December: pleasant weather! And a lot on.

Hello friends and readers. The blog continues.

I have to say I am loving this weather. A Summer where my garden isn't dying, we are cowering indoors in the AC, life is good. I've finished the year surprisingly strongly.

This photo shows the transition from spring to summer. The last few poppies, and the first few zinnias. I am very happy with my fancy zinnia seed purchase from veggie seed shop in Tasmania. A really lovely variety. The bunch I planted directly in the garden did well.

I was quite busy, but I felt like everything was under control. One of our 1 Timothy studies convicted me about using my gifts. Not neglecting a gift, but working on it and sharing it with others. Fighting my inclination to resent being asked to do things. I was asked to lead another bible study and while I had a lot on my plate and thought about it carefully, decided to do it because I could do it, I had time, and it is a valuable opportunity to practice and grow at it. This is a new experience and skill I've had a chance to develop this year. I'm thankful for my new home group.

A significant thing was doing music at 3 6pm services in a row and on Christmas Eve. Takes a lot of time and energy to organise people and songs. As above, I was convicted about developing and using gifts, and this is a unique time to do that, with the usual music team leader at another service and new people to play with at 6pm. May have already mentioned it if it happened in November, but one of our items I was very brave, and sang the first half of the first verse of Yet not I but through Christ a capella on my own. It was so different and our arrangement was so perfect for the song, it was a really authentic moment that people listened to and felt. A personal highlight. I was also very happy with the music on Christmas Eve. 4 musicians, including one who is new to church and I was a bit worried about him playing the piano and me not having control over the vibe, but I was able to play the cello, and praise God it went well. It was our first service with congregational singing since the August? lockdown.

I took a couple of flex days. It helps with catching up on admin and staying calm about life. On one of them, I did the car and the teeth. The dentist recommended me to an oral surgeon and I fit that in too. I've got a wound in my mouth that won't heal since October last year. It might be another auto-immune thing.

 

Work wasn't too busy but I was doing publications now the other designer is gone. I finished and sent to print a book that Dean had started. I did a minor update including some photos and sent that to print. I've got a book that I've done the whole thing, and I managed to get it to proof reading before I finished for the year. Good achievements to get those to the best stage or finished in the last month of the year.

Everyone enjoyed the intense orange blossoms on the memorial Nathan tree, which flowered early this year.

I got in early at the start of the month to start tidying up my garage and hanging fairy lights for carols in the garage - the situation with covid was getting more uncertain but I felt like being optimistic this year. I did the minimum organising and no music practice for it, partly because so busy and partly because not wanting to invest too much effort in an event I would cancel.

I had a very fun and wonderful trip to Sydney! I took a Friday off, drove down to AM, and we went to IKEA so that I could buy some stacking guest beds and mattresses and other spontaneous things.

AMs house is a peaceful haven near Lane Cove National Park.

Saturday: There is a new little track down to the park, and then we walked along the river.

Then I drove further in to Sydney for lunch with G, her friend and her ferrets. Then I drove home in extreme tiredness - the sort you are fighting a nap the whole way, shaking my head and eating chocolate to stay awake.

I have a temporary housemate, so I have cleared some pantry space and it has been nice to have company in the house, although it isn't the best time for her.

This is a little dog who stayed for a sleepover.

And here is Banjo guarding his bone. He is cute, but terribly neglected and full of anti social habits.

The weekend before Christmas I hosted a small crowd for Carols! Still enough to be worth running and for good singing - a man joined us from next door when he heard us. It was a hot day of 35 but not too uncomfortable. I think that will be my temperature limit in future. 

This is me putting all the stuff back in the garage - unloading junk from my boot and garden stuff that I moved up the driveway.

I took another day off during the week, timed it with all my work jobs, to spend time at Toukley with J and L and the girls. JK came, we went to Norah rock pool, had lunch at their bnb, bought some milkshakes next door and then headed back.

And here is the Christmas lunch at Singleton!

Parents gave me a birdbath and brother gave me some hanging pots. Very nice presents. Garden keeps levelling up! 

On the Monday after Christmas I had my Covid booster so took my sister over to the baths and we swam even though the weather was pretty windy and awful. She saw friends while I filled in time at Harris Farm and then went to Belmont Bunnings again.

We then had a Wheel of Time marathon and finished the season, me Heather and Dad. I started to get very achy and hot, so actually had a reaction this time.

The next day I put away the fairy lights in the garage and washed the car, and then was struck down again by tiredness and aches, so I just slept and rested on the couch.

I now have time to couch shop, so me and K did a drive down to Erina to see the couch I liked on the floor and test it - very soft, but the back is low - so no good. We had brunch at a nursery cafe and did some browsing and lunch at Erina fair. A good old fashioned shopping day out. I bought some pink/orange shorts from Sportcraft, which was an impulse buy, but actually I'm loving them, nice length, shape and colour. 

That afternoon I went kayaking with H and for the first time explored upriver of the Maitland bridge. We got up to Bolworra/Walka. A pretty strong current to paddle against upriver but fun floating back down.

And now it's the New Year's Eve tradition of G and E coming up from Sydney, morning swims and afternoon naps. Everyone is napping and I am blogging and writing a prayer. I made dough yesterday and baked it this morning. 

Then G and I jumped in her new yellow car and headed to Merewether baths for a swim. The weather is perfection. After many NYEs of so hot, so smoky, no fireworks, we are actually having a good one this year!

Stay tuned for next month - Did they cancel the fireworks again? did we get Covid? Did I go to Mudgee? It's all so exciting.