New Years Eve ~ celebrating in style

well another year gone. this one, we celebrate so much differently than in years past. amidst strangers in a foreign country. Don't know what induced me to decide to stay here for the New Year and more importantly my 55th birthday. But here I am. and making the best of it that I can.
we woke to damn rain pelting against the window at 5am and it has not stopped. It is so depressing.

we decided to book in to The Fowey Hotel for New Years Eve.. so glad we did.. it will be a bit of pampering in an otherwise grey dismal day. Plus, I am having respiratory problems from the constant damp, mould and musty smell in the cottage.
then we come back for one night and have decided to leave Cornwall early and travel to Salisbury for a night then to London on the 3rd.
geez, i am hanging out for the 5th to come!! then to see sunny expansive skies, hear kookaburras and cockatoos [which by the way, I will never complain about again!!]..

arriving at Fowey, in the rain.. we walked down to the shops to send the last of our packages, [we hope] and I bought myself a birthday gift for tomorrow... then back to the hotel to wait for our room.. we sat and played on our iphones because by this time, it was 2013 in Australia.. and wishing all my relatives and friends a happy new year.. bought on more pangs of homesickness... I shoved those down inside to deal with later, because the last thing I wanted was to be crying in the drawing room in front of strangers. as I sat there, in the drawing room, I thought of the many years that we had celebrated with our friend Peter.. and how New Years Eve had always been so special.. and made a promise to myself, that next year, I will do an elegant dinner party on New Years Eve at our home in Katoomba. I will just have to find some silver to go along with it!

afternoon tea was served at 2.30 and then we went to our room for a nap before dinner. a very swish affair, unfortunately i had forgotten to pack my evening dress so I hoped that the upper class would forgive my black skirt, leopard print tights and slippers. Actually, I don't care. One thing I feel so happy about is that in Australia there is not the class system that seems to be everywhere here. it would drive me nuts.

so we dressed for dinner.. me in my new red shoes, that I had bought myself as a gift for my 55th birthday [those red slippers meant something to me.. 1... when Dorothy clicked her heels together, closed her eyes and said, 'there's no place like home'.. she was whisked back to Kansas and 2. My dad always said to me to 'put my red slippers on and skip along the yellow brick road']..
 I walked down the steps... like a lady must..

pre dinner drinks... rose [imagine one of those little things over the 'e']
.. cheers!

canapes anyone? we had brie with strawberries, miniature yorkshire puddings with horseradish, chicken liver & onion chutney tarts and smoked salmon on toast with cream cheese. all very yum.

the table was set for two, overlooking the Fowey River.. at night it is beautiful looking across to the other village

and for the rest of the guests.. a beautiful setting to celebrate New Years Eve, if one is away from friends and family.

we were seated next to a lovely couple from Stoke-on-Trent.. elderly,beautiful couple. Frank and Jean. they have travelled extensively in Australia and knew Katoomba very well.. we chatted all night to them. They love Australia and would love to return one-day.

Happy New Year.
fireworks taken across the river.. someone said to me to use the fireworks setting, but in the dark, without my glasses, i couldn't even see if there was one.. so this is as good as it gets.
 

and here I am... 55 years old - 2013

I wonder what the year has in store for me...
 I wish for another full year with my mum, in good health, I wish that my friend Peter McTaggart lives for another year... and no deaths in my life at all this year.
And I wish for a year where peace shines from within me.