Hello from the other side...

If normal life is punctuated by major life events then my timeline would resemble someone on the brink of a coronary - a series of peaks and troughs with barely a horizontal line amongst it. There's never a dull moment around here but it can be a tad tiring living in a constant state of flux.

I recently met up with a friend I hadn't seen for a while and when I asked him how his year had been he replied "too many life events this year!". I completely understood for I feel like I've been living that kind of year for the past couple of decades. There have just been so many life events and sharp deviations to my normal life path - some lengthy stints living overseas, 6 interstate moves, a few career changes, some major ups and downs, divorces and marriages within the family, more than a few babies welcomed into our own home, the losing of loved ones, and most recently the starting up of our own business. Just life I guess.

To cope with major life events I tend to temporarily "drop out" of ordinary life to focus on the new - to settle in, find my feet, adjust to the new normal and enjoy the new path and challenges before picking up where I left off. I've always had the philosophy that good friendships stand the test of time and that it doesn't matter how much time has passed from one conversation to the next.  However, I realise not everyone feels the same. Sometimes I return from my physical or emotional absences to find that people have simply moved on, and fair enough I say. Sometimes I have moved on too. Sometimes a complete break from a daily or weekly routine is exactly what's needed to grow, to find out whether something is still important or whether you are doing it just for the sake of doing it. I've come to the conclusion that blogging and more importantly the connections I've made through blogging is important to me and is something I want to continue doing.

So here I am, back in that familiar territory of wanting to pick up where I left off but not knowing where I fit in anymore, apologising profusely for the lack of advance communique for my absence, feeling like it has only been a few weeks rather than 5 months since Coal River Farm happened and turned our lives upside down, and hoping that there are still a few of you left around who share the same philosophy as me. I have really missed this space and in spite of my lack of contact I have thought about you all often, berating myself for being so slack.  I'm looking forward to jumping back in now that I'm coming out the other side of yet another major life event and have a bit more headspace to do so.....

Needless to say, my camera hasn't seen the light of day for months now. Thankfully, there has been someone behind the scenes capturing some moments for me. After a very teary farewell to Vanessa last weekend after 6 months of living with us as part of our family, she presented us with the most beautiful and thoughtful gift - a scrapbook of precious memories gathered over the time she spent with us. And since a blog post without photos just will not do, I've included a few pages of the album for you.

We will miss you too Vanessa!!! xxx