What will this year bring?

Ooh, I love the start of a new year. Optimism is at its peak and it's exciting to think of what might be ahead of us. Well, that's the way I'm approaching 2012 anyway.

2011 wasn't the easiest of years, plenty of challenges and sadness were thrown our way. But this year is going to be different, I can just tell.

For me, the creative itch is getting too hard to resist. Perhaps it's a holiday thing, but I feel the need to write and write and write. I want to enter a short-story competition that's open till March. I'm not sure why this particular competition appeals to me. Maybe it's the push I need to sit and write something that's not 'work', as 99% of my writing is.

I hope I can do it.

I also hope I can make time this year for a little break or two. After Christmas we had a couple of days away in a glorious spot called Barrington Tops - a national park with pockets of subtropical rainforest.

I booked a cottage there months ago, because I have a dislike of intense heat and crowds. I figured that it wouldn't be too hot, being up high and rainforesty and all. Needn't have worried on that front - we've had the coolest summer in a long time. I also wanted to keep clear of the coast - too busy this time of year.

And so we wound up here.





The kids had a ball. I suspect we could have booked a dirty rat-infested shed and they would have had a ball. It's all about being somewhere different and having a bunk bed to sleep in (woohoo).




My hope was to do a few short walks in the national park with the kids and chuck some rocks in the river. That's about as ambitious as I was prepared to get with a 2yo in tow.






Well, this place was perfect. Right on edge of the forest (just a few metres from our cottage), loads of short walks that were manageable for T. The lad loved swinging on the 'jungle' vines.





The weather was kind to us. The birdlife! Amazing! Am seriously in danger of becoming a twitcher. I saw a kingfisher! And a lyrebird! In one day - was so chuffed.




We played tennis and cricket and ate dinner on our beautiful verandah.

Perfect.




Boy, did we need that break. And what a lovely way to start what I hope is going to be a happy and successful year.

Amen to that.