Tuesday, 1 January 2019

A Quiet Start

Last night, while the skies over Sydney's iconic harbour exploded with all the razzle dazzle of a massive fireworks display, the celebrations here were much more low key. A simple and happy dinner with friends, shared out on the verandah in the cool of the evening, and a sparkler to twirl, as it burned and fizzled in the midnight air, was the extent of our revelry. 

Last year's calendar was promptly taken down, a responsibility our punctual son takes rather seriously, and replaced by a new one for the new 2019. Each new month of this coming year will see us flip the page to a beautiful photo taken of our beloved Straddie. If this year goes as quickly as the last one felt like it did, then we'll be back there again soon!


Sand and sea and sky on Straddie.


The colours inside a shell.

The first of these new year days has passed rather quietly. There was the bustle of breakfast and packing up after the sleepover of our boy's friends, but all fell quiet once they headed off to the cricket. It's a quiet I've thoroughly enjoyed just doing ordinary things. I scattered some parsley seeds in the garden from the flower heads up the back, knitted a bit more of a washcloth, watched two episodes of a dvd I borrowed from the library (such indulgence) and decluttered a few more boxes of old teaching materials in our study. I ate leftovers for lunch and I'll have them again for dinner. My 'boys' won't be home 'til late from the cricket, as it's all the way down at the Gold Coast, so Sir Steve dog and I will be in bed early.  I'll be catching some zzzzs well before midnight tonight. 😴

Happy New Year to you!
Meg











38 comments:

  1. It was a quiet evening here too, Meg. I hope 2019 is a good year for you and your family. Straddie looks just lovely.

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    1. Thank you for your new year wishes, Chel. This first month will bring some change as my son begins high school and I go back to teaching part-time. We'll see how that goes! Straddie was beautiful; I just never tire of being there. I hope your 2019 is a good one! Meg:)

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    1. Very much a "me" kind of day, Marlene. I hope your new year has dawned brightly and that it will hold many happy moments for you. Meg:)

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  3. Straddie looks so beautiful and tranquil, I miss not having a beach around here. Happy New Year to you and your family Meg. xxx

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    1. Straddie is a very tranquil place to be, Marlene. I just get absorbed in the slower pace and the beauty of it. We are home now though and preparing for the changes 2019 will bring; the start of high school for my son and I am going back to part-time work. I hope I'll be able to keep living this simpler life I've crafted with those changes. (I'm trying to be organised for it!) All the best for 2019 to you! I hope it's a lovely year. Meg:)

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  4. It was a quiet New Years here last night and a nice peaceful day today for me also. Time to reflect on the past year and start planning for the new one ahead.

    We were in bed just after 11 last night. (Showing our age haha) However its after midnight tonight while I type this, because I'm trying to catch up on blogs while hubby is away :)

    Wishing you a fantastic 2019 Meg!

    xTania

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    1. Happy New Year to you, Tania! I hope it is a wonderful year for you and your family with lots of happy moments ahead. I've had a few thoughts twirling round in my head about 2019 but nothing that's really crystallised yet. I do have a dozen washcloths to knit, an order from a lady who makes and sells her own soap, so that's something I'm working on. Meg:)

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  5. Happy New Year Meg. I hope 2019 is a wonderful year for you

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    1. Thank you for your new year wishes, Cherie. I hope 2019 holds many happy moments for you too! Meg:)

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  6. Such pretty colors, the sea and seashell. I planted parsley indoors...doesn't do as well as outdoors! Andrea

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    1. These two photos are my favourites from the ones I took on Straddie this year, Andrea. I love the colours in them too. The parsley I find grows well here is the flat-leaf variety, it springs up randomly now from wherever I scatter the seed. I imagine it's too cold at your place for it to grow outside. Happy New Year to you! Meg:)

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  7. Happy New Year! :) Thanks for the reminder to switch my calendar, I still need to do that!

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    1. Happy New Year to you too, Stephenie! My son changes the calendar very promptly so I don't have to even think about it. It's like one minute past midnight when he does it! Meg:)

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  8. Happy New Year to you and your family Meg! Here’s to 365 more opportunities 😊

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    1. Thanks for your new year wishes, Cheryl. I hope 2019 holds many happy moments for you and your family too. Meg:)

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  9. It sounds like the perfect start to the New Year. Sending you and your family my very best wishes for 2019. X

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    1. Happy New Year to you and your family, Jules. We had quite a busy time catching up with quite a few friends between Xmas and New Year so a quiet New Year's Day at home was most lovely. Meg:)

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  10. Happy New Year Meg. Wishing you all the best for 2019.

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    1. Thanks, Jan. Happy New Year to you too! Meg:)

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  11. What a beautiful beach! So peaceful.

    Your post reminded me that I need to change the 2018 calendar. :)

    Happy New Year to you and your family Meg!

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    1. The photo is of my favourite beach on Straddie, Nil. It's just across the road from where we always stay. I love to go for walks there early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Perfect! I hope your 2019 has started well and that it's a happy, frugal year for you. Meg:)

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  12. Perfect way to start the new year. Happy New Year!

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    1. Thank you for your new year wishes. It was indeed a lovely way to start 2019. I hope your new year has started well too and that it will holds lots of happy times for you. Meg:)

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  13. That sounds peaceful and serene, Meg. You always sound in such a good head space.

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    1. I have a little painting on my bedroom wall with a quote that reads, "Thank goodness for quietness". I am always content with a slower, quieter pace. Xx

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  14. Happy New Year Meg! It sounds like 2019 is set to be a year of new things in your family with your son starting high school and you returning to teaching. I hope it all goes wonderfully for you and your family.

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    1. Thanks, Sherri. We are expecting some challenges but in being prepared, as best we can, we hope to ease the jolt of those changes. MegXx

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  15. Happy New Year Meg, and I hope the changes in yours and your son's lives happen easily and with no dramas. It'll be a big year for both of you. It was a quiet new year here too, although for a change I was still awake at midnight, but only because I was sewing. I was surprised when the
    fireworks and car horns started up.

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    1. Happy New Year to you too, Nanette! It sounds like you were absorbed in your sewing on New Year's Eve. Lovely to lose track of time doing something you love. Meg Xx

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  16. Happy New Year dearest Meg, your New Years Eve and start to the new year sounded wonderful, nice and quiet, just the way I like it too. Have a lovely day,
    Fi

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    1. I hope the early days of your new year have been quiet and peaceful for you, Fi. May you grow an abundance of veg in your new garden beds this year! Meg🌱

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  17. Happy New Year to you and yours!

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    1. Thank you, Bless. I hope your 2019 has started happily and that you are looking forward to the year ahead. Meg:)

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  18. Rest-full seems a good way to end one year and start another. Happy New Year!

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    1. It was a relaxed way to begin the year, Gretchen Joanna. Perfect for me! I hope the early days of your new year have been lovely and that the year ahead offers up many happy moments to you. Meg:)

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  19. I'm just catching up with you now, after recovering from our laid back, Christmas. Your day sounds delightful. Pottering in the garden. Rummaging through the linens. Setting things up in general, for the year ahead. It's nice not having to rush into it all.

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    1. I will have to jump across and visit you over at Gully Grove soon, Chris. I've been absorbed in other things so will have to catch up with others' news. I hope your new year has started happily and that you are looking forward to the year ahead. Meg:)

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