure by catching the bus! They LOVE this and the novelty of it more than outweighed the slight inconvenience of having to wait around for one to arrive. The simple things are always the best and they would have been happy even if we’d just caught a bus into the city, had a walk around and come home but I thought they would love to go on the various boats and have a new experience so off we went! The submarine HMAS Onslow and the HMAS Vampire, the last of the country’s big gun ships were a big hit and they loved climbing down the ladders into the tiny corridors and seeing where the men slept, ate and worked and Cooper could hardly believe he could see Centrepoint tower through the periscope when he was actually under the water!! The day could have imploded when (after walking them about 6kms) my phone battery died and we had to guess where to catch the bus home and the weather took a turn for the worse while we waited but they were little troopers and I was very proud of them as standing still and walking instead of running is not their usual modus operandi! They were rewarded by a trip to the bakery for a giant cookie and we were all exhausted but happy after our Big Day Out!

The next weekend was for us big kids and four couples made their way to Orange for 3 nights. Our fearless team leaders Dave and Anne had booked a great little Airbnb just a walk away from the centre of town and planned a terrific itinerary. The weather however interfered with a planned day of golf and we had to revert to Plan B which suited me much more as it was a day of retail therapy and wine tasting! I was very pleased with my purchase of an akubra style hat (for which I’d been searching for ages and had never found the right fit) until I came home to find the others had bought a lovely jacket, a horse saddle, a new lounge and a Ute!! No holding this crew back that’s for sure! As we are all food and wine lovers we thoroughly enjoyed our few days in Orange which has an increasingly good food scene and we particularly loved our long lunch at The Union Bank with its delicious set menu, terrific wines and great company. Our dear friend Mike joined us which was wonderful as I haven’t seen him in about 10 years. He now lives close to Orange in a little town called Milthorpe and it was a lovely bonus to be able to catch up with him this weekend. I always call him Dad as he gave me away at my wedding 40 years ago this year and was our business partner for many years too. We picked straight back up where we’d left off and we hope we’ve managed to talk him into coming South for a visit in the not too distant future…

It was a great weekend right up until the last morning when we woke up to a discarded For Sale sign tossed in our front garden and our Ute tarp open and the tray empty. A set of the MOTH’s custom fitted golf clubs and a slab of beer were gone and most probably sold down at the pub for a couple of hundred bucks. Sadly our car insurance only covers lost property to a total of $1000 and our excess was $1100 so that made for a rather expensive weekend.

We have loved having Tom at The Meadow for a couple of months, it has meant he could look after Bailey and the chickens while we were away in Tassie and Orange etc and he was a good help around the property. Cammo finally had a fellow footy lover to hang out with and we benefitted from his above average cooking skills on a weekly basis. The chess set came out and Bailey was taken on some great bushwalks. He has now moved to Wagga Wagga for a while to help a friend out who is involved in pubs and he is enjoying living out in the country. Bailey still keeps an eye out for him every evening, her ears pricked up hopeful that his car will come down the driveway…. it’s so sweet but also a bit sad!

So we’ve come to the time of year where we’re inside with the curtains drawn and the fire on by 5pm. The Cockies are devouring what few nuts and seeds they can on the trees before they are completely bare. They even had a bit of a chew of our chook shed roof the other day just in case it tasted good! The chooks have stopped laying which is bad timing as Australia is having an influx of bird flu which has already shut down some big egg farms and is likely to affect many more before it’s under control so eggs are more precious than ever right now. We only have four girls left now, having lost three in recent months – one was killed by the dog from a neighbouring property while we were overseas (my beautiful Peaches who would have been trying to protect the others and paid the ultimate price) one was taken by a hawk while we were in Tassie (our poor blind Frieda never stood a chance) and a perfectly plump and fluffy one we found a couple of weeks ago just lying in a patch of sunshine and still warm and we have no idea why she may have died. Its the absolute worst part about having animals and one I will never get used to. I can only imagine how farmers must feel when they have to kill their livestock because of disease, flood or famine, it must absolutely crush them…

I hate to end on a negative note but country living isn’t all about bonfires and homemade jam even though the good definitely outweighs the bad – at least for us most of the time. what I DO love about it is seeing the little kids next door create a dirt track with jumps for their little motor bikes and seeing them hand in hand coming down the lane after being dropped by the school bus every afternoon, their school bags bigger than them or cycling home on the days they tie their three bikes together to the bus stop at the top of our lane. Little Charlie aged 5 is always out on the ride on mower with his Dad and already knows how to drive a tractor and a motorbike. This sort of childhood is almost impossible in the city where there is less space and parents invariably pick them up from school. Not better or worse – just different!

