If we were having coffee I would wish you happy New Year and tell you I can’t believe the last time we chatted was early November. Life has changed a lot in Australia since then. Most of Australia is open and we can travel to all states but Western Australia. The problem is Covid has taken over. Staffing is a problem for business as many people are either sick or isolating. Another problem is the shadow lockdown. Minimal spending as many of us are choosing to stay at home to minimize their risk of contracting Covid. It’s the health verse economy battle.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how excited my husband and I were to buy our new Iveco to carry our slide on camper (Ruby). We had spent months researching what to get and by the time we made our final choice we were told that there were none in the country and we needed to order one. Then out of the blue my husband made one further enquiry and they had one on site. It was perfect. It had everything we wanted and a bigger engine. To my delight it was also blue not boring white. So to add to the fun we have named it True Blue and together I have named them Truby.

You can’t miss us travelling on the road. Red and blue just like our local football team, Newcastle Knights. So if your in Australia and pass us don’t forget to wave.

If we were having coffee I would ask you about your Christmas. Our was a little different to usual this year as some family members made other plans to void the Covid risk of larger gatherings. Last years colours were purple and gold which together we dubbed Violet Crumble Christmas. A fun and busy day was had by all.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how weird it was last weekend when the tsunami warning from the Tonga volcano eruption, closed our beaches. I don’t think I have ever seen our beaches look so bare. Usually if no one is swimming, someone is surfing. It was strange. The baths were full of people as they weren’t at risk.

I was a little fascinated with the red flag with the diamond in the centre by the side of the baths. I’m assuming it was a warning to the surfers who regularly surf of the rocks nearby. I had never before noticed a diamond on the usual no swimming flag.

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If we were having coffee I would tell you how much I liked someone’s simple ide of putting baubles in a gum tree outside their house. What a great Aussie way to acknowledge Christmas.

If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world.

Thanks to Natalie for hosting #weekendcoffee share