© irene waters 2017

To everyone whether you have visited once or visited many times I wish you Seasons Greetings and hope you have a Merry Christmas. Now come on in for coffee and lets have a chat.

If we were having coffee I’d ask you if you think this year has gone by very quickly. For me it has. I guess there were some major events during the year. In March we had our nurses reunion celebrating the completion of our nursing training 40 years ago. Such a long time ago and hard to believe how many of our group are still nursing.

© irene waters 2017

The next was a trip to Sydney with my mother to receive on my brother’s behalf an award from Sydney University.

© irene waters 2017

By this time I had completed my studies but my own graduation brought home to me just what I had achieved.

© irene waters 2017

And the final and most important event of the year happened last week on the 19th December. Roger and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. This made me reflect on the road we have journeyed together. Our wedding was all the more special as my father performed the ceremony, my brother gave me away, his girls were my flower girls, my mother made my dress, I won my cake (which I later learnt my best lady dropped and had to repair) and many more people made it a day that was very special.

© irene waters 2017

© irene waters 2017

© irene waters 2017

Our 25 years married has seen us in on the island of Tanna having a nightmare in Paradise, attempting to be farmers, general store proprietors and restaurant chef and waitress, builders labourers, builders and finally retired (although with Roger’s support I did my Master of Arts and have been writing solidly.)

© irene waters 2017

Vanuatu

© irene waters 2017

© irene waters 2017

Barcoleuwin Bucca Wauka  otherwise known as The Farm

© irene waters 2017

© irene waters 2017

© irene waters 2017

Barrington General Store

© irene waters 2017

© irene waters 2017

Builders labourers

© irene waters 2017

In the renovation planning our next move

© irene waters 2015

The house we built with our bare hands

© irene waters 2017

I feel blessed to have had 25 years with a man I can still say I love and who makes me laugh and he can still say:

I think that is enough about me. Thank you for visiting me throughout the year. Your presence is special to me also. I hope you have a very merry Christmas. And I’d love to know what you have been up to, what books you’ve read, films you’ve seen and what your plans are for tomorrow if you celebrated Christmas. In Australia Christmas Day and Boxing Day are public holidays so everyone (except those in retail and hospitality and service industries) have a four day weekend. Noosa puts on free buses to try to alleviate the parking problem so we will be hopping on the bus each day and going to the beach. If it is not too hot we’ll walk in the National Park and make use of the buses. Christmas Day we are going with Mum into the Hinterland for lunch in a restaurant. Back to you…….

Thank you EclecticAli for hosting our coffee weekends.