It was good to get home and enjoy the amazing space that we have here – surely one of the luxuries of life and one I will find hard to do without one day. The lack of outdoor space in Japanese apartments would send me potty if I was there for any length of time and I now have extra appreciation for our house which lets us all do our thing without being on top of each other. Travel broadens the mind but also makes you realise how lucky we are here in Australia. We had a few nice days to get out into the garden before the rain came back….again. We have had the worst few months of rain – sometimes up to 8 inches in a day that completely floods our property and fills our pool with mud and frogs. Our local town was inundated and the bowling club was flooded inside and out, the locals turning out in droves with their spades and hoses to help get it back on track as soon as possible which was a great community effort. We are so over the constant squelchy-ness underfoot, We still have little lakes all around the property and the chickens are up to their knees in water and mud. The poor cows are sinking into the paddocks with every step and all outdoor work has come to a grinding halt. One more week of heavy rain is predicted before we see any sunshine and it’s beginning to remind me of living in England! Hopefully things will ease off then and we can enjoy what is usually one of my favourite seasons – Autumn.

Luckily our 10 day trip to Tassie came with no rain and plenty of sunshine. It makes me laugh that people say they couldn’t live in Tasmania because of the weather as we very rarely get any bad weather when we are there. The temperature might be generally lower than here but inevitably we have sunshine and are in T shirts despite the number on the thermometer. Lauren took us to yet more fantastic local places – all with great food, wine and views (and no flies or mozzies) which had us in delightful sounding places like Flowerpot and Snug!

We packed so much into our 10 days and as it was school holidays we had Myla (5) for a couple of days while little sister India (2.5) was at daycare. It was rather special to have her one on one and at such a great age. We took her to the pancake train for a special breakfast and into Salamanca on the Hobart waterfront where we treated her to a 20 minute horse and carriage ride which she LOVED. She was waving at all the tourists who were madly snapping photos of her (there was a cruise ship in town so you can imagine how many photos she featured in!!) and bravely patted the huge horses to say goodbye before some fish and chips on the wharf. A trip to the museum where she wrote madly in her notebook (just squiggles mostly as she has only just started kindy!) and oooohed and aaaahed at all the stuffed animals etc.

The whole reason we went when we did was to celebrate a double birthday. Myla and the MOTH share a birthday and the last time we were all together for it was her 1st birthday during lockdown in Covid so this was a bit special. Lozzy as usual had planned a thoughtful getaway to mark the occasion and we all packed into 2 cars to stay overnight in a Tassie shack on the Tasman Peninsula not far from Port Arthur. It was a cute little retro cottage with a great view and huge deck overlooking the water. A sweet shop cake which had been highly requested had been carefully transported and successfully assembled to celebrate our special birthday people along with bbq’d bacon and egg rolls which had been brought along for breakfast but ended up being dinner once we realised the only local provider for dinner had shut at 4pm!! We explored the area, played games and drank wine and enjoyed our escape from the everyday routine.

While we were over there Loz and Berry arranged to have the girls baptised. Myla was born in Vietnam and things had been very busy since India arrived so they had never quite got around to it and this provided a perfect opportunity with 3 of the 4 godparents, all 4 grandparents and an Aunty, Uncle and cousins all in Hobart for the occasion. It was a lovely day, with the boys carrying on afterwards to an AFL game and the girls home for chats and wine on the couch! The girls were both very good at the church and I think you’ll agree they look very angelic in their gorgeous little dresses.

Before we knew it we were back on the plane to The Meadow and a chance to get things organised before the MOTH flew to Melbourne to resume his life as a Cocoa Trader! Yup, after almost 2 years of retirement he is going back to work. His old company asked him if he would be interested in coming back as they really missed him and his experience and they negotiated a part time contract which will give him some time to still enjoy his golf and for us to go away for long weekends etc whilst also getting stuff done for them. Win win! Life is all about balance and I think this will give him that. Watch this space….

