Christmas 2026

 

2026 XMAS LETTER

December/January

Visited daughter Janet in Saint Arnaud New Zealand including a week babysitting two dogs in Nelson. One was a fanatic ball chaser who ran himself, and Bob, ragged.

January

Extracted Misty (our Subaru Forester) from its tight fit in the garage and a monumental tidyup, back to weekly M1 motorway trip to Bli Bli for Joyce's recorder group, golf for Bob (9-holes Mon & Fri at dawn), walks and bird-watching in the local park.

                                                         Our local park

February

Bob was forced to get a new mobile phone (old faithful 3G no longer good with changes to 4G and new 000) and still struggling to sort out the world of apps (and it has no Bird Book app). New eye doctor and financial advisor changes no help either AND a new lounge (same brand as Janet, lounge admittedly larger and more comfortable).

March – April – May

Well settled into routine with Joyce involved in choirs, singing groups, recorders and labyrinth and Bob in golf, hydroponic (Mr Stacky) feeding updates, and transferal of our golf group finances from C/SQL to spreadsheet so I can more readily hand them over. A joint project to put an "invisible" door in the front fence into a tarpaulin/frame-based waterproof home for the bicycles. And then there is the world of jigsaws to keep us looking and thinking.

June - July

Bob cleaned out Anna's fish pond (recorder friend in Bli Bli) and set up a waterproof shelter over it so he could give it a few coats of black pool paint a week between each coat. Bob's regular eye check showed left eye pressure too high so new medicines and an S on his driving license, latter requiring fancy $766 "driving glasses" (part tinting and part long distance focus). His regular "computer" glasses are short-distance focus.

August

Highlight was of course a family internet get-together to celebrate the 3^rd (Craig's BD, Joyce and Bob's anniversary and later on the 20^th for Bob's BD. Daesim get-together was lunch at "The Jetty" with Wilkey and Cameron families.

September - October

Bob agreed to add xmas adhesive-vinyl text to two banners for Bicycle User Group. That required a re-learn of the Brother SDX-1200 scan-and-cut cutter and chasing up green and red vinyl as the previous supplier no longer exists. It was also the season for a few paddles in our Oru folding kayak (interesting use of corflute - thought it was just for election signs). Also the season for the Bribie Nature Festival – two talks Fri (csiro research and restocking species), one Saturday (echidnas) and one Sunday (whales, dugongs, dolphins) and a few less interesting ones we passed on.

                    On the water in our Oru and back to the passage

 Our  back garden pond now 23 years old and home to lots of small fish and eastern dwarf tree frogs (up to 2 cm length)

Pumicestone passage at sunset

November

Two days in the local rainforest hills was a welcome break from the annual golf competition (Bob trying not to be last). Finally packing for another xmas in New Zealand.

Craig (51) and Karen are still happily based in Toronto and enjoying very simply except for Craig's tiny airplane which is based at a nearby airport.

Janet (46) is just completing her 8^th year as a National Parks Ranger in charge of threatened plants in St Arnaud at the north of the South Island in New Zealand.

We are still enjoying providing a home for Joyce's musical friend Zac (31) who has lived with us for over 4 years now - though unfortunately the busyness of life and decreasing energy has caught up with us, and we no longer get out for walks or play music together as much as we would like.

May next year be fewer wars between nations and an end to paranoid leaders (vain hope?).

Bob and Joyce

Christmas 2025

Christmas 2025

Christmas brings our cherished time to celebrate our many connections with friends and family throughout the world, as Bob and I have  been able to do through our Christmas cards for the 57 years we have been married.  We especially want to share our gratitude for yet another year of peace, comfort and  many  joys. 

 We very  aware that much of the world is troubled by and coping within increasing climatic, political, economic, and social chaos.   This, as well as our increasing challenges of living with ageing bodies and minds and decreasing energy makes each day much more precious to us as we consciously work to accept the increasing uncertainty of the future and to live with gratitude for the joys and wonders of each day.

First, a quick family update.

Craig, now 50, is happily living in downtown Toronto, Canada, on the 17th floor of an apartment building and enjoying a very simple lifestyle with his partner Karen that seems to suit them very well.  He has been enjoying finally having his light plane pilots license. Both of them enjoy the freedom of being able to work from wherever interests and Karen's family commitments take them.

Janet, now 45, is just completing her 7th year in St Arnaud's New Zealand where she is enjoying working as a Biodiversity Ranger for their Department of Conservation, and having the privilege of living in a peaceful natural environment close to an interesting and varied job, with lots of time away from computers!

And Zac, our 30 year old neurodiverse friend and boarder, has lived with us now for over two and a half years and is a valued and quiet, member of our family.  He lives very independently, and regularly plays recorder, flute - and ping pong- with Joyce and enthusiastically joins us on walks in nature, sharing his keen eye and love of little creatures.  

On a sadder note, was the totally unexpected death of Bob's younger sister Noela in March at the age of 73 when her husband, Jack found her dead in bed in the morning. Janet was fortunately able to fly in from New Zealand for the funeral and a short visit with their daughter Terri. Certainly a lesson for us all on the unpredictability of the future, though since Noela was having increasing pain and trouble with the veins in her legs and ankles, her 'early' death spared her from what might have well been a very uncomfortable future for her.

2025 has been a bit of a catch-up year for us on household jobs and decluttering since Bob has had lots more home time having finished his many year contribution to the Bribie Butterfly House. – However, at the moment the clutter is definitely winning!! This summary of our year shows how simpler, often home-based activities continue to bring us joy and meaning to our lives. 

The following, bit rambling summary from Bob's brief daily diary gives a taste of our more relaxed, and still very enjoyable life style, as we seek to balance somewhat decreasing energies with the need to keep physically and mentally active, and involved in the community.

December started with a bit of rain and then came all the Christmas events – Butterfly House volunteers, Bob’s Dads Army golf group and Bribie BUG cycle group. The four days leading up to December 25 we camped at Peach Trees (NP near Jimna north of Kilcoy) and then Christmas with Bob’s sister Noela and husband Jack and their daughter Terri and son Tommy on Noela and Jack’s farm by Toogoolawah.

January was a rainy month with the main activity moving Joyce’s worm farm from the bin area at the end of our collective driveway to under our elevated water tank in the back garden. According to Joyce this has been a great success with oodles of active worms.

February continued to be rainy so we rebuilt our bay-window garden and cut three palms from the street-front garden. Sawing the palm trees into lengths for the rubbish tip probably convinced us it was time to call-in the professionals to do one or two shrub-and-tree control sessions a year even if their tree-and-branch muncher is a TRIFLE NOISY. Bob started to hand-make a portable router table using and old hand router which occupied him on wet days but was ultimately declared a failure and the router is headed for the council tip.

March welcomed the first local cyclone for decades but it lost so much energy wandering down the coast from North Queensland it was ultimately just a rain depression when it came ashore just north of us on Bribie. On the 12^th we were all shocked when Terri arrived at our door to say Bob's brother-in-law Jack found Bob's sister Noela dead in bed in the morning. Both Jack and Noela looked a little fragile at Christmas but this was totally unexpected. We attended the funeral at Buderim a week later and consoled ourselves at the Ginger Factory in Yandina on the way home. Our daughter Janet flew in from New Zealand for a couple of days and visited Terri after the funeral before flying home for work. We did get a couple of short kayak trips at Ningi lakes and the Bribie passage before the month ended.

April brought more rain and showers but we managed a 3-day camp in the hills at the Woodford Festival site where they have built a large chemical-free swimming lake. Joyce’s friend Denice came too staying in a “glamping tent” while we slummed it in our normal tents. A week or so later we dared another kayak in the Ningi lakes and just got finished our paddle before heavy rain pelted down.

 Lake Gkula - Woodfordia Inc

May and still it rains sporadically. Janet visited for ten days so we had a five-day visit to Girraween NP the other side of Stanthorpe. Coldish and wettish afternoons but we had a comfortable cabin this time and enjoyed morning walks and bird watching. The next weekend we dropped in at the Brisbane Grammar School Open Day and met the Toogoolawah family there for a reminisce of Bob and Noela's school days. 

Joyce and Janet at Girraween

June sees winter strike with 12C mornings with still some rain. Cold and dark dawn bike rides to golf. Rain water tank moved to garden main entrance by house front door and part of a driveway fence panel turned into a bicycle gateway. Fancy tarpaulins bought to house bikes and Joyce’s outdoor bed. Professionals in end June to trim and munch driveway shrubs to fence height plus a bit.

July comes and rain goes for the year after a rain bomb dropped 50mm on the last day of June. Commissioned bike shelter undergoes minor fixes and enhancements. Caught up with Lees and Camerons in Brisbane visits. Bike group Xmas in July get-together dedicated to Barbara Poen, a member killed while cycling just a few days before the gathering which she had organised. Her accident remains an important reminder to us all about the need to be aware and visible while cycling. Three days camp at Archer Creek with our friend Sue Carpenter.

August starts with Craigs 50^th birthday and a family worldwide WhatsApp catch-up. Project started to make a small folding table for picnicking and other uses. Lunch with Robert and April, Melbourne friends at Glass House Mountains Cafe. Another kayak outing in the passage off Banksia Beach.

September and finally we fix the bike carrier lights with new trailer plug and socket. Another 3-day camp at Woodford Festival site Broncos finish 2025 season in 4^th place. Bob got NEW SHOES – same brand and size too.

October starts with meeting Angela at ATTAX who will handle tax returns from now on as Bob has (WHAT JOY). Bob serviced his bike at 99Bikes Maroochydore (What did they do to the seat post, not fixable with our tools, so Bob reassembles with the rubber hammer!). Great talk on frogs and another on owls at the Bribie Festival (now Joyce wants an owl house). Finally some rain.

Jig saw puzzles continue to be a main form of entertainment – and we are increasingly valuing the way they exercise our perception and memories in a gentle way, as well as being a fun social activity and challenge.  We are fortunate that the local bookstore has a jigsaw puzzle exchange, where for $1 we can return finished puzzles and get new ones.  This is a sample of the many puzzles we have enjoyed over the year.

Moraine Lake AB where we spent our honeymoon...

Joyce is continuing to enjoy being part of the Laughter Group (now in its 18^th year!!), a yoga group, a Christian meditation group, and the Labyrinth meditation group – as well as recorder playing weekly with a small group in Bli Bli (100 km away), and the Bribie Orchestra as well as at home with Zac when our time and energy permits. She has been singing with a local U3A group which is much more accessible than the Birralee Recycled Choir she has enjoyed for the last few years in Brisbane. She has also enjoyed regular trips into Brisbane to catch up with friends, and 3 solo bike trips up the Bribie Ocean beach at full moon to camp and to see the erosion at the top of the island (70 km round trips made possible by her E Bike!!).  The most recent of the breaks has just been 'repaired', temporally at least, and the project recorded on Facebook - (20+) Facebook.

And to close - a couple of photos that seem to capture the changes that 2025 has brought to us, and to our world.  In October last year, Joyce and a team of helpers built a Celebration Tree out of cardboard,  paper mache and natural materials as part of an Ephemeral Exhibition in the Labyrinth.  Like everything else in the world, including us, it was created to be able to return to the earth.  The bottom photo shows the tree mid Nov 2025 with a different sort of beauty after a year in the weather. 

Celebration Tree October 2024

Celebration tree Nov 2025

We are planning a quiet Christmas in New Zealand with Janet, taking the time to enjoy being together in this very special place, and to reflect on how amazing our life journeys together have been.

And a Lakota prayer which seems to summarise what is important in life.  It supports the thought that 

" I can not change the world or make it a better place. I can, however, change my world and make it a better

place".

Great Mystery (Great Spirit), 

Teach me how to trust my heart, 

Teach me how to trust my mind, 

Teach me how to trust my intuition, 

Teach me how to trust my inner knowing, 

The senses of my body, 

The blessings of my spirit. 

Teach me to trust these things

so that I may enter my Sacred Space

and love beyond my fear

and thus Walk in Balance

with the passing of each glorious Sun.

Our 2025 Christmas Card

Christmas 2024

Newell Christmas Blog 2024

Christmas 2024

Christmas brings our cherished time to celebrate our many connections with friends and family throughout the world, as Bob and I have  been able to do through our Christmas cards for the 56 years we have been married.  We especially want to share our gratitude for yet another year of peace, comfort and  many joys.  We very  aware that much of the world is troubled by and coping within increasing climatic, political, economic, and social chaos.   This, as well as our increasing challenges of living with ageing bodies and minds and decreasing energy makes each day much more precious to us as we consciously work to accept the increasing uncertainty of the future.

Thank you for enriching our lives in so many ways.

First, a quick family update:

Bob and I have happily lived on Bribie Island for over 20 years.  As you will see from the blog, we have decided our travelling days are over as we have been very fortunate to have been able to have quality time in many parts of the world over the years, and have decided that it is now time to enjoy our remaining days closer to home.

Craig, now 49, is happily living in downtown Toronto, Canada, on the 17th floor of an apartment building and enjoying a very simple lifestyle with his partner Karen that seems to suit them very well.  One of his pet projects is to get his light plane pilots license - a much more complex goal these days than it was when his uncle Alan Davidson flew many years ago in Calgary.

Janet, now 44, is just completing her 6th year in St Arnaud's New Zealand where she is enjoying working as a Biodiversity Ranger for their Department of Conservation.

And Zac, our 29 year old neurodiverse friend and boarder who has lived with us now for over a year and a half has become a valued, if very quiet, member of our family.  He lives very independently, and regularly plays recorder, flute - and ping pong- with Joyce and enthusiastically joins us on walks in nature, sharing his keen eye and love of little creatures.  

December 2023

This month was marked by the loss of Joyce's much-loved electric bicycle (which had travelled over 15,000 km, a fair bit on beaches) when it was stolen from where it was parked locked next to an inner-city church - and the purchase of a very similar, but in much better condition, replacement under our insurance policy.  

Joyce's old bike that was stolen

Joyce's new bike

Another addition to our 'family' was with a combined Xmas present - a folding two-person kayak that easily fits in the back of our car and can be easily carried by two (less easily but possible by one).

Our folding kayak (a Haven TT) made of 'plastic cardboard'

. 

 Joyce with kayak in our wagon

Took a while (15 min to half an hour) to get this far :-).

We did fly to New Zealand a week before Christmas to be with daughter Janet. We flew into Blenhiem at the north of the South Island where Janet was waiting in her car for a roundabout tour through the mountains back to her house in St Arnaud.

Earthquake beach elevated from under the water.

Into the mountains we went.

We enjoyed Christmas in the peace of the hut in the distance. 

Then we continued into the gorge between ranges.

Finally out of the gorge.

January 2024

The first week of January we spent with Janet in St Arnaud (Nelson Lakes National Park) helping around the house and a bit of walking and kayaking.

Lake Rotoiti is within easy walking distance of Janet's home

 Lake Rotoroa is the other major lake in the Nelson Lakes National Park.

On our return home to Australia we quickly resumed our often almost too busy lives. 

Bob worked in the garage or at the Butterfly House (President 5%, Hydroponics 95%) along with playing golf (dawn 9-holes Mondays and Fridays) and enjoying a day out with Joyce and Zac on Thursdays taking Joyce about 80 km N  to Bli Bli where Joyce and Zac play recorder with a group of 3-6 friends while Bob just enjoys a quiet day out, or helps our hostess Anna with odd jobs around the house.

Joyce is active in several groups on Bribie: laughing, yoga, a weekly meditation group, the Bribie Orchestra (with Zac), and a group at the Art Centre labyrinth.   Over the year she has enjoyed frequent trips to Brisbane to sing in sessional choirs and Scratch choral events, and visit friends travelling mostly by train, and often with her bicycle.  She also cycles 20 km up the ocean beach to camp overnight with the full moon weather permitting - a very special experience.

Sadly, the general busyness of life, plus decreasing energy has meant we have mostly stopped cycling with The Bribie BUG (Bicycle Users Group) which we have been active members of for many years.  We both still use our e-bikes to cycle extensively on Bribie whenever we can and enjoy the many friends that we met through the group. 

 Water iris in backyard pool.

Butterfly House hydroponic benches to grow food for the hungry caterpillars.

May 2024

We had an enjoyable 3-day camping trip to Joyce’s friend Christine Currie on her property Mandala near Cunningham’s Gap exploring the surrounding country and their house built from two containers with added veranda with a view. We also explored their creek not far away. 

Mandala's local creek.

July 2024

Janet made a quick visit from NZ close to her birthday and the three of us enjoyed a special trip to Binna Burra (mountains near NSW border) staying in a luxury unit. The first picture is sunrise from the bed in the main bedroom. We hiked and lazed and celebrated her birthday with dinner at their restaurant.

A view to wakeup to at sunrise.

 

Walking in the mixed rain and Eucalyptus forest.

Janet's not-so-little friend.

August 2024

Besides our wedding anniversary (56 yrs), Bob's birthday (81 yrs) and son's (Craig) birthday (49 yrs) the other notable event was Bob resigning as President of the Butterfly House after 8 years of volunteer service as bit-of-everything worker, treasurer, and president from the start of construction. He will continue constructing and commissioning the seven hydroponics benches (two months more). Meanwhile we have been at home catching up on maintenance and upgrades for the elderly (us :-)).

September 2024

A dentist caught up to Bob’s long time absence. Two molars were removed and two teeth had fillings upgraded. Chewing now has a somewhat reduced efficiency.

To add insult to injury the doctor diagnosed Dupuytren's disease in Bob’s right hand fingers 3 & 4. It seems there is no known cure. Surgery and drugs give a period of relief but the disease wins in the end. Bob's decided try one will be frequent massage and a degree of tolerance.

October 2024

Tax time again. Home processing with help from the taxation authority's MyTax app always leads to some success but with 3-4 days of hugely stressful labour. We are getting older and can do without this stress. Next year will be off to a tax agent – more expensive but at least tax deductible and largely stress free.

We had a welcome visit from one of Janet's New Zealand friends Robbie Thompson, who as a builder generously offered to do any small jobs we needed help with.  After repairing our back yard pergola, and stabilising one of our rainwater tanks, Robbie suggested we should increase the safety of our stairs by adding another railing and non-slip safety tape.  This has led to us thinking seriously about potential hazards in our bathroom - and adding a railing to the bath tub and a fold -down chair to the toilet.  Joyce couldn't resist the artistic possibilities of these improvements - which certainly enrich our lives every day.

A second handrail to help us up-and-down.

The text reads 'Simplicity' - an important goal in our lives.

Another major event in October for Joyce was an exhibition of Ephemeral (not made to last) art in the Labyrinth in conjunction with the Bribie Nature Festival. This exhibition built on several other artworks that we had created in the Labyrinth over the past few months.  The shiny veils which brought us much joy  had to be taken down as their manufactured commercial glitter (which makes them so attractive) didn't fit the theme of the exhibition which was Nature and Art - but the large veil was replaced by our Celebration Tree.

Celebration tree - celebrating the links between Nature and its many unseen creatures

Detail of Celebration Tree

Kookaburra on large veil

Large veil

Whispering Trees by Ange Vernardos, who curated the exhibition

November 2024

Christmas looms closer so it is time for Bob to write and set up our annual blog, while Joyce designs and makes our Christmas cards.

We have been using jigsaw puzzles to our minds and teach tolerance to frustration :-)  Here are a couple of our favorites

And that is it for 2024. What 2025 will bring we all await with some uncertainty. 

And finally some thoughts from this year's Christmas card.

Best wishes from Bob and Joyce

Festival Fun Flags 2010