Reflecting on 2021 - The year of the unexpected

7 January 2022

There is no doubt that 2021 was a trying year for us all. The constant hovering threat of the pandemic... including the always varying restrictions... and changes to the way we live has weighed heavily on us all. 

I think the only upside was that we all learned to take more enjoyment from the simple things in life.



Here is a little recap of some highs and lows of  2021 .. taking it from the top....

  • We took some small breaks away in our Motorhome Winnie... Port Elliot was one of our favourite spots... we also spent a week around the South East of S.A 
  • I joined in with the Barmy Fox Stitch along for my first embroidery project... and then went on to stitch many more.
  • I bought myself a kayak (pretty excited about that)
  • The kids got some sleepy lizard babies 'Lucky and Eric' who came to live at our place... we then added to our lizard population with Dunstone and Brutus. Lucky disappeared .. but the other three are still cruising around in the garden happily.
  • I preserved a LOT.... we made lemon cordial... olives...homemade tomato sauce...tomato passata... tomato relish.. onion jam ... zucchini pickles... and a much more. 
  • We welcomed darling little Hugo into our family .. another beautiful grandbaby.
  • I embarked on my first ever mosaic crochet project - Letitias Garden by Rosina Plane
  • My year of gardening was more successful than the last. I picked some epic crops of Silverbeet.. Tomatoes...Zucchinis and Herbs. My Chamomile was prolific too.
  • My dehydrator buzzed on the bench for months... and my pantry was filled with jars of dried herbs.
  • We were terribly sad to lose our Mum .. my Mum in Law... and Grandma Hazel in October. Hazel was such a shining example of a life well lived. She was always the master of her home ... she gardened and baked... had an extensive preserves cupboard... loved nothing more than spending time with the kids. She had a quiet.. placid 'get on with it' nature...and we all loved her very much. I know she is now up there with Dad... and we have two guardian angels looking out for us.
  • I had a shoulder injury at work.... and some time off for rehab. After a few months with minimal improvement I relented and opted for surgery to repair and stabilise. I then spent 6 weeks in a sling with zero movement...  I am still on the physio wagon trying to get it pain free and moving again.
  • We celebrated two weddings this year... and felt honoured to be among the chosen guests.
  • I added 4 more raised garden beds to my garden .. thankfully Mitch was home and helped me dig and relocate a huge one I picked up on Marketplace.
  • Christmas was at home this year with our family... 2022 is bringing some big changes our way... so it was lovely to spend this time together. We camped on the river between Christmas and New Year and enjoyed kneeboarding and board games. The river had a lot of flow... so we made the most of it with some long floats back to camp from a drop off in the boat.

Last year I summed up with this comment ... 
"I learned what really makes me happy..... and its simplicity... its homegrown... handmade... recycled... low waste....low tox. I also learned I am overwhelmed quickly by noise... action...and 'to-do' lists.. so I really hope to cut more 'life noise' out of my life in 2021."

I don't think I can write it better.... it sums me up exactly. The only thing I regret from 2021 is that I was an absent friend... I just didn't have the 'band width' for anything at all... instead ... I lost myself in the garden and slowly gathering food into jars. 

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