Right then. Where were we?

Ah yes.  New Year's Eve.

So.  After Hugo's people went away, Jim and I packed up and motored over to Warragul where we spent the evening with Matt, Belinda, Sage and William.  It was a lovely evening.  We sat outside on their verandah and ate cold meats and salads, incorporating vegetables from their garden. We drank wine and walked round their garden and admired their fruit trees and vegetables, their greenhouse and their eucalypts.

Jim, Matt and I managed, just, to be awake for midnight.  It's uncommon for me to see the New Year in.  I sometimes managed to be awake, when we lived in Tupton, to see the fireworks in Berlin or Paris - but that, of course, was 11pm for me.  It was very rare for me to be awake for the fireworks in London.  This year, however, we saw the Sydney fireworks.

We started the new year in a very leisurely manner, drinking tea and/or coffee, eating toast, reading.  Then Jim and I drove to Neerim South to visit our friend Jan. It crossed my mind that I had said we would be there around midday which is, effectively, lunchtime.  So we went into the town and found the IGA open and acquired cheese,, smoke salmon and biscuits.  There's a pub in Neerim South which was doing New Year lunches.  We must go there next time!

Jan has a tiny, tiny kitten which weights almost nothing and is mostly fluff.  Fortunately her rather larger dog recognises it as a cat and not as food!  We had a lovely visit, ate the cheese, biscuits and smoked salmon, drank coffee, admired the garden.  Then Jan suggested that, instead of going back to Melbourne on the freeways, we drive over the mountains to Yarra Junction and then follow the Yarra Valley to Ringwood.

So we did.  And it was a very beautiful drive.  I have to say that I was very glad to be driving it on a still, sunny day and not through torrential rain and blustery gales (which Jan did the last time she drove it!).  On a still, sunny day it is glorious.

In the evening we hosted a Monday night dinner for the regular Monday night crew, minus Lindsey and Ian but plus Austin, Tatsuki and Zoy.  We had what was effectively a Sunday roast on a Monday.

It was, in the end, quite a busy day.  But you will surely agree with me that it was an excellent start to a new year.

I was working Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week,  An unusual pattern but I am covering the reception desk while some of the regulars are on holiday.

On Tuesday evening we had pizza in Carlton with Austin, Tatsuki, Lindsey and Ian - plus one or two others.  On Wednesday evening Lindsey and Jim went back to Mount Helen after Lindsey finished work.  Ian, Austin and Tatsuki came to the flat so Austin could get ready to fly back to Japan.  They went to the airport with Ian at about 10pm.

And now Freyja and Simon are back in Sheffield, Austin and Tatsuki are back in Mizuho, and Lindsey, Ian, Rupert, Hugo, Jim and I are all at Mount Helen.  Normal service is restored.

For now!

Preparing to fly :-D