New Year, New Chair

This has been such a novel, tumultuous year that the end of in on the calendar didn't really seem like an end. I have been in Sydney for 7 months and I still feel like a newbie. I think that I will have a celebration next June 10th when I hit the one year mark. Hopefully, by then, I will be able to reflect back on the past year's accomplishments, and make some resolutions for year 2. Right now I feel like I am setting goals and making to do lists every other day, so New Year's resolutions would be absurd.

One of the projects that I had set out to do, with the goal of making our new, rented house more of a home, was to get our old chair reupholstered and refinished. I had to pick out fabric that was beautiful, stylish, and symbolic of the kind of new lifestyle we want to foster here. Then, I had to find a person to do the work. I am normally so hesitant to make calls and move ahead on things like this. I always make a bigger deal out of it than is necessary. So, in the end, I chose fabric and work from people that were close by, easy going, and friendly. I was nervous that it would look bad or that the work would be less than satisfactory, but we are all very pleased with the look of it. We got it back before new year's eve which I though was a good indicator of how we would go on in the year. It is bright, artistic, romantic, beautiful, and well made.

The sight of it makes me happy and it motivates us all to keep the room tidy and to get other projects underway. I washed and re-stuffed the cushions on the couch and David and Valerie finally hung the pictures in the dining room. We just need to get a storage bench for the shoes, fix the leg on the coffee table, make new pillows for the couch, and paint the bookshelves. Right now, though, I am enjoying the things that are done, trying to be happy in the moment.

The weather is finally warming up so I think I will be going to the beach more. Swimming in the ocean is so therapeutic. The beach is really crowded but I hope it quiets down once the holidays are over. We were there on New Year's day and there was confetti and remnants of partying all over the place.

Next up is Australia Day and Chinese New Year. The festivities never seem to end.

The photos are of the chair, some of the fruit, sweets, and flowers that we have from the holidays.