Hello Blog

How are ya? Wotcha been doin'? Not talking to me, hey. Can't say I blame you. I haven't been around much lately, have I.

There have been reasons - some more valid than others. Here are some.

The mutter mutter mutter builders next door who have been creating mess and noise since the beginning of December - and they're still only doing the earthworks. I'm not sure which is the worst, having to keep the house closed up and not being able to use the evaporative air conditioner in heatwave after heatwave (they've been almost continuous this summer, all in the very high thirties to low forties Centigrade for anything up to a week), the dust that seeps in so, no matter how often you clean, everything is covered in another visible layer within minutes of finishing or the noise - beeping diggers and bobcats and this week endless jack-hammering which, to judge by the size of the limestone outcrop they've uncovered, will be going on for a long while yet. Even earphones and music don't drown it out - and, of course, there's also the vibrations. What I'd give for a dedicated work space away from everything.

Then there have been health issues - my own (not serious, just very incapacitating and persistent). Others in my close family haven't been so lucky. We seem to have turned the corner with those now, thank goodness, so the hospital visits and accompanying stress are no longer dragging at us but full recovery is still a long way off.

The endless on-going renovations. I made out a list when we started and ticked off what we had achieved so far yesterday. It was better than I thought but there's still a fair way to go and there are going to be further disruptions to the schedule - those pesky health on-going health issues again.

The weddings. They were lovely. Beautiful brides, handsome grooms and lovely settings. Wonderful.

There have near-misses in achieving heart's desires but those just involve picking yourself up and trying again. No-one ever said you get what you want just when you'd like it, did they.

There has been much more happening, of course - some sadness, some pain and some joy. I summed up the last twelve months for my family to someone on Saturday as two weddings, a death and a birth.

'Sounds like a name for a movie,' he said. As good a way as any to describe it, I suppose.