Hello new year! (finally)


Oh hello! Is it really the end of January already?

Summer has been good to us this year. More rain than usual, a good Solstice, Christmas and New Year full of fun and warmth and love and delicious food. We took a week long holiday in Sydney  to stay with my brother’s family. It was so humid all week that we swam in the pool every day until we were waterlogged and slept all night soundly under the fans. We visited the beach to feel the warm sand and marvel at the Blue of the Bondi surf and sky.  We saw inner-city spiders as big as our hands hanging in intricate webs which we had to duck under (screaming, of course) to continue on our way. We saw the Tom-Tom Crew at the Sydney Opera House and beat-boxed our way all the way home. We celebrated my gorgeous nephew’s 7th birthday in tepanyaki style (see him catch a raw egg in a bowl on his head? See my girls thrill at the spectacle?). I love Sydney. It seems to me that it is a wonderfully physical city and you experience it with your senses.

And there were movies (Fantastic Mr Fox is indeed fantastic, Bright Star made me cry mascara down my cheeks, Avatar made me fall in love with a beautiful blue cgi version of Sam Worthington) and there have been late nights, sleep-ins, heat waves, thunderstorms and experimental  pavlova making,

With school starting next week, and Lily starting kindergarten, I feel as though I am about to enter the next phase of my life. I am quite excited about this prospect but am yet to work out what the exact focus of that will be. I have an inkling that there will be lots of writing, and illustration and art. There may also be some cooking and some crafting and some watching of movies. There might also be a little home renovation and a garden overhaul. I haven’t made any resolutions for the first time in forever and instead I have wandered into the new year trying to remember how it felt to be 10 – when life was full of possibilities and excitement and boundless enthusiasm blanketed in a sense of love and security. 10 was good. 38’s going to be better.

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37 Responses

  1. Alex says:

    Happy New Year!Hooray! You are back!I really love the new design!:Dx

  2. Cindy says:

    How good was that fantastic Mr fox, Caleb is still running around doing the ‘trademark’. Hope that 2010 is a gem, sounds like some great plans that you have

  3. Kate says:

    The new look…looks great Claire!it osunds like the next 12 months is going to bring exciting things, looking forward to seeing what you get up to x

    PS: Hope the first day at school goes well

  4. Tara says:

    Happy New Year lovely, nice to have you back. That photo is an absolute gem. 🙂 x

  5. Have missed you on Twitter! Love the new web-page! So clean and lovely. Love your smooth writing style and musings. Your ideas are great and I love to share them with Moms in So Cal. Will be listing your site on a blog roll for our Feb 1st MOMS monthly gathering at our church, WACC in Whittier.Getting my website custom designed…can’t wait!Until then learning from experts like you.be well. xo

  6. Kirsty says:

    What a gorgeous summer you’ve all had! I love your approach to 2010. 10 was good but you’re right…life’s what you make it!I love your new space here too. xxx

  7. Fran says:

    Welcome back! Sounds like you’ve had a great summer break. I saw Bright Star twice…cried twice. It’s going to be a good year.

  8. liz says:

    hello!nice to have you back… we’ve been checking in, you know 😉

  9. Pip Lincolne says:

    Oh PHEW! I’m so pleased you are back! I missed you! xxxx

  10. pinry says:

    happy new year, and hooray for new possibilities now that you are freeing up more time. i can understand the exhilaration of this prospect after several years of the constant work involved in looking after little ones – rewarding of course, but wearing. the blog resign is beautiful too.

  11. April says:

    Happy new year! And what a great photo!

  12. Lisa says:

    Welcome back!!I have missed you!

  13. tracylea says:

    WOOOHOO! Another person dedicated to an amazing newness! We are so happy to have you back and what a lovely look you have

  14. Cassandra says:

    Bonne Anne Claire! Glad to have you back on the web. I like your new site design too. xx.C

  15. Christina says:

    Love the new look, very “new start”-ish.

  16. Fiona says:

    Happy new year! Like the clean look here.

  17. Jennifer says:

    Great new design for Loobylu! I feel all kinds of fresh starts coming your way. Thanks to you, I discovered Tumblr, too, and like what I see there a lot. Hope this year is a good one for you.

  18. christie says:

    glad you are back & love the new looklike lily, willow starts kinder too this year, so i am looking forward to a strange but exciting year myself

    can’t wait to see what 38 has in store for you Claire

  19. Jo says:

    Love the new look … and the new outlook on the year ahead… two children gainfully employed and a mother on the loose… ooh the possibilities…(only just coming to terms with that situation myself)

  20. innerpickle says:

    Hooray! So glad to see you back and the new design is fantastic! That’s one clever fella! Love it.

  21. Michele says:

    Sounds like a great review of 2009 and realisticly wonderful preview of the year 2010!Michele xx

  22. Happy New Year! All sounds fantastic!!x

  23. ribbu says:

    Love the new look-And bravo for 38 being the new 10. Can’t wait for my 38th!

  24. Leonie says:

    Just wanted to say that I love the new layout!

  25. Chris says:

    Pleased to see you back, and love the new page design, lovely and clean.

  26. manda says:

    welcome back 🙂 I have my youngest starting school (sob) in 6 days (sob) and goodness knows what this year holds for me. i hope this year is a great one for you x

  27. I read your site in my feed reader and almost missed your redesign. It looks great! Glad to have you back.

  28. momo says:

    Happy new year, Claire! Love the re-fit and 38 being a great year!

  29. mylene says:

    38 is gonna be wayyyyyyyyyyy better! actually i really like growing up. hugs happy new year to you and all at home clair!

  30. carly says:

    LOVE your new layout and header.

  31. Lil says:

    38 is great! Loved 38…wonderful outlook for 2010…Really love your your ne layout for your blog..refreshingly simple and always wonderful graphics…welcome back 😉

  32. moose & bird says:

    Wow, I have just discovered your blog and it seems that I have been missing out. Can’t wait to follow your adventures in 2010. Melinda xo

  33. Diem says:

    I am so glad to see that you are back. I have been waiting in anticipation. I really like the new feel, it’s like a breath of fresh air. Cheers,

  34. Hi thereI have just returned to your blog after a long time of going without, and I am so happy to catch up on your posts. I’ll visit more regularly now.Carly

  35. Lovely new design and a happy new year to you and yours. <3

  36. Kate Woods says:

    Hi – I am overjoyed to discover you and even more overjoyed to find you live in Melbourne as I do. My 2010 resolution was to start a blog and I have done so on a daily basis sine Jan 1st. If you ever get a minute please come and visit ‘manningroad’ . Happy Term One to you – Kate

  37. Andrea says:

    Wow I just went to wish happy new year and realised its February already… I still have yet to see fantastic mr fox!

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