Saturday, January 2, 2010

New Years Eve

Another NYE - this would have to be my least favourite day of the year. All my life I have detested this day/night. I can vividly remember being 13 or 14, back on the farm, hiding behind the bathroom door, burying my face in the hanging clothes, crying, while a party raged on the grass out from the rumpus room, Auld Lange Syne playing/being sung - saddest song I'd ever heard. I've never really got over that feeling.

The guests all left about 11am; they packed up, cleaned up, vacuumed and mopped. I went to the office and stayed until 5.30. Being the last day of the year I now know exactly how many cattle we have available to kill in 2010 and it's all clearly set out in a spreadsheet, just the way I like it. I finished off end of month and, with no cattle booked to arrive in the first week of the year, the pressure is off for now.

I used to really like the period between Christmas and New Year - good food to finish off, the pace of life slowing a little, lots of books to read and plans to make - but I certainly haven't felt that this year. There just seems to have been an endless procession of people through the house and my space has felt a little crowded. Going to work each day was a little bit of an escape, a bit of quiet time.

The R's came out about 6pm and brought nibblies and snacks with them. I couldn't face preparing a meal. We sat around the kitchen bench and talked until about 11pm, when I fell into bed, texted the kids (Meg in NSW, Drew down the road), read about 2 pages of my camel book and fell into a very deep sleep. Goodbye 2009.

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