Monday 5 January 2015

2015

Well another year is upon us and may it be a good one for everyone.  I hope your NYE celebrations were enjoyable.  We spent ours at home with family and friends, the special guest of course being Mum.  I made up some fruit punch, an old recipe of Mum's that is simple but refreshing.


NYE is a fine time to bring out pretty glasses and family heirlooms.  The silver serving tray in the photo below was my Grandmother's and Mum was very happy to see it being put to good use.  It certainly saved red wine stains from going on the white tablecloth.


 We enjoyed a selection of lovely cheeses and dips with crackers, nuts and other delicious nibbles during the evening.  A few sweet things were enjoyed too, some lemon coconut balls I made, some delicious chocolates and a wonderful platter of fruit.  One or two glasses of champagne were enjoyed by those who wanted something sparkling.


 New Years day was a quiet and slow one here.  There might have been a few of us napping during the day, enjoying yummy leftovers from the night before and some reading of books.  A lovely way to bring in the new year.

Mum returned to Western Australia today accompanied by my sister who will be spending about 10 days with her.  As you know from an earlier post, Mum recently lost her 18 year old cat Humphrey which was heartbreaking as he was a lovey boy and such good company.  I am very happy and excited to hear that before Mum travelled home to the farm today, she adopted a little three year old cat which she has named Cara.  Apparently Cara is settling in well and doing normal cat things like smooching the furniture to leave her scent, jumping up onto the sink, a no no, attempting to scratch the furniture and learning that the scratching post was designed for that purpose.  I'm so very happy for Mum that she has a new little companion and my sister can be there to help out during the settling in period.

Summer weather is arriving in dribs and drabs in Melbourne.  We've had some hot days followed by cool ones and some lovely rain too.  Our tomatoes are looking good, fruiting well and I'm anxiously waiting for the fruit to ripen.  I've started to harvest some of the climbing beans, the dwarf beans have been prolific.  The flower garden is not so plentiful as it was in spring but there is still some lovely colour and summer flowering plants about to burst into bloom.

Grosse lisse.

Cherry tomatoes.






 I've been thinking thinking about the goals I would like to achieve this year rather than making any New Years resolutions.  I have a painting sitting up in the studio, the portrait of a lady that needs completing.  I haven't even started looking at my photos from our 2012 Europe trip with a view to using some of them as painting subject material although a couple of photos in particular come to mind as I'm typing, especially from the Roaches area in Staffordshire where Louise of the blog Ramblings of a Roachling lives.  If you want to see stunning photos of a very beautiful part of the world, go check out her blog, you won't be disappointed.  I'd like to grow more vegetables, get some  chooks again, make lemon marmalade from the lemons on our trees, finish crocheting a cardigan and a blanket I started last year and get myself fit again.  I did lose 4 kilos late last year by reducing my calories just a little bit, reducing my portions a little and with lots of physical activity in the garden.  It was a was a big achievement for me and one I'd like to continue with to lose a few more kilos.  It's most encouraging when you can fit into your clothes comfortably again and rediscover long lost favourites to wear.

Looking forward to catching up on all your posts now things are getting back to normal after the silly season.  Take care everyone.

Anne  xx



6 comments:

  1. Happy new year, Anne! It sounds like you had a very nice celebration. I'm glad to hear of your mother's new cat companion, it sounds like they are getting along great together. :)

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  2. Well all sounds right in your world Anne. Looking ahead to a great year.

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  3. Seems like you had a great Christmas break with your Mum there too. Your garden is going well too. Cara is one lucky cat I think to have found a home with your Mum. Win / Win. Happy 2015. cheers Wendy

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  4. Happy New Year! It sounds like you had a lovely time and I'm pleased your mum has found a new feline friend :)

    I hope you have a great year, with plenty of time for painting. I still have the one you did a while back from a photo of the Roaches... I'm keeping it stored safely, to hang on the wall if we ever manage to get our own house one day!

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  5. It sounds like you have good things planned for the year ahead. Here's hoping that you and yours have the best time in 2015

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  6. I loved reading about your goals - they sound a lot like mine.
    Nothing too extreme - all about further enriching the lives we lead.
    So glad your Mum has a new little friend to keep her company.

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