We have just had the little boys for the weekend (while the rain fell and fell) and thank goodness Uncle Tom was here to help create the best fun for them. Usually they are outdoors running around, scootering at the park and generally using up lots of energy but this weekend we had to be creative indoors! Tom made the cubby house of all cubby houses indoors and they all snuggled in it to watch Spiderman on his laptop which they LOVED. We made cupcakes, had drawing competitions, played snakes and ladders (ad nauseum), did jigsaws and read books. Tom made some brilliant swords from some old offcuts with the help of Cooper who LOVES anything to do with chopping, sawing and nailing things. They discovered shuffleboard at the local bowling alley and that the local library was actually quite fun! We all survived to tell the tale and they went home happy and full of news of their exploits! It really is a lovely age as they are starting to have their own ideas and a real sense of humour and are such fun to be with, we just forget how constant kids are at this age – no wonder that they fall asleep in seconds by 7pm every night and Rara and Papa are not too far behind them!!

Japan is a totally unique country and despite being in Asia it is like no other Asian country. It has many western attributes – a fabulously efficient public transport system, a clean, safe environment in which to live and a very low unemployment rate but it is like no other western country. It is an enigma and it is one of THE places to be right now for some reason. Every man and his dog has either been or is planning a trip to visit in the near future. Its uniqueness is its greatest charm. The mix of old and new, conservative and crazy, ancient culture and modern anime, old fashioned yet cutting edge. Our trip was split between Kyoto and Tokyo, the fantastic bullet train whisking us between the two cities in less than 2 hours in comfort. Both cities have their plusses and minuses but our personal favourite was Kyoto. Smaller to navigate, plenty of things to see and do and we stayed in a very old narrow townhouse with rickety stairs, an outside bath overlooking the tiny garden and futons on the floor for sleeping. Alith the welcome addition of reverse cycle aircon which kept us toasty in the rather chilly weather.

We bought suica cards at the airport on arrival which made life so easy when catching the trains or buses and were easy to reload at the 711s found on every corner if necessary. These are like our Australian opal cards and made transitioning through stations much easier and on the buses (which charge a flat rate on any given route) where you just tap off when leaving. Google maps and Google translate were our friends and with the relatively cheap rates nowadays to use your phone overseas life was pretty easy. The camera function on the translate app was very handy for reading menus and signs and nowadays they even announce the stations in English as well as Japanese on the trains which was comforting! So despite a completely different language (no latin based easy peasy stuff here folks) alphabet and culture we somehow managed to navigate our way around the city. Our go to 1st day is always the HOHO bus to get our bearings and its often a pretty cheap way of seeing a few landmarks without having to worry too much about how you get from A to B. We stopped off at the beautiful Golden Pavilion which glowed in the afternoon sunshine amongst some beautiful gardens. A stop in Gion where we spotted a Geisha on the way to work and witnessed many couples dressed in traditional clothes. The girls look so gorgeous although those weird wooden sandals with socks look distinctly uncomfortable! Despite it being March there were tourists EVERYWHERE. Rivers of people from both overseas and from Japan all basically aiming for the same experience. Needless to say some of our best moments were when we went off the main track and could immerse ourselves in a more serene environment and get more of a feel for how the place would have been in the old days.

The next day we set off to explore the Fushimi Inari Shrine famous for its 10,000 torii gates and one of the “must do” things in Kyoto. We had a lovely day to slowly climb up the many many steps to the top of the mountain watching the locals praying and leaving charms and wishes as they went. It was quite fascinating despite not really understanding the whole dedication to Inari – the God of rice and foxes apparently! The crowds dwindled the higher up you went and we were rewarded with a wonderful view of Kyoto from the top.

After so much climbing we were happy to get home and soak in our lovely outdoor bath to soothe our aches and pains before venturing out into our local neighbourhood to suss out a venue for dinner. We found a great little corner bar that served warm sake and cold beer before heading to a restaurant that serves okonomiyaki – the famous Japanese pancakes that are cooked on a hotplate in front of you. Delicious and fun. We also discovered our first decent ramen – the MOTH was in heaven!

We love a good market and the following day we were excited to check out Nishiki market which takes up an entire block of the city and was conveniently located under a roof as it was raining. Hundreds of little stalls selling everything from jasmine tea to smoked eel to the reddest strawberries wrapped in white bean paste as well as vintage kimonos, sneakers, thousands of trinkets that they love to attach to their bags and a couple of shops selling amazing (very expensive) chefs knives. We tried the biggest oysters grilled by a blowtorch, huge battered prawns and smoked eel on skewers and fish tempura – all yummy and eaten as directed outside the shop where you buy it. No tables are provided and they urge you NOT to walk and eat as it’s considered very bad manners. No rubbish bins are provided either yet there is not one piece of litter anywhere!

