2010 Wrap Up....
Friday, December 31, 2010 at 01:15AM As we approach the end of another year I decided to look back at some of the things that have happened in 2010 & reflect on the year that was!
I suppose the biggest event for us this year was the wedding, many people shared this day with us and I am being biased here but it is the best wedding I have ever been to! The whole day went smoothly, the weather was perfect & no one fought or argued which is often the case during an event where families are thrown together. I must admit that the wedding went well due to the amount of effort that Ness put into it, it was planned, checked & double checked many times, there were spreadsheets, budgets & checklists with every minute detail for the wedding!
We then set off on our “Trip” you will note here that I did not call it a honeymoon or a holiday, many people thought that we were taking time off, but the “Trip” was predominantly for work! Sure we got to visit every state except Tasmania and the Northern Territory, but it was mainly work related. I got the chance to share our travels with others via my blog, this was fun and allowed some people that did not know me to get to know me a little better, not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but it was great to read some of your comments. When I have caught up with people this year they have asked me “When are you starting your blog again?” so I guess I will have to get it going again soon.
The boys are good, 2010 saw Brad out of high school and into TAFE for a while until the lure of “Girls” distracted him a little! Won’t go into too much detail here but scare of the year for me was the (False) news that I was going to be a grandparent!.... Turned out that the girl Brad was “Seeing” had a few problems and sucked him (And us) into a web of lies! Brad then found some part time work before applying for a job at a wholesale plant nursery & getting the job. He loves it.....works outdoors all day & is finally realising the benefits of a full days work and the pay packet that comes at the end of the week! Unfortunately Brad neglected to check the oil on his motorbike for a few weeks and blew the motor up so some of his pay packets will be going toward fixing his bike! Dan too is well, this year saw him in year 8, he is currently going through a growth spurt and has shot up about 12 inches in the past year! He changed basketball teams & went from being in one of the top under 14 teams to one of the lowest under 16 teams! So imagine being part of a team that usually always wins or comes close to winning, and then being in a team that to date has not won a game! Certainly would test any 14yr old’s patience and is probably the reason that he has recently decided to quit basketball and play AFL next year!
Ness is well, she seems to be able to avoid sickness! During the year the rest of us have come down with colds, flu, occasionally feeling unwell.... but Vanessa is immune to these things! I think she has only been sick once this year! Wish I knew her secret! I reckon it is her veggie patch! One of the presents we got for the wedding was Bunnings vouchers, which we used to build three raised veggie gardens, Vanessa then turned them into constantly producing vegetable patches that she loves working on, she has two compost bins that feed the veggies & has recently planted a passionfruit vine to go with the olive tree & the lemon tree that she already had. Her goal is to have every meal contain something from the garden! Her succulent gardens are also thriving, there is a constant cycle of potting, planting, moving from pot to garden, cutting, pruning, there are hanging baskets, pot plants, wine barrels, terracotta pots & plant holders. Then there is watering, feeding, weeding, fertilizing ...Oh and did I mention she also finds time to run the business & keep the house clean!
Speaking of the business, it is growing steadily. I think the combination of being around long enough for my reputation to spread & finally having someone that can run the business as a business has seen Ness & I pleasantly occupied throughout the year and with big plans for the next few years.
I have always had lots of ideas about how I could make what I do really “Work” but Ness has turned some of those ideas into actual “Products” and it is just getting better! We are also looking at employing other speakers, and will look at other options to keep me off planes and at home more!
I am good too, had a reasonably good year health wise, apart from a few UTI’s (Urinary Tract Infections) which are normal for someone that sits down all day! I have not had too many problems. I am really enjoying work, apart from the time I spend in planes & at airports! But I guess I’m lucky I am not stuck in the same place day in day out! We are planning another caravan trip next year so that will be fun.
Saltbush is great, it is such a nice place to live, I really look forward to coming home here and can’t see myself not having a “Saltbush” ,Ness loves it too, I sometimes see her with her veggie patches, succulent gardens & potted plants and think “Wow...she used to be such a city chick!” We have had plans drawn up for an extension, which we will eventually get around to.
Bert died!.... My mum’s husband had a heart attack and passed away in July. He is missed by many, especially mum. Which makes me think that my mum really has had a crap couple of years, the fires, Bert, and Now Damien and Brad are sometimes living with her...... Dunno how she copes!
Panda lost an eye, we think she was chasing a rabbit or something and she ran into a pile of sticks, one of them ruptured her eyeball and the could not save it. she is now a one eyed border collie & you would not know the difference, she still chases birds, rabbits & the occasional car.
Dan got his old ute going, he has a 1968 HK Holden ute that is full of rust, Ness & I agreed that he can drive it around the property. But it still cracks Ness up when she is sitting in her office and this yellow (Yes bright yellow) ute drives past with Dan at the wheel, usually with Lee Kernagan on the CD player.
Well that is about it for now. I just wanted to let you all know we are well. Looking forward to next year for family, work & fun reasons, I hope we catch up with you all at some stage.
Love from James, Ness, Brad, Dan, Panda & Saltbush
Reader Comments (5)
Tried to write a response before. Something happened. I am such a Klutz! Glad the book turned out so well - I saw just a teeny bit of the effort involved when we had the absolute pleasuire of staying at Saltbush - hope we can come and stay another few days some time.
On a personal note, we think of you guys such a lot and hope that the hospital visits and stays become less frequent and Ness gets fatter.
House sitting in Geelong at present and in Wantirna South from 7th Jan. Both juggliing work. Hope to win some of the $31M tonight, but just enough to make a difference, not a big percentage please. have a GREAT NEW YEAR. Marg
Happy New Years guys, thanks for the blog, it made my 6months overseas a bit brighter in that I really felt connected to your lives, hope to see a bit more of you in 2011! Love to you all from juan and I!
Take Two
The power of love (towing a caravan)
Whats love got to do with it
We've been every where man
J&V and the apple tree and the farm and the kids and the dog and the ......
Haven't seen you guys since the wedding, time flys when you're having fun ;-)
Good to see Brad has a job and has dicovered why oil is so important !
Can't wait to see Dan playing AFL, but would love it if he joined the Storm juniours instead.
Looking forward to eating some of Ness's fresh produce.
XX
I love reading your updates. Can picture Saltbush as I sit and read this one....the gardens, the house and the views. Can't wait to visit again xxxx