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because Billie and Nina are going to be back for season 6 in 2016.

A new season of Offspring aside, 2016 is already shaping up to be all kinds of good and exciting things for me.  The new house, a new ‘hood to explore (and hopefully blend into), travel and the privilege of being there as the three beautiful little boys in my life grow up – it’s shaping up to being as dramatic, deeply human and unexpected as I hope Offspring continues to be.

It’s going to be a that year that’s a but like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, or that beautiful fuchsia flower (which I cannot identify with my very limited gardening knowledge and poor googling skills…) on the driveway after it’s done nothing but pour overnight.  This year has been one of change, adaptation and constantly having to reorientate myself to my usually default direction of onwards and upwards.  As frustrating and as draining as this kind of year is, they are one of those necessary evils of life which I think make you look harder for and enjoy more intensely every good and beautiful thing that happens in your life.

Meanwhile, at the back end of 2015.  We have floorboards in the new place.  A whole house full of new and super shiny ones.  I’m meant to be popping by later this morning to air the place ahead of the move tomorrow.

Packing up my fridge magnet collection was the saddest packing moment of the weekend.  Putting my newest magnet on my trusty old fridge was the thing that made me feel I’d really arrived home in that first jetlagged day back in Sydney.  But now the fridge is leaving me for that junkyard in the sky.

The packing’s progressing.  Not as fast I would have hoped and I’m filled with this sense of impending doom over not having everything done by the time the removalists roll up the driveway 0730 tomorrow.

I’m happy to report that I somehow won the game of lids and bottoms on the freezer container shelf.  Everyone got paired up with their better halves before getting packed up in yet another packing carton.

Not quite as romantic (or as cheesy) as The Bachelor Finale (which I’m afraid, kind of, that I missed) but satisfying all the same.

One of my nephews (and his parents) came to visit on Saturday which was all the reason I needed to do some baking for the last time in the SSG Manor kitchen.  I went out with a bang and used this Dutch Apple and Cinnamon cake mix from Aldi.

Toddler SSG was on hand for the vital last step of stirring in the fresh apples and cinnamon sugar at the end.

As well as for the washing up.  I wonder how long this ‘helping’ phase is going to last?  Forever would be nice…

Four eggs and 175g of butter makes for a very rich and most cake.

The cinnamon sugar had a perfect balance of cinnamon and apple.  I’m going to be stocking up on this cake mix the next time it appears at Aldi.  I’m even willing to risk my life on the precarious stairs and parking situation at my ‘new’ Aldi next to the train station on New South Head Road.

Had the privilege of meeting up with C for coffee on Sunday.  The planets have been so hard to align for catch ups with friends these days and I’m hoping that I’ve entered a new phase where I’ll be able to actually meet make some dates with the lots of other people I’ve been thinking of but embarrassingly, haven’t had time to catch up with.

September’t not even over and I’m already putting this year to bed!

I blame the major retailers and their early arrival of Christmas merchandise.

Have you got an early call on how 2015 was for you?