We also came across our first animal cafe. These are extremely popular over here and can feature cats/dogs/guinea pigs/rabbits/owls/hedgehogs and in this instance micro pigs! They are insanely cute but we resisted the temptation to enter. Just another uniquely Japanese experience!

We had noticed that the Nijo-jo Castle was just a ten minute walk from our house so with pictures of tiny pigs dancing in our heads we decided it was time for a bit of history and a visit to the castle where the shoguns had lived while ruling from 1603-1868. The castle is still impressive and imposing although the interior is truly beautiful with painted screens of gilt depicting flowers, trees, birds and tigers and the grounds contain groves of plum and cherry trees that were just coming into bloom. We really got a feel for how they lived in simplicity despite their wealth.

Our last day took us way across town to The Bamboo Forest. We hadn’t really planned on going there but I had been told about the special tofu dish that is famous in Kyoto and a specialist restaurant serving tofu (yudofu) was a 20 minute walk from the Bamboo Grove so off we went! Despite another river of tourists the bamboo forest was rather special – tranquil and serene despite the crowds. The obligatory brides were dotted about taking their wedding photos (this happens ahead of the actual ceremony apparently) and I did rather admire them as it was muddy and puddly but I imagine that was all probably edited out of the final photos!!

Our tofu meal was probably one of the most memorable of our trip. We arrived at what we thought was the restaurant and met by a uniformed man who asked us several times if we knew it was a yudofu restaurant only serving tofu and when we agreed he led us through the original building to some gorgeous gardens and a big old house where we were shown a beautiful traditional room where we were to eat zashiki style – at low tables on tatami flooring. The MOTH had a look of dread at the prospect of having to sit cross legged on the ground and the lovely older Japanese lady looking after us came back with a couple of extra cushions for him to sit on! Apparently Kyoto has particularly lovely water and the tofu dish became famous in the area as a result of it being boiled in the special water! It bubbled away in front of us as we were served about 20 different little tiny accompaniments – all vegetarian – pickly things, chilli things, tiny omelettes, miso soup, kelp, steamed rice, veggie tempura and the chopped green spring onion tops that are synonymous with Kyoto. The tofu was soft, luscious and creamy and quite unlike the stuff we’ve previously had in Australia! The fact that this restaurant was tucked away from the surge of tourists in the town made it an even more special experience – a lovely last day in Kyoto.

Back to Tokyo and our nephew, wife and 2.5 year old son who live there. We stayed near them so we could catch up easily and it was great to be able to spend some time with them. They’ve been here about 18 months now and find they have mixed feelings about living in Tokyo. It’s hard living in an apartment with a 2 year old and with no outside space. I think this is the thing I would find the hardest too. They take him to a nearby playground for a couple of hours every afternoon and he happily rode his balance bike to meet us at various local coffee shops but after living in Australia and Switzerland with their beautiful outdoor lifestyles it does make them yearn for space! They get away from Tokyo at least once a month which helps. For me Tokyo is a HUGE sprawling concrete jungle. No wonder they go ape over the cherry trees when they blossom – they are a welcome splash of pink in an otherwise grey landscape especially coming off a winter of bare trees and cold wet weather. It makes the gardens an extra special place to meet and for the little children to run around.

The food was one of the things we were really looking forward to on our visit and it didn’t fail us! We LOVED the different ramen restaurants and sushi made freshly in front of us with soft, still warm rice which beats the cold hard offerings we often get in Oz. The Takoyaki made for a yummy afternoon treat on an afternoon where it snowed in Kyoto – they are balls of battered octopus shallow fried and served with different sauces and are on every street corner. We were tempted to go to a nearby teppanyaki restaurant but at $260 per head without drinks we decided it wasn’t worth it! Funnily enough they do great burgers in Japan and it doesn’t take long before you want to break up the traditional food with a bit of a western treat! Wagyu burgers win! They are also famous for their sandos – Japanese sandwiches. They mostly use fluffy white bread with the crusts off and are filled with the famous egg mayonnaise mix and katsu of either chicken or pork (they reminded me of the English style fish finger sandwiches which have become a bit of a thing again in cafes in Sydney). You don’t however have to go to a restaurant to get decent food as the local 711 and Lawson stores have a fresh daily supply of yummy options. Their packaging makes me slightly anxious with every little thing wrapped separately and then in a bigger plastic container but that is very typical of all of Asia. They have vending machines everywhere selling everything from sweets, rice crackers and water to hot coffee and alcohol. The family stores have shelves of their chilled sections that actually contain hot coffee in a takeaway bottle! Everyone was super helpful to us and their manners are out of this world. Lots of bowing from the taxi drivers when they say goodbye and from wait staff when they give you the change. No tipping in Japan makes everything easy and they are so honest that they will run after you with your 5 cents change thinking you’d forgotten it!

