How I wish it was.........

Ok this time time last year on 19th Jan I was on a plane flying back home to surprise my gorgeous Mum for her birthday. Our birthdays being only 4 days apart it was the first time in 27 years since I had spent both my Mums & my own birthday back home. How I wish it was this time last year! I just cannot believe how fast the last 12 months have gone, I can still remember the count down to this very special occasion, it seemed to take forever like anything really worth while does!

These photos were taken when I was home at a place in Nelson called The Flounders. All the old original buildings have been moved to here from different locations in & around Nelson & restored to their former beauty. The photo below was once a Bed & Breakfast that my Grandma Burleigh (my Dads Mum) used to own.

I am probably going to get into a LOT of trouble here from my Mum & Dad for posting these photos but I think they look as beautiful as ever. This one of my Mum & Sister Sue (Sue was the one who got all the brains & looks) was taken at the front of my parents home early this month when she went up for a visit.

I love this photo (they reckon their pooku's are rather big but all the more to cuddle I say) & looking at it I just want to give them both a big kiss & cuddle!

To be honest I have been putting off doing my first post for the new year as I REALLY wanted it to be a good one, I had told myself after the rather bad patch I went through last year that 2009 was going to be a bloody good year for me, I really didn't think it could be any worse than 2008. Yeah right. Christmas was a shocker, we nearly lost a very close friend & then his father had a massive stroke & died. Jan 6th saw us going to his funeral, at 65 he was tooooo young. Another friend of my Hubbies died in his sleep at the age of 39 last week leaving a wife & 2 kids, where the hell is the fairness in that???

Our 2nd eldest son & his girlfriend are leaving for WA on Feb 1st, I'm not even letting myself go there at the moment, that one is really going to hurt. Just to really top things off I spent days preparing my application for my dream job, only to be rejected (their words not mine) after the first 4 questions which were only yes or no answers, because I am not an Australian Citizen! Not going there either at the moment, it left me feeling so bloody useless & unwanted, do the people that come up with this *red tape* realise that??

So for today anyway I can sit & pretend I am back on that plane flying home to Aotearoa & feeling the safety I feel when my feet touch my native soil & the never ending love from the two people who mean more than anything to me, who I love & miss so so much.