Hello new year! (finally)
Oh hello! Is it really the end of January already?
Summer has been good to us this year. More rain than usual, a good Solstice, Christmas and New Year full of fun and warmth and love and delicious food. We took a week long holiday in Sydney to stay with my brother’s family. It was so humid all week that we swam in the pool every day until we were waterlogged and slept all night soundly under the fans. We visited the beach to feel the warm sand and marvel at the Blue of the Bondi surf and sky. We saw inner-city spiders as big as our hands hanging in intricate webs which we had to duck under (screaming, of course) to continue on our way. We saw the Tom-Tom Crew at the Sydney Opera House and beat-boxed our way all the way home. We celebrated my gorgeous nephew’s 7th birthday in tepanyaki style (see him catch a raw egg in a bowl on his head? See my girls thrill at the spectacle?). I love Sydney. It seems to me that it is a wonderfully physical city and you experience it with your senses.
And there were movies (Fantastic Mr Fox is indeed fantastic, Bright Star made me cry mascara down my cheeks, Avatar made me fall in love with a beautiful blue cgi version of Sam Worthington) and there have been late nights, sleep-ins, heat waves, thunderstorms and experimental pavlova making,
With school starting next week, and Lily starting kindergarten, I feel as though I am about to enter the next phase of my life. I am quite excited about this prospect but am yet to work out what the exact focus of that will be. I have an inkling that there will be lots of writing, and illustration and art. There may also be some cooking and some crafting and some watching of movies. There might also be a little home renovation and a garden overhaul. I haven’t made any resolutions for the first time in forever and instead I have wandered into the new year trying to remember how it felt to be 10 – when life was full of possibilities and excitement and boundless enthusiasm blanketed in a sense of love and security. 10 was good. 38′s going to be better.
Responses
26th January 2010 at 8:56 am
Have missed you on Twitter! Love the new web-page! So clean and lovely. Love your smooth writing style and musings. Your ideas are great and I love to share them with Moms in So Cal. Will be listing your site on a blog roll for our Feb 1st MOMS monthly gathering at our church, WACC in Whittier.
Getting my website custom designed…can’t wait!
Until then learning from experts like you.
be well. xo
26th January 2010 at 11:36 am
What a gorgeous summer you’ve all had! I love your approach to 2010. 10 was good but you’re right…life’s what you make it!
I love your new space here too. xxx
26th January 2010 at 1:18 pm
Welcome back! Sounds like you’ve had a great summer break. I saw Bright Star twice…cried twice. It’s going to be a good year.
26th January 2010 at 1:20 pm
hello!
nice to have you back… we’ve been checking in, you know 
26th January 2010 at 1:20 pm
Oh PHEW! I’m so pleased you are back! I missed you! xxxx
26th January 2010 at 1:34 pm
happy new year, and hooray for new possibilities now that you are freeing up more time. i can understand the exhilaration of this prospect after several years of the constant work involved in looking after little ones – rewarding of course, but wearing. the blog resign is beautiful too.
26th January 2010 at 2:22 pm
WOOOHOO! Another person dedicated to an amazing newness! We are so happy to have you back and what a lovely look you have
26th January 2010 at 4:43 pm
Bonne Année Claire! Glad to have you back on the web. I like your new site design too. xx.C
26th January 2010 at 6:11 pm
Great new design for Loobylu! I feel all kinds of fresh starts coming your way. Thanks to you, I discovered Tumblr, too, and like what I see there a lot. Hope this year is a good one for you.
26th January 2010 at 7:09 pm
glad you are back & love the new look
like lily, willow starts kinder too this year, so i am looking forward to a strange but exciting year myself
can’t wait to see what 38 has in store for you Claire
26th January 2010 at 7:17 pm
Love the new look … and the new outlook on the year ahead… two children gainfully employed and a mother on the loose… ooh the possibilities…(only just coming to terms with that situation myself)
26th January 2010 at 8:06 pm
Hooray! So glad to see you back and the new design is fantastic! That’s one clever fella! Love it.
26th January 2010 at 8:48 pm
Sounds like a great review of 2009 and realisticly wonderful preview of the year 2010!
Michele xx
26th January 2010 at 10:01 pm
Happy New Year!
Hooray! You are back!
I really love the new design!
x
27th January 2010 at 1:16 am
Love the new look-
And bravo for 38 being the new 10. Can’t wait for my 38th!
27th January 2010 at 5:33 am
Pleased to see you back, and love the new page design, lovely and clean.
27th January 2010 at 6:16 am
welcome back 
I have my youngest starting school (sob) in 6 days (sob) and goodness knows what this year holds for me. i hope this year is a great one for you x
27th January 2010 at 6:18 am
I read your site in my feed reader and almost missed your redesign. It looks great! Glad to have you back.
27th January 2010 at 1:01 pm
Happy new year, Claire! Love the re-fit and 38 being a great year!
27th January 2010 at 7:32 pm
38 is gonna be wayyyyyyyyyyy better! actually i really like growing up. hugs happy new year to you and all at home clair!
27th January 2010 at 10:19 pm
How good was that fantastic Mr fox, Caleb is still running around doing the ‘trademark’. Hope that 2010 is a gem, sounds like some great plans that you have
28th January 2010 at 7:28 am
38 is great! Loved 38…wonderful outlook for 2010…Really love your your ne layout for your blog..refreshingly simple and always wonderful graphics…welcome back
28th January 2010 at 10:02 am
The new look…looks great Claire!
it osunds like the next 12 months is going to bring exciting things, looking forward to seeing what you get up to x
PS: Hope the first day at school goes well
28th January 2010 at 8:04 pm
Wow, I have just discovered your blog and it seems that I have been missing out. Can’t wait to follow your adventures in 2010. Melinda xo
29th January 2010 at 6:00 pm
I am so glad to see that you are back. I have been waiting in anticipation. I really like the new feel, it’s like a breath of fresh air. Cheers,
31st January 2010 at 1:13 pm
Hi there
I have just returned to your blog after a long time of going without, and I am so happy to catch up on your posts.
I’ll visit more regularly now.
Carly
3rd February 2010 at 11:14 am
Lovely new design and a happy new year to you and yours. <3
3rd February 2010 at 8:08 pm
Hi – I am overjoyed to discover you and even more overjoyed to find you live in Melbourne as I do. My 2010 resolution was to start a blog and I have done so on a daily basis sine Jan 1st. If you ever get a minute please come and visit ‘manningroad’ . Happy Term One to you – Kate
10th February 2010 at 1:49 pm
Wow I just went to wish happy new year and realised its February already… I still have yet to see fantastic mr fox!
26th January 2010 at 8:55 am
Happy New Year lovely, nice to have you back. That photo is an absolute gem.
x