Our Tokyo experience was rounded off with a few different experiences. One was a visit to TeamLab Planets which is an immersive and interactive digital art museum which was very enjoyable as you become part of the art yourself! It is very playful in parts and challenges your idea of perspective. It was one of the few things we’d booked from Australia and we loved it – definitely brought out our inner child!

The second experience was over in a matter of seconds and was an earthquake. The epicentre was north of Tokyo so it was just a little shake and shudder but the fact that both of our phones started blaring out “earthquake earthquake find shelter” was more alarming! Our nephew assured us it was nothing to worry about as it happens all the time and we laughed and continued our day but a week later Taiwan was hit by a big one so I guess you never know when it’s going to be your turn. Another thing I love about Australia is we are not on any fault lines and our problems are mostly rain related – either too much or too little!

On our last night we had booked to go to Abbey Road with Jason and Leslie which is a club where tribute bands play Beatles covers. Our friends at home had recommended it and we thoroughly enjoyed it. They were accomplished and enthusiastic and a good time was had by all. Afterwards the MOTH finally got to go out and enjoy a local whisky bar with Jason, getting home in the wee small hours tired but happy!

All in all we enjoyed our trip. We spent more time than we care to mention in queues, which is par for the course with so many people I guess although an hour queuing to go up a tower for 10 minutes is a bit punishing! So many things stand out – the amazing toilets (if you know you know) deserve a mention, the Japanese themselves with their impeccable manners and adherence to the rules (no one would ever cross the road without permission from the green man) and the history, culture and sheer Japanese-ness of everything was wonderful. The downside of it being flavour of the month is that thousands of tourists had already booked ahead months in advance to some of the things we would have liked to do on the spur of the moment and our usual spontaneous style of travel backfired this time around because of it. I was interested in doing an ikebana class, Cam wanted to make ramen, we both fancied playing tourist at a tea ceremony dressed in kimonos all of which were unavailable for weeks or even months thanks to those over organised tourists! Well you live and learn I guess! Now we are home I find myself thinking back to various things and I think it is one of those countries that takes a bit of time to process. I would definitely go back and explore some places less well known now that we have dipped our toes into Japan and found it was a little easier than we had thought it might be to get around. Give it a whirl folks!

As I have written about previously (ad nauseum) the weather has been doing our heads in. So much rain and then lots of sun is just perfect conditions for GROWTH! One in every three people I talk to down here are looking for some help in their gardens and it’s only those who do manage to secure someone to help that have beautifully manicured grounds! At an average of $75+GST per hour for someone to basically weed that soon adds up. Most companies will only send a ute with equipment for a minimum of 2 men for 4 hours….that’s $660 and they sometimes insist on that being a fortnightly thing in summer at least. Luckily I didn’t have to win the lottery in order to renovate our very overgrown veggie patch because my Super Heroes arrived in the form of good friends from Forster – Baz and Kathy. They kick started us into transforming our patch from a wildflower meadow which successfully hid LOTS of weeds into a neat tidy and productive garden once more! We weeded, sprayed, mulched and laid metres and metres of weed mats on the pathways. Then my other Super Hero (Tom) arrived to help lay out pavers and truck loads of pebbles to hopefully keep the dreaded weeds at bay. Already I have hundreds of tiny tomato plants popping up as literally every seed in a fallen tomato grows a new plant but I am determined to keep on top of it from now on and as Autumn is here next week hopefully things will start to calm down. It is lovely to see everyone’s hard work pay off – thanks so much guys!

In between all the hard work we took our Forster friends to a few local places that have been on our to do list for a while. Baz is a great watercolour artist and we took a Sunday afternoon off to visit Bundanon, the estate of the late painter Arthur Boyd. It is quite an extraordinary place in a beautiful location. So peaceful, surrounded by a thousand hectares of bush and the magnificent Shoalhaven River. The old buildings sit alongside the new ‘Bridge’ which houses a creative learning centre and accommodation and has been awarded the Sulman Medal for Public architecture. It all works together despite the different eras and designs and we thoroughly enjoyed poking about in all the buildings young and old!

