2017; it's almost a wrap

firstly, i can't believe i'm writing this in february! the months just seem to have gotten away from me...lucky i made some notes in december when i started thinking about the year that was 2017...

mostly, it was a good year! discovered and started yoga, visited my dear friends Wendy and Kim, managed to earn a little under half my corporate salary in my first year (10.5 months really) of running my own business, saw lots of theatre and concerts, kept up with many friends, did a few trips to my former home town and visited Australia's largest piece of mining infrastructure when I had cause to go to NW Australia....

so by month, the highlights and lowlights as follows:

January: my cousin Alison was here for Xmas and New Year and M, D, her and I headed to Berry on the NSW South Coast for a few days, lovely part of the world and the visit included a race meeting at Nowra! around my birthday I went for a trip to visit Roger and Max in their new coast home which is just awesome - that was the first of a number of trips...Karyn, Andrew, Molly and Charlie Reynolds dropped by for a visit whilst they were in Canberra, I had the first of my 2 eyebrow tattoo appointments (love them) and found a Reiki/spiritual healer here in Canberra...and the first of my occasional lunches with PVT (met him whilst at the former employer - enjoy our catch ups!)

February: highlight was niece Charlie's visit to celebrate her birthday - i discovered Typo (with her)! i did my first piece of work as iolite and still have the odd bit of coaching/facilitation work from this particular government department, who I just love working with...facilitated an MBTI team session in Sydney and realised just how happy i am not to be living there anymore (between the smog, the humidity, the traffic and the general feeling to rushedness and stress whilst there, I'm glad to live somewhere with a slightly slower pace!)...watched the first ever AFL Womens game and the Blues beat the old foe Collingwood...started yoga (mental note to find a new place so I can recommence my practice, which I really really enjoy)...did my first road trip to Birdsnest (Cooma) with Cath and found time to Skype with dear friends PA and Elliot and Anita

March: Mum's birthday, Black Opal Stakes, French Film Festival started, opening game of footy at the G with the fam (Richmond, who went on to become Premiers) flogged us, lunched with Dad at the Baden Powell Hotel in Collingwood (this will become a regular), visited Karen O and Eric in their new home in Balgowlah, saw Ladies in Black (a musical no less, which I loved), Michelle Williams lost her battle with cancer...but the highlight of this month and possibly my concert going days was seeing Adele, yes the one and only Miss Adele Blue Adkins on Sat 11 March 2017 with Esther....have simply never heard such an incredible voice...me and 99,999 or so others were transfixed during her 2 hour performance....

April: celebrated 1 year in my new home on 15 April, truly truly love where I live; not just the unit, but the building, suburb, surrounds, proximity to town etc. - feel like i've really landed in just the right place :-) two Blues wins this month - beat Bombers in the pouring rain on 9 April (57-42) and Swans (97-78) late in the month...Dad's birthday and Anzac Day nice opportunities to spend more time with the olds

May: first trip ever to NW Australia and Port Hedland in fact! Australia's largest piece of mining infrastructure and quite awesome despite the general 'feeling' in the remote town....caught up with Lol in Perth and also her cousin's wife Tracey...bought myself a lovely pearl bracelet as a momento and for the hard work which resulted in a successful work trip! Mum and Dad headed off on their 3 month trip :-( thank goodness for footy and Foxtel during that time, and of course friends...had a meeting with PWC which resulted in developing and running a pilot leadership program for them...1st time attendance with Max at the Canberra Symphony Orchestra - lovely and dinner with Sally Deane for first time in years, having caught up with her at Sonja's lovely 50th at Mount Stromlo...Blues defeated the old foe 79-56!

June: am now officially published with an article I wrote (no editing required) in HRD magazine! did the AICD course and met 3 wonderful women (Glenva, Gina and Leanne); really enjoy having dinner with them every couple of months....attended TEDx in Sydney which wasn't as good as I'd hoped but did provide the opportunity to catch up with Esther (dinner at Malaya) and Suzy Bessell and George Patrinos...attended my first Chopin recital at the Polish Embassy (loved it), went shopping with Sara whilst in Sydney and Blues had 2 wins this month (71-70 v Giants and 87-73 v Suns)...

