Last WOW for this year

Today is the last Monday for 2009, so this will be the last wombat of the year. Earlier this year one of the houses in our street was sold, and just before the settlement the owners had a garage sale to clear out all sorts of things. There was a box of beautifully mounted photos, all ready for framing, and guess what.....there was one wombat photo in the box! Mark Cox is the photographer. It's a lovely photo, the wombat looks young and healthy, and very cute.

But fear not, next year there will be more wombats. We are by no means at the end of the collection.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, we certainly did. Ours was peaceful, and quiet; Christmas should be about peace. According to a local news report this morning, Australians triple their alcohol consumption over the holiday period...someone is drinking my share, because I certainly am not. I'm happy with a glass of bubbly. I have a lovely new quilt book, and a quilt calendar, among other things.

Progress continues to be made on the hand. Who would have known that six weeks inactivity would lead to such a long period of recuperation? I can now hand-piece but not for too long, or my hand and fingers rebel at being in the same position. Same with knitting, but now I can knit a little longer before my hand rebels than I could a couple of weeks ago. I can touch my thumb to my index finger easily now, and to the next finger, and most times when I try to the ring finger. Sometimes my thumb and little finger will touch, although it is a painful stretch...and sometimes, like right now, I just can't do it. But it will get easier with time, as all these little milestones have done. The nice young physio bloke is on holidays but I will be seeing him in a couple of weeks, so we'll see what he says then. Today I moved some things in and out of my sewing room, perhaps I shouldn't have done it although nothing was very heavy - no doubt I will pay for it later this evening, it always hurts at night when the muscles are tired - but the more I use my hand, hopefully the quicker it will get back to what passes for normal.

Tomorrow we will be packing the caravan with food and clothes, ready to head off the following morning for a drive to Gulgong. That should take about five hours, although we can easily make it longer with a couple of stops, one for a cuppa and another for some lunch. Gulgong is a lovely little town that had its five minutes of glory in the 1870s gold rush, and many of the old buildings are still standing. In past years I have taken my guitar to this festival, but as I can't yet play it will be staying home this time. We would rather spend new year's eve at a street dance with friends in a small town, than in Sydney with its squillion dollar fireworks display. All that money just going up in smoke is very wasteful, I reckon - a feeling obviously not shared by the thousands of people who go to watch it around the harbour or at home on TV, but we are all entitled to our own opinion aren't we.

And now is the time to be thinking of new year resolutions. I have one. It's not to make any resolutions at all. There you are, isn't that easy?

"Be moderate.
Always express your own opinions with modesty, and, if called upon, defend them, but without that warmth which may lead to hard feelings. Do not enter into argument. Having spoken your mind, and thus shown you are not cowardly in your beliefs and opinions, drop the subject and lead to some other topic. There is seldom any profit in idle discussion."

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?
For auld land syne, my jo, for auld land syne,
We'll tak' a cup of kindness yet, for auld land syne.

From Robbie Burns and me, best wishes for new year.

Jennifer