Bundanon is many things. An art museum embedded in the landscape. A wildlife sanctuary set on 1000 hectares. A gift to the Australian people. Arthur and Yvonne Boyd’s gift of Bundanon has given Australia a unique cultural and environmental asset. It was born out of Boyd’s wish that others might also draw inspiration from this remarkable place. The nineteenth century Homestead, twentieth century farm workers cottages, and world-renowned contemporary buildings are great examples of Australian architecture. His personal studio and house is located 20 minutes further downstream and is quite remarkable as it is on display exactly as he left it with paints, brushes and various tools and artworks in various stages of completion – a real lens into the way he painted.

The Art Museum itself was a wonderful space and we enjoyed the current exhibition featuring the work Miwatj Yolŋu – Sunrise People from Arnhem Land and I loved some of the modern colours being used in a traditional way which gave them a completely new feel. Apparently a rubbish pile of old printer cartridges were used to give the pink tones – fantastic!

Another place we have been wanting to visit for ages is Jim Wilds oyster shack at Greenwell Point. It’s a little gem of a place right on the river and selling the yummiest oysters done a few ways alongside fresh prawn rolls. All washed down with a nice bottle of wine swilled out of plastic cups. The ground is strewn with crushed oyster shells giving it a unique and cheap landscaping style! We pondered life on the river as we sat enjoying the sunshine and a brisk breeze off the water – a well earned break from all that hard yakka!

The day finally dawned for Myla to start school and she was so very excited. She loved the whole theatre of dressing in her new uniform with matching ribbons – even enduring the creation of her plaits (not easy when you have super curly hair!) She completely unpacked her HUGE schoolbag to show me all the treasures within – her lunchbox with all the little compartments, her library bag, sports bag and contents plus a little necklace she had made with India which she packed to remind her of her sister when she wasn’t there! I see that she was wearing it when she had her kindy photo taken – very cute! I guess they have been together pretty much every day of the last 2.5 years so it’s quite a change for them to be separated. She loves school so far and I love that they can just walk to school – no bus/train or car trips necessary! It gives them the perfect 10 minutes on the way home to debrief the day’s activities before she crashes on the lounge totally exhausted! Go Myla Moo!

So as the days start to shorten and the leaves start to change colour we look forward to Autumn when things slow down and our food changes from barbeques and colourful salads to slow cooked delights and plums and apples take over from mangoes and peaches. There is just enough time left to make a couple of yummy desserts/tarts/cakes before they disappear for another year and hopefully eat outside (if the mozzies allow) before those long winter nights arrive and it’s dark at 4pm! I am so glad we live in an area with four distinct seasons to enjoy, each with a little something to recommend it ❤️

The first part of the year is always spent in holiday mode. The days are long, usually sunny and warm and seem to stretch endlessly ahead until work and school beckons people back to reality. To us this means family and friends visiting and entertaining outdoors. One of the easiest and most sociable ways to entertain a crowd is Pizza Night!! We really haven’t used our oven as much as we thought we would so this summer we decided to go for it and it has been getting a bit of a workout at last! It’s very convivial to sit around the pizza oven chatting and creating whichever masterpiece you wish to eat whilst the sun goes down over the chook shed. Young or old, drinking wine or water, fancy toppings or just cheese, eating loads or just a slice – everyone is catered for on Pizza Night!

It has been the strangest of summers with everything from 18-40 degrees and LOADS of rain and I haven’t needed to water anything other than my pots since October! The combination of heat and rain has sent the garden into overdrive with the damned kikuyu grass ruining my flower beds and destroying my veggie patch! It would need a full time team of 2-4 men to keep it under control in these circumstances so we have just had to resign ourselves to the out of control nature of the property at the moment. It’s either been too hot, too wet or we’ve been too busy to do more than the basics so we will be playing catch up once Autumn arrives no doubt! The pool has been a godsend in the hot weather and the cows that have access to a river are equally grateful as there are never enough trees planted in the paddocks to cope with hot cows or horses. They huddle together in the tiny patches of shade, taking turns to get a reprieve from the scorching sun. Down at the beach everyone is happy – humans, dogs and horses all enjoying the cool water and this year’s generous wide sand.

