We arrived at the MacArthur Chambers Apartments in Brisbane late this afternoon and it felt a little bit like coming home.

The first time we stayed here A was still employed in academia, and we had one tiny tot. G was trundled around town by yours truly whilst A was working out at a local university for a few days.

Then we stayed here when A was attending a conference. G was 7 and T was 5. That time we discovered the fun of the Museum and the Art Gallery. Both those institutions could teach their Sydney sisters how to do a children’s gallery!! Fingers crossed they live up to our memories!

This apartment is just lovely. So spacious and well laid out. The lions on the building out our lounge room window are my favourite and my best.

Here’s to a great Brisbane visit!

Today we went from one large island in the South Pacific to a much smaller one, and it was superb.

We flew over to Lady Elliot Island early (well, 8.40am is early for us on holidays), in a small plane. It felt like we were keeping it real Fiji-style when we came in and landed on a grass air strip that ran the width of the island.

First on the itinerary was an orientation to the place, then we went to the pool for a snorkelling lesson. We did get some handy hints. Then it was off at the other side of the island for a glass bottom boat trip, and a snorkelling extravaganza. I was very glad that we’d all spent so much time floating around in the Kelly’s Beach Basin – we were all pretty confident. Heading off the boat into the deep was a little daunting. Luckily there was a float line which was great for resting along. The fish and coral underneath was gorgeous to see.

Lady Elliot Island is known for it’s turtle action, and it didn’t disappoint. I found myself swimming right next to a friendly creature who came up for air next to me. I was astounded really, and so thrilled. It’ll go on my reverse bucket list I think!!

Then it was back to the boat, then the resort for lunch. We all went on a guided lagoon reef walk in the early afternoon. Our guide had so much knowledge to share with us, and we all enjoyed spotting the various marine creatures she was pointing out to us.

All in all it was a fabulous day. Not many photos were taken, but our memory banks are full.

Over the past five days we’ve fallen into a lovely little routine. Sleeping well, breakfast then, after an hour or so of flopping on the couch, we head out and walk down to The Basin at Kelly’s Beach.

A lot of snorkelling has taken place, and swimming and just floating around. I hate to say it but it doesn’t get much better than this!

We then wander home after an hour or so. Lunch, more flopping around, then a swim in the pool here. The kids bought themselves an enormous inflatable pretzel – and once again could life get much better?

What a year we’ve had. It was hard to choose just one photo for each month.

January

Miss G’s birthday party on the day, with cousins and neighbours in the unfinished extension.

February

These two started their last year together at Arncliffe Public. I had to get a picture at The Growing Tree.

March

Master T turned 9. He’s not the only March Baby in our family, he’s definitely the most handsome though!

April

A turned 50 and we went camping to celebrate. He’s not the only member of the ’68 Club in our family either!

May

Both the kids rehearsed in the city for the Festival of Instrumental Music at the Sydney Opera House. They were in the combined recorder ensemble.

June

We were hoping in June that Miss G would truly be on the Canterbury (Girls High) Express. This was at the Heritage Trains Weekend at Central Station.

July

We had a quick trip down to Melbourne, and got to an AFL match at The G! Pretty exciting for our little AFL-ers!August

Here we are, up the tower on Signal Hill in Hong Kong – during a brief stopover on our way to England.

September

We had a mad dash to the UK for a very good reason, our John was getting married! He’s A’s (and mine) brother-in-law and Uncle to G & T, here are the Uncles and their English Rose nieces.

October

T’s Halloween costume was one of my favourite ever!

November

Our two started sailing lessons at Kogarah Bay Sailing Club. They had a ball!

December

G finished primary school. She had a wonderful time doing so, medals for music, topping the year in German, graduation dinner, and so many parties! Talk about hitting the finish line at full pelt! Here she is, exiting the Guard of Honour, or as I prefer, the Tunnel of Love.

A year in 12 photos is just a taste of what went on!

We are celebrating the end of the year, and the clocking over into 2019 this evening, in the style in which I’d like to continue!

Beachside (well, anywhere really), with my lovely family, a beautiful platter of food for dinner and a nice glass of sparkling.

Here’s to a wonderful New Year!

“Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier

I finished this last night, and it was an excellent read. It is indeed a stunning book. I am pretty sure that I’d read it a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. With that came very little solid memory of the high details of the storyline. I found myself both whipping through it, and returning to read earlier sections.

When I was in my mid teens I went with my little sister to stay the night at our Uncle’s Art Deco apartment, and watch the Hitchcock film adaptation of Rebecca with him. We were highly influenced by Mrs Danvers, and pretty horrified too. After that, and all our being Danvers, I read the book. It was worth returning to after a few decades!

Read it, and you too might find yourself dreaming of Manderley again.

Now to find a copy of the film to watch again as well.

We are currently on holidays at Bargara, in Queensland. I can hear the where, what, whys starting up already!

The main reason that we are here is that the next beach along is Mon Repos. This is home to the largest nesting grounds of loggerhead turtles. At this time of year they come to lay their eggs, and they hatch of course, a few weeks later. We are going to head there one evening soon to see what we can see.

When G was about 4 years old she announced that we should go on holidays to the Galápagos Islands, to see the turtles, and other creatures. They’re still on the dreamboard, but I figure the turtles at Mon Repos might tick some boxes!!

We’re staying in an apartment with a fabulous ocean view. It’s wonderful to sit here watching the sea and listening to the waves break, just across the road!

We came up by road too! A driving holiday, via Armidale and Dalby. Once we left Armidale I really felt like we were heading to point unknown. If we were driving this distance on the European continent we’d have gone through a few different countries. Instead we had a few different landscapes to observe out the car window! Dalby is on the western Darling Downs and the soil is so black and rich. All the way up it was green pastures, so much more than what we saw driving to Hill End, on the western slopes of NSW, in April.

When I was a child there was an ad for KR Darling Downs Ham along the lines of “only the best little piggies go to market”. I was so pleased to see that brand advertised outside the Italian grocers across the road from our motel there!

A few weeks ago one of the “things I love” decided that I should start writing, in a different form to just adding comments to facebook and on other people’s blogs!

Thank you to my darling A for setting this up for me, and patiently waiting for me to make good use of it. See, I told you I would do so, it’s just taken me a while to get around to it.

The most important Things I Love are actually the people I love, in my very own family. The G, who, with her arrival made us into parents instead of just partners, the T who came a couple of years later and made us apparently “clever” parents as we managed, by chance, to produce both a girl and a boy. Not only do G and T make a pigeon pair, they are also the initials of one of our (that is A and M) favourite alcoholic beverages.

As mentioned earlier, the A in my life is my partner and husband. The man who makes me a part of an Us. He is one of those things I love very much indeed.

Moving away from our little family circle are the many other circles that both intercept and orbit ours. My parents and siblings, his parents and siblings, the friends that became family. All “Things I Love”.

Coming soon…..