Sarah and Scott

Well,  we’ve successfully moved to NZ, and have enjoyed a fairly amazing summer

Well, Sarah and I are enjoying a few days working in Australia – it’s pleasantly warm and dry – and yesterday was 22 degrees which was fantastic!
We’ll be in NZ next week, and very much looking forward to starting our new life downunder!

Milo has now been sitting beside me pawing my leg for about 10 minutes now. Did she want food? Nope, water? Nope – how about a wee? Nope. She woke me up for that an hour ago!
Turns out she wanted me to move my legs so she could lean against them!

First and foremost a massive HAPPY NEW YEAR to our friends and family around the world!

With all the noise around us warning us on just how doomy and gloomy 2009 is going to be we hope, like ourselves, you’ll focus on the things you can influence in your lives, those precious few things that don’t come with price hikes or interest rate uncertainty … they are our new years resolutions … to live, love and laugh more in 2009!

So 2008 was a year filled with milestones and as I type this I reflect on our recent milestone passing – as of 30 minutes ago (now past midnight – yes, thats jetlag talking) which is our two year anniversary in Upper Bucklebury. Please tell me you’re just as stunned as I am in that realisation? Yes girls ‘n boys …. that will be our lives flashing before our eyes. Most notably in 2008 was of course our wedding in the sunkissed paradise most people call New Zealand and locals call ………..Niw Ziland And in true Harman style … never ones to let a party occasion go by … we celebrated our wedding again back here in Blighty over summer. There were so many things our wedding taught us but one of the most profound realisations was how fortunate we are to have the family and friends we have.

Hubby, determined to realise our honeymoon in the year we got married, persuaded me (not much persuasion required mind) to escape over Christmas and New Year to Hawaii. Co-incidentally, one of the main towns on the island of Oahu that we visited is called Waikiki … and we had quite a giggle (might have been the champagne ?!?) as we watched sunset after sunset every night and reminisced on a great year.

In the spirit of the live, love and laugh resolutions for 2009 we’re looking forward to more special milestones in 2009 … some we know of already and some we’re quite sure will – as always – just come around the corner and surprise us. A few I can think of now will be our 10 year anniversary (yes, we’re one of those soppy couples that insist on recognising both!) in August (once again … that’ll be our life flashing before our eyes), mom turning 60 in October, a fabulous family safari holiday planned with the Harmans in March and the worlds economies getting to the other side of 2009 with only a limp and a cough (please!) as opposed to the triple bypass being forecasted.

So, as we launch ourselves into this new year we wish you all a fun ride and look forward to observing your journeys via the medium of facebook!

You might notice a new link for Picasa Gallery just above this post – it’s a new type of web gallery that we’re trialling.

Take a look and let us know what you think.

For starters, take a look at:

http://www.sarahandscott.com/picasa-gallery?album=HoneymoonHawaii

You get slightly more at:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/sarahandscott.harman if you’d prefer that instead!

What’s more surprising? The fact that I’ve defined our current weather patterns in England as “Summer” or that it’s already six months since that magical day on Waiheke Island?

Our Summer Garden Party celebration went brilliantly at the weekend – photos now in the gallery! Despite huge anxieties and reservations about the weather we stayed dry, well oiled with fine wine and well grazed on superb South African cuisine.
We don’t appear to have many (any!) photos from the party itself and hope you have some you could share with us for the gallery – please fire them through! Thanks to Lara and Dan for the superb tunes and Nyama for the superb, hassle free grazing.

A super big thank you to all of you who travelled up, down and across town for the occasion. Scott and I know just how lucky we are to have been able to share this special milestone in our life, twice, with almost all of our very special family and friends. A big thank you to Nizan who facilitated the exchanging of our vows for the occasion – his words were so heartfelt and … once again I resorted to reaching for the kleenex in my cleavage!

So this magical wedding chapter of our lives is now officially closed (’bout time some of you mumble!). Thanks to all of you for making the memories so colourful, so fun, so special.

Love Scott & Sarah

Scratchy eyes, runny noses and constant sneezing. Ahhh, summer!

Just four weeks till our summer garden party! Have you RSVP’d yet? We’ve got a fantastic afternoon of great South African food, live music and fine wine lined up to ensure our magical wedding day at Mudbrick on Waiheke Island is not a distant memory.

Other than that, life in Upper Bucklebury continues at its usual, relaxed pace. The garden is in full flower *sneeze* and the roses surrounding the house are in full bloom – looks magical! Keeping to tradition, we kicked summer off with a neighbourhood get-to-gether, inviting all our neighbours around weekend before last (all 37 of them!) for drinks & bbq snacks. Despite it having rained all week leading up to the party, the weather gods showered us in sunshine for those few precious hours and we woke, Sunday morning, to another rainy day … and some sore heads! Very lucky.

Scott had a night out with the boys karting this week so I decided to immerse myself in two hours of sheer girlie delight accompanying 12 other Miele girls to a screening of Sex In The City. Delightful.

Just plotting our walk / hike for the day – taking full advantage of our new found hobby – “geocaching”. For those treasure seekers out there or dog owners looking to make “walkies” a little more interesting … this is just for you. Read more about it at www.geocaching.com

Back to the quiet of a weekend in the countryside with regular doses of Zirtek, Piroton and Beconaze!