The Berry Show is a much loved annual event and our visit to it made me remember how important these things are to a rural community. This year was the 136th show and the mere thought of this show happening in the late 1880’s where the ladies would have been in long dresses and the men in their suits made me feel a) hot and b) part of a long line of Berry and Shoalhaven residents who are grateful for this way of life. Over the past 20 years, new technology and changing trends have really impacted what it’s like to be a kid and we are forever hearing in the media about kids who don’t communicate through anything other than their devices and spend more time gaming in their rooms than playing outside with their friends. Nothing could be further from the truth with the kids here at The Show. They got dressed up in their RM’s and country shirts, their prize pet chicken tucked under their arms or their freshly washed and brushed pooch proudly displayed in the arena as he or she competed in “the dog with the waggiest tail” or in the doggy high jump. A little 2 year old girl stole the show with her 2 day old chick that she showed off proudly in her akubra hat! As for the horse competitions – they were fabulous! To see such confident young people jumping and showing their horses and being part of such a close and caring community was really heart warming and proof that country life still gives kids as much fun now as it ever did. Kids and adults alike displayed their art, photography, spinning and weaving of wool from their sheep, veggies, jams and cakes as well as some Lego creations and carpentry. There were bullock trains and a rodeo, stunts from Airtime FMX bikes and displays from working dogs, a poultry pavilion, sideshow alley, the ever popular woodchop and beautiful cattle of every colour and shape, all topped off with a fireworks display. Definitely something for everyone and a real pleasure to visit if only to see that the future is in good hands with these kids.

On a whim I decided to be brave and enter a couple of things in the open class for still life and modern art. As I’ve only just started painting I have been very reticent to show people my stuff and have been quite shy about it all. The thing I loved about The Show was the anonymity of it as your name was only on the back of the painting so I didn’t feel too ‘on show’ despite exhibiting! No one was more surprised than me when we went along on Friday to see I had received two 2nd place prizes!!! I was delighted despite my plan backfiring as my name was now on them both!! People have been so warm and encouraging and I’m glad to be ‘out and proud’ hahaha….

One morning I was up early and making my cuppa when I heard a lot of noise coming from the chook shed which is unusual early in the day so I casually looked over to their area to see a HUGE shape – wings outstretched on top of the chook house. It was like something from a Godzilla movie and I went running over shouting and clapping my hands to try and scare it away from my hens! Bailey went ahead barking and there was lots of noise and tension from all of us as I raced to let the chickens out. They rushed off across the garden to the safety of the bushes and the Wedge Tailed Eagle instead of flying off got spooked and jumped down into their yard. Poor thing was scared and kept lunging into the netting as it looked to escape. I finally flushed it out by coming around the back of the pen and it flew up to the roof once more before taking off into the nearby trees. No chicken breakfast for him this morning thank goodness. He stayed there for another hour or so either waiting to spot them in a clearing or perhaps just shaken up himself after his little morning adventure…..

There is one little person who is very excited that February has arrived. Little Myla is starting school on Feb 12th and has dressed up in her new uniform at least half a dozen times – even sleeping in her sports gear on the first night!! I love how huge the dress is on her and her school bag hangs so low it is in danger of knocking her over from behind! She’s loving the matching hair ribbons and bows and all the stationery and lunchbox items that are now going to be a regular part of her life for the next decade and is champing at the bit to get started. Little Indi thinks she is going too of course as she has never really been separated from Myla before. She loves being Myla’s wardrobe assistant and part time model and will no doubt be very bemused when she has to go back to daycare without her big sister! I can’t quite believe how quickly these last few years have gone to be honest but time waits for no man however much you’d like to hang on to the days of chubby hands and the pink cheeks of babyhood. Have the best time Myla Moo….

The year ended on a high with this year being our “on” Christmas with all the family and something I look forward to very much. Its noisy and chaotic and typically ‘us’ and getting more so with the addition of 4 kids under 5 in the mix but something I wouldn’t miss for quids! It takes a lot of planning and shopping and cooking and bed making but hopefully is something we will all remember in the years to come when we won’t have the room to host everyone for three or four days at a time and it becomes more of a day event. It was especially lovely and important for the little cousins to spend some time together as they rarely if ever see each other in between due to the Tassie situation. They all command adult fares now on the plane and that makes it quite expensive as well as the logistics of work (and from this year) school dates needing to be factored in. I can hardly believe Myla is off to school, even though in Tassie they only do a 5 day fortnight for the first year. She already has her uniform and her school bag and she is VERY excited – sleeping in her sports gear the first night she had it!! I just know it will be a blink of an eye before they are all at school so these times with them as toddlers is extra precious.

