Ringing in the changes

Its New Years Eve. 2013 has really packed a punch

Whilst reflecting on the year gone by, it occurred to me that with each new year we are different people. Not fundamentally no but as a result of all we experience throughout the year, then yes. We will all have changed, even just a little bit.

It's not a bad thing, even the mistakes are not without their lessons.

So the year ahead should hold no fear or trepidation but rather the exciting knowledge that this time next year we will be different again!


January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Wishing a very Happy New Year to all our friends and loved ones. You truly mean the world to us and for those so far away, you are always in our hearts and we can reach you there anytime we need to, which happens to be a lot.

So with much, much love Mrs T-J is signing out of 2013 with a few reminders of the year gone by, thank you for reading.

Here we go again! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Our second Christmas Down Under.

Admittedly, the run up was a bit lack lustre.

The weather doesn't help (I know, don't complain but it is weird for it to be hot!). Its just a tad confusing for us Brits when a guy wearing neon board shorts and flip flops warbles White Christmas outside the shopping centre.

Secondly the mass of land and ocean between you and those you love doesn't feed the festive fervour either.

That aside and its a big aside, we waded right in and plumped for an Aussie/British fusion affair.

It went a bit like this..................

CHRISTMAS EVE

It was a warm 29 degrees. We opted for some fine dining at The Stokehouse. A gorgeous restaurant on the beach with sea views and guaranteed sunsets.

I had my first Hendricks Martini with cucumber and donned a summery, floaty number as you do!

We really had a lovely time reflecting on a monster year.

Gawd we've done a lot!

 

 

Aussies take their Christmas trees to the beach, makes sense really, its not as if they spend that much time in doors!

 

 

Christmas Cheers Everyone!

 

 

CHRISTMAS DAY

 

We were up early and on the beach by 8am with the boys, it was going to be a hot day so a cooling swim was in order. No pictures of this though, numpty here forgot to charge the camera, real pity as Radish and Kale love charging through the surf.

 

We had a very British brekkie of bacon and eggs, cooked on the BBQ of course.

 

Kale fancied his chances!

 

 

Pressie time

 

 

  Inspired choice of pressie from Hubster!

 

 

Surveying the carnage!

 

Then we went a bit Aussie for lunch and brought out the oysters, prawns and pomegranate Champagne cocktails.

 

 

Throw a few shrimp on the barby Hubster!

 

After the obligatory snooze over a Christmas film "Love Actually" - What else? We decided more food was needed and out came the turkey of course (with salad).

 

 

Soon after our thoughts shifted towards home. As our day was ending, it was all just beginning for our friends and family back in the UK. Calls were made with lumps in our throats, facebook went into melt down and many heartfelt messages were shared.

 

PHEW! We did it and you know what? It was pretty good but I think next year we might just make it back home!

 

PS - Heston's Christmas pudding is still in it's box - obvs!

 



You always remember where you were

Isn't it funny how you always remember where you were and what you were doing when a prominent figure in the world dies?

I was 7 years old, playing in the sand next to our caravan in Harlech when I found out Elvis had died.

I was driving up the A1 in the early hours after a party in Hatfield when I heard Princess Diana had been killed in Paris.

So it will be that I will always remember the day when we were living in Melbourne that Nelson Mandela died.

Barack Obama nailed it for me "He no longer belongs to us, he belongs to the ages".

What a colossus of a man.

I really do feel privileged that I lived in his time, to be just a minute fragment of that history if only to say I witnessed first hand all that he achieved.

He will be remembered too for so many insightful and wise quotes about life and our purpose. I have always been drawn to such observations on our human condition and I love them all especially those of Robert Louis Stevenson, Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, Richard Bach and of course Nelson Mandela.

I think Madiba's life could be summed up perfectly by one of his own quotes:

"There is no passion to be found playing small - don't settle for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living"

He certainly never did.

RIP Nelson Mandela - 1918 - 2013

 

Christmas is upon us once more, I find it absolutely gobsmacking that this will be our second Christmas here in Melbourne!

 

The sun is shining, the sangria is flowing and Santa is on his way.

 

 

 

I posted a letter to Santa, it went a bit like this.

 

Dear Santa

 

Could I please have a tardis for Christmas so that I can transport all of our loved ones here for Christmas Eve on the Southbank in Melbourne and then transport us all back to Blighty for Christmas Day.

 

I've been a very good girl (for most of the year).

 

Love Mrs T-J

 

P.S If one of the reindeer gets a little tired I have a huge 4 legged friend with a big shiny nose who could easily step in.