Another funny Christmas story

Oh forgot to share - picked up our 'Xmas pack' from the lovely Salvo's last night. It had a Xmas tree, some decorations and xmas paper. When the kids went to bed I put up the tree. Looked in the box for the rest of it then realised the little stick was it. Turns out it was a funny little caravan sized tree. I had a little laugh as it was so tiny but then realised lots of people are in caravans this year so it would be perfect for them. I thought I must go out and get the kids a proper one but when they got up this morning they said, "it'll do mum - its cute' so for this year at least we are having a mini bushfire size tree. the kids are so awesome with accepting whatever comes their way and make me remember what is really important - that we are all together and everything else is just trimmings. God I do love them so much I want to burst.

why do men do this?

Have just broken up with my partner - must be xmas - and he has come back saying I will change and I love you. But in the same breath bags me out about the bad financial decision he thinks I made by buying a block to build on and that if he and I are to have a future I need to do something about the dust and cat hair in my house and discipline my kids better. What the?? Isnt love about accepting the other person and supporting them? And how can you bag someone and in the same breath say you love them? I don't understand how blokes minds work. This year many families in Kinglake are facing a Christmas without loved ones at the table and he is on at me about cat hair. hmmm.

Christmas Madness

I think everyone in Kinglake is going a little nuts. Over the past few days I have seen a burnt out stick of a tree all dressed up in tinsel. Heck, that was about the only upright thing on that block. And this morning someone has decorated their shipping container up in tinsel! Everyone has these monoliths on their burnt out blocks at the moment but that is the first Christmas one I have spotted. I think everyone is trying whatever they can do have a 'normal' Christmas but it does make me laugh. Is going to be a hard one for those with empty chairs at the lunch table.

Have not put our own tree up yet as dont bloody have any decorations left! Think some donated ones are coming next week which is lovely. I did have a laugh when i went to wardrobe to get them all and realised they were in the old house. doh. strange feeling. so many things i forgot i lost.

I said to someone once, 'I don't want to be know as 'that girl from Kinglake' but then I thought, 'Hey, thats kinda who I am!' so here I am embracing that fact and starting a blog about my journey up till now.

2009 has been a very INTERESTING year for me. Started out as another challenging year as a single mum, living in the country and bringing up my 3 kids totally solo. The usual problems of a difficult ex, no money, and a constant variety of issues put in my way.

Then came along Feb 7. Hmm. What can I say. That day's events will be the subject of another blog but the eventual outcome was we ended up driving for our lives and within a few hours lost our home, our car, the pony and chooks, and every possession we owned. On top of this hundred of homes in our town were gone and many of our neighbours, entire families Mum, Dad and kids, dead. The stories I have heard about that day will haunt me forever.

However, life does go on and we have accomplised so much already. We are now living back 'on the mountain' and have once again collected a whole house of possessions and are planning our future in this community. Through the generosity of the Bushfire Appeal and some careful planning I have now bought my own block of land (albeit very burnt out) and am now looking at building a permanent home for my little family. 2010 is going to be big.