Something that I always remember amongst the craziness of December as a kid was mum taking the time to write a christmas letter, sort of an irregular family newsletter that was mailed in with the Christmas card to distant relatives, old school/basketball chums who had drifted away, and also confusingly to people who would also be told all the pertinent news around the christmas table.

In recent years, Esther has been doing the same thing, only digitally — since we live in the future now. As I haven’t had anything to blog about, because 2020, I thought I’d give joining in a burl.

Work

Working in the supply chain team for a major medical supplier, has meant that this year has been busy. The first inklings of what was to come came over the Australia Day weekend, where we got our first big wave of facemask orders from people wanting to send them home to family and friends in China. After a hard week of remediation works, I was quite lucky to head into some (pre-booked!) leave. But on my return, it was straight back into ten-hour days - putting in two hours in the warehouse each morning to try and help the guys out.

My other major COVID-related achievement started out with an innocuous call from one of my contacts at corporate IT hey, can you shoot me an email with everyone in the office at your site? Nek minute, I’ve got a delivery for 15 partially-configured laptops with each user’s name on a post-it. By the time IT was on-site the next day, it was all over but the phone system — soon I’m at home testing to make sure that everything works (side note: it did, I’m great) only to find that I’ve gotta go back because the warehouse’s first aider is stuck in a hotel in Brazil of all places. The audacity. Eventually, though he did make it back and I was able to get in on the “working from home” caper I’d heard so much about.

Actually, just before I move on there is one other success to highlight - after multiple attempts over two years, I succeeded in getting 7 Telstra bills consolidated together. This is a major success and has made my life considerably better and so I’m sharing it with you all. Didn’t even have to contact the TIO (for this at least)

Home

Out here at Sevenoaks Avenue, things are pretty good. Chloe and Kate continue to put up with me, and with all the time that we’ve been forced to spend together this year, that’s a success in my eyes. For a few weeks, we also opened our hearts/lounge room to Hannah when she was in need of somewhere to stay. To have your best friend stay with you when you aren’t allowed to see anyone outside of your house is a blessing indeed. We even managed to get away to my family’s house at the beach for a weekend, when Dan Andrews wouldn’t let us go camping yet, but the shiftworkers had a free weekend.

Speaking of which, we’ve refurbed the loungeroom at Venus Bay this year, and are probably 75% of the way through the first serious attention that the laundry has seen since Nan and Pop bought the house and moved it down from Yallorn in the late 70s.

Back at base though, I gained new appreciation for the local parks about here, and that two of my best mates live within that sweet spot between 4.5 and 5 kilometres from my home. Then there’s been endless Zoom trivia, D&D, murder mysteries, and even a baby shower. This year has definitely taught us all that it’s possible to be together, from the comfort of home.

And, of course, we continue to go waaay harder than necessary when it comes to decorating the house for Christmas. You’re welcome.

Adventure

For the first time in way too many years, I went on an overnight hike this year! Back in the Before Times, I gatecrashed the final day of Kate, Matt and Hannah’s trek around the eastern circuit at Wilson’s Prom by coming in to meet them at the final campsite from the other direction (isn’t daylight savings grand??) I also did this as a hammock camp which was different and relax-y.

I was lucky enough so squeeze in a quick adventure to fabulous Bris Vegas and surrounds back in February, when airline travel was easy and carefree. I spent about a week exploring the Sunshine Coast - which I’ve never done before, chasing waterfalls, and visiting Australia Zoo. As well as stopping in to visit Laura and Josh. The picture below is definitely from this trip and not when she came to Melbourne a few weeks later.

On the downside though, my grand plans of a grand tour through Europe this winter, didn’t occur because “of course it didn’t”. To deal with this disappointment, I did the natural thing and purchased a green screen to at least get some pictures.

Awards for 2020

I continue to award my ridiculously named awards, and you won’t be surprised to see that they go to the three people I’ve spent most time with this year:

• The Leonard W Briscoe Award for Solving the Crime of the Century went to Kate
• The John Birmingham Award for Impromptu Sharehousing went to Hannah
• The Captain Robert Falcon Scott CVO RN Award for for Facing Adversity with Dignity went to Chloe
• and of course, there is a plenary grant of The Mountain Goats Award for Making it Through this Year, Though it Killed You for all the obvious reasons.

Goals for 2021

• Four Minor/overnight/weekend expeditions
  I have a long list of places I want to hike that I wrote up in 2019 that still isn’t finished. Time to get onto that.
• Two major expeditions
  in theory it’s 130 days until we depart for a trek through the mountains of Nepal, but in actuality, lol. The Biosecurity Act says no (or at least will soon.) But I (and no doubt HR) refuse to cancel all that leave again.
• Follow the advice of The Mountain Goats and make it through this year, if it kills me.