Let’s go back to the start…

10th August 2016

At the start of this year I vowed that 2016 was going to be ‘The year of the blog’.
(Not the year of the dog. The year of the blog.)
That I would stop talking about it and actually just-do-it!!! (…….swoosh!)
Bite the bullet.
Throw caution to the wind.
Go for broke.

Well, thankfully I didn’t have to bite any bullets or cry poor. Nor did I have to throw anything to the wind.

So here I am. Thanking you, for dropping by.

Let’s get to know each other a little better.
I am Clare, and this is my story.
So grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine and settle on in. We’ve got some catching up to do.

I was born in the Spring of ’82, on a Wednesday, under the rule of Mercury – a Libran baby.
A baby sister to my 2 year old brother and the first daughter to my British born folks, and gee was I cute!
5 years later my baby sister came along and our family was complete.

We had a wonderful childhood.
I enjoyed school. Had a good group of girlfriends, played sport and loved my weekly art classes.
When I was 9, my old man got crook and spent a bit of time in hospital in Melbourne. Thankfully he was well looked after and was able to come home to us a few weeks later.

I will never forget the following year, when my Mum sat the three of us down one day after school and told us the news no one ever wants to hear.
She had breast cancer.
Being only 10 years old, this was hard to understand, but I do remember being sad. So sad and so scared.
The following 18 months were tough on our family. I have my own memories, which I may share one day.
They may not be entirely accurate, but they are how I remember them. From a child’s perspective.

Last term of Grade 6. I had just turned 12.
It was December 1st 1994 and my beautiful, strong, courageous Mum lost her battle.
A battle she fought so hard to win.
At the age of 41, she had left this earth for a better place. Pain gone.
But for us – a huge, gaping hole in our hearts.
Forever.
Favourite Quote.jpeg
So. Now a family of 4.
My dear Dad enlisted the help of a Nanny who would be there after school for us. To cook dinner and then quietly slip away when Dad walked in the door each evening.
No doubt exhausted and heartbroken. His whole life turned upside down.
With support from family and friends, we battled our way through the next few years.
We sold the family home and moved to a lovely big property along the river. Lots of garden to take care of which occupied a lot of Dad’s time and probably was somewhat therapeutic in hindsight.

When I hit 15, I went off the radar.
I was out of control. I was hating life. Hating Dad. Hating school. Hating my family.
Didn’t want to listen to teachers. I struggled to take authority from anyone, and it became a real problem!
I was getting into loads of trouble.
At the end of year 10, I changed schools.
It was the best thing for me at the time. I fell into another group of friends, and through them, I met Andrew. He was a tall, charming basketballer, with blonde tips (they were all the rage in 1999!)…and he had the sweetest face I’d ever seen.

We were friends for a couple of years before the stars aligned and we made it official.
We were 18.
A year and a half later we bought a block of land, and 6 months after that we were engaged.
20 months and 1 day passed and we married. In front of our family and friends in a quaint little church down the coast. Babies. Such babies we were…and so in love.
This October, we will celebrate 12 years married and 16 years together.
I call him my angel. Sent to me at the exact moment I needed him. He got me back on track and loving life again. Showed me true love and respect, and for this, I am eternally grateful. He truly is my soul mate. We just get each other. (Cheesy I know, but true…)

Two years after we married, we welcomed our first baby.
We’d already decided on our potential future children’s names when we were 19 (crazy young lovers huh?!)
So we didn’t have to think about it when our 6 week premature, but absolutely perfect in every way, baby girl came into the world. Our very own tiny, olive skinned, blue eyed baby girl, who we named: Lily Jane.
15 months later, we welcomed our  gorgeous little man, Spencer David.
He had my brown eyes and the sweetest dimple on his right cheek.
Our little pigeon pair.

Since making babies- we have travelled together, built and sold homes, ran small businesses, worked hard and enjoyed life.
We’ve had a few heart breaks along the way…I will share more of that with you another time. But all in all, we are super blessed and mighty grateful for this pretty bloody amazing life!

These days we live in a small town on an acre of land. Sunset and sunrise are the most magical times of the day.
We spend our weekends in the garden, or adventuring. Planning our next trip, or cooking up a storm for friends. Life is good.

I hope you made it to the end of this post, and I hope you stick around for the next chapter.
I am Clare and this is just the beginning.

-C x

 

 

 

28 thoughts on “Let’s go back to the start…”

  2. Bronwyn

    Congrats Clare on first blog post – what a milestone. About to become a mum for the first time tomorrow it was hard to keep dry eyes … Looking forward to next installment. A blog is also on my list of things to do this year… May install some help from you along the way.

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. Hilary

    Wow.. so many tears of joy and pain reading this…. wonderful to read. Love you so much – you were born to write. Why didn’t you start sooner! xoxoxo

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. seona74

    So nice to meet you Clare and I am already hooked on your blog in one post, so don’t stop there! Your mum died at the age that I am now – that hit home for me too to realise I am lucky to have my health & although my children are older than you were at the time, I would hate to have to leave them xx

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  7. Peta

    So many emotions running through me in one blog. So happy to get to know you and can’t wait to read more about your life and loves. By the way I always love your fashion, you could send me broke.

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. Bianca

    Congratulations on your first Blog Clare! Wow that is some story. I’m so glad that you have shared this and we can get to know the person behind the beautiful pictures.
    Every one has their story, their own battle to fight, and now more than ever we need to be kind to each other.
    Looking forward to your next one x

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  13. Jess

    Congratulations on launching your blog! And what a beautiful, heartfelt read. I really enjoyed it, and look forward to the next one 😀

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