They arrived on Christmas Eve with so much excitement for Santa and all the fun things that go with his arrival. We had a Xmas cookie decorating session in the afternoon which went down a treat – the little ones more keen on eating them than decorating them but the older two filled every tiny space on their cookies with icing. I was thrilled to read them ‘The Night Before Xmas’ and after a few Xmas songs around the Christmas tree we tucked them into bed with high hopes that the big guy in red was going to visit and fill their stockings! We were then free to have our grown up Xmas dinner in the dining room – one of the few times per year that it is used for it’s original purpose! We always have our hot meal on Xmas Eve and it gives me much pleasure to decorate the room and use all our nice china and glasses.

We awoke to excited squeals as they discovered the bulging stockings at the bottom of their beds and ripped the paper off to divulge the little gifts inside. The big day was off and running and we basically never drew breath for the rest of the day!! Food was prepared (special thanks to my ham chef) and margheritas were whipped up (thanks to my barman) presents were exchanged, Uncle Tom read books and inserted batteries into what seemed like nearly every gift! Sam assembled Lego and robots and Loz and I endured many incarnations of being “made-up” with Myla’s new make up kit (yellow eyeshadow is SO fetching!) Indi had a doll tucked under her arm at all times whilst keeping an eye out for the scary T-Rex that Ollie loved! You get the picture. I was so engrossed I nearly forgot I was meant to be cooking so we had a rather late lunch and after a boisterous pool session the kids were asleep early and we all collapsed and had an early night after all the excitement!

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Boxing Day was more relaxed and we had the obligatory biennial Cameron Family Cricket Match – Bailey as per usual was by far the best fielder! Tom had bought the older kids a fishing rod each for Xmas and the menfolk decided to take them to Shoalhaven Heads river to show them how it’s done. They all had a lovely time and Cooper caught his very first fish. From that moment on he and Myla really bonded over their grown up adventure!

The day was going well until I had a labrador inflicted knee injury where I genuinely thought I’d torn my ligament and when I was just starting to be able to put some weight on it a few days later I made a stupid decision to show Myla my handstand ability which sadly after years of being able to walk on my hands as a youngster was completely inept and I collapsed due to my lack of upper body strength and tore my ankle ligament too!! Great start to 2024 but also a wake up call for me to start a strengthening program….use it or lose it as they say!!

Everyone left on the 27th except the two little girls who we were minding while Mum and Dad went to a wedding up the coast. We had such fun with them – they love being our chicken helpers and collecting the eggs and adore doing craft so it was easy to keep them entertained. We took them into Berry for a special morning tea of scones and jam and milkshakes which they LOVED! Wearing their matching dresses that I bought them in Greece and wearing some of my necklaces (which they had trialled on the ever patient Bailey) they attracted quite a few comments from our fellow diners – very sweet! A trip to the amazing toyshop in Berry had them buying stick on earrings, bubbles and stick on nails which provided an afternoon’s entertainment (we are still finding little rainbow and unicorn nails 4 weeks later) and a visit to the Fairy Tree always goes down a treat. They had a wonderful time playing with their new dance ribbons from Santa and insisted on showing Pap as he was watching the cricket – very relaxing!!

It seemed pretty quiet when we were just down to 4 adults and 2 kids and the rest of the holiday was spent doing the simple things that make kids happy. On their last day the boys played golf and us girls ventured to Huskisson for a fish and chips lunch followed by caramel milkshakes – does life get any better? A lot of kisses, waving and honking of horns as they set off the next morning on their road trip back to Geelong to catch the ferry back to Tassie and we weren’t too sad as we already have our flights booked for April to visit them in Hobart!

It was a great way to finish off what had been a good year for us. The retired one has met a great bunch of blokes who he enjoys golfing with and who share the same weird sense of humour as him and it has really helped him settle into enjoying retirement instead of being a bit lost. You can live in the nicest place in the world but you always need some friends to share things with or it is just an empty shell. Let’s see what 2024 has to offer – so far it has given us a lot of rain followed by a lot of sunshine and you never know which one you’re going to get. As a result the garden has gone into overdrive and we are gradually trying to rein it into submission but we are mostly failing! We refuse to be ruled by the proliferation of weeds and overactive grass runners that thread their way through everything and just do a bit every day whilst trying not to feel overwhelmed although if I won the lottery tomorrow the first thing I would do is employ a gardener for all the yukky jobs and I would just enjoy my flowers!! So let’s go 2024 – do your best and let’s remember that there are always beautiful simple things that can give us pleasure no matter what….