Hi everyone, 

Happy New Year from Sydney! We have had a wonderful trip spent time in my home town, surrounded by family, friends and sunshine. Although it has been quite a bit cooler I expect than ours temperature-wise for you all, I do hope that yours has been a happy festive season and that you have enjoyed it as much as we have. 

I have been promising the kids for years that we would do the whole NYE on Sydney Harbour thing now that they are old enough to get to the midnight fireworks - previously when they we small we had ventured into the Harbour and stayed for the family 9 pm fireworks display, but this time we went the who 9 yards as they say - pack a picnic and the sunscreen and headed to the Harbour shoreline on Rushcutters Bay at 4 pm to get a great spot to wait and see the spectacle.

It was worth the wait,  with the fun and festive feel of thousands of other Sydney siders and tourists lining the foreshore and creating the most wonderