I wake up in 2024! In the words of Nina Simone…

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life for me, yeah
And I'm feeling good

These are also the words of Michael Bublé but Nina sang it first and I think she sang it better. Nina Simone’s version of Feeling Good is one of my all time favourite songs.

Despite my positive start my day’s plans turn to custard pretty much right away. I wake to a message from sister C – call me! She has Covid! After showing negative for the last 4-5 days this morning’s test read positive. That means she, and her clan will not be attending our New Years lunch today. Numbers have practically halved from 9 down to 5. I am very disappointed but we decide to go ahead anyway – we have all the food and Mum, K and H can still come. It’s a nice day so we will host outside just in case.

What follows is a nice, slow, relaxed afternoon on the patio. Four baby tui that have just exited their nests put on an aerial show for us – we think they are having flying lessons from a parent. They don’t have their adult voices yet so just squeak like rusty gates as they zip by. We also see fantail, a pair of gigantic kereru, and a couple of rosellas. It’s nature watching in our backyard at its best.

We have had an immediate family late lunch of barbecued salmon, corn on the cob, coleslaw and fries every New Year’s Day since arriving in New Zealand in 2019. It’s our way of saying thank you and acknowledging our family members. As usual there is a lot of food. We don’t do much, it’s a very low stress gathering and a nice way to end the festive season.

This year, by the evening I have a sore throat, am sneezing a lot and feel a bit congested. Oh no!