July: had new lights installed in my kitchen (much softer), celebrated Shelley's 49th birthday with lunch at Urban Pantry (this has become my new regular lunch place), flew north for a few days with Kirst and family, my beautiful velvet curtains were finally installed in my bedroom, saw 1984 at the Canberra Theatre (interesting), observed one day of a program that I now co-facilitate with/for KPMG, had a small Xmas in July lunch with friends including Sara who spent the weekend here with me, enjoyed a Sunday lunch with the Rothwells and started my leadership pilot at PWC

August: spent a day with Darren Sutton whilst he was visiting the capital, headed north for my first trip to Burleigh Waters and a visit with my dear friends Wendy and Kim (and their lovely dog, Abbs), first visit to the Crystal Castle in Mullumbimby (will be back), and 5 luxurious nights at Gaia with Sonja - wow, what an amazing place! expensive but beautiful and utterly the best way to chill out and rejuvenate! if iolite does well, will go as often as i can afford it...back to the reality of winter in Canberra (dislike!)...presented at the ACS conference (won't be doing that again), graduated from AICD after the 5 day course and many hours finalising the exams/assessment (yay), new shower screen installed, and Mum and Dad's safe return on 21/8...oh and Blues beat Hawks for first time in like 12 years, 77-70!

September: new balcony furniture is installed, and now I have a real daybed on the balcony which means reading in the sun occurs much more frequently! sister Lol's 50th birthday party - fun on a boat with her and Av's friends and family - even saw some things in Canberra that I never knew existed! a weekend visit from my friend Esther which involves shopping, chatting and attending a few sessions of the Chopin competition here in Canberra...loved it so much I booked in for Ewa Poblocka with Mum, Rothwells and Talls...have rediscovered my love of piano (many things actually since moving home)....had my first board role interview, had a lovely long weekend at the coast with R & M and saw Tina Arena with Mandy for the first time...she was good, but after Adele, I don't think anything compares!

October: Rat came to visit, convinced the parentals to join me for Boney M - awesome night and so good to see both my parents signing and in Dad's case, dancing! saw Merchant of Venice at the theatre (one thing in particular I'm loving in Canberra is my regular theatre outings, usually with Son), started doing WITEM circles for Jenny Morris here in Canberra - just love that work :-) did a Sydney visit and caught up with Sara, Virginia, MJB, Karen and Eric and Susan Cummins...love being able to catch up with so many lovely people when I visit my former home....helped Mum with the St Johns fete and we raised over $1,000 selling raffle tickets....

November: another Birdsnest visit which resulted in the purchase of the dress I wore to the races on Melb Cup! a fun but uneventful day at Melb Cup (read as: did not win big!) but enjoyed having Nina join Mum, Dad and I - her first race outing. dinner at Pulp Kitchen for RT's 69th birthday, a catch up with Tony Zulli in the capital, lounge curtains and roman installed (love them), reunion coffee with Tig and Sue, 1st test at the Gabba (1 - 0 to Aus), gave some money to a good cause when Danni M and I went to a Fashion Recycle event organised by Theona and Pete...Socceroos qualified for the World Cup (phew)....and a highlight, attended a 90 minute webinar with none other than Dr Irvin Yalom, my favourite psychotherapist...was awesome!

December: what I thought was going to be a quiet month, ended up being quite busy and included dinner with Lol (on a quick visit East), a very wet drive to Wollongong to see John Farnham with high school friend Leeanne Lindsay (hadn't seen her in 30+ years so was quite a reunion), Mamma Mia with Son and Ali (a lot of fun), AICD girls Xmas dinner at La Rustica (great night), Xmas dinner with M, D, Cam and Jen at Rubicon (my first time) - best steak I reckon I've ever had and then all the prep for Xmas Day at mine with M, D, Sam, Neil and kidlets...was a lovely day; good food, cricket, darts on the balcony, movies, and charades! Boxing Day also good with Bredes in tow...then for some quiet time and 3 lovely nights at the coast with R & M, and the perfect Sarah New Years Eve; quiet night in, tv and got to see the 9pm fireworks without even leaving my couch! and some great cricket as Aussie's go 3-0 up at the WACA and with a draw at the MCG, 3-0 heading into the Sydney test...

so, overall a pretty good year; lots of theatre, lots of concerts, lots of spending time with people I love, plenty of visitors to the capital...not as much reading as I would like! can't think of a book as good as A Little Life and I finished it in 2016! perhaps 2018 will be the year I stumble across the next best book....

and a year where I do more of 'living the life i want' and working with clients i love and who value me...

happy 2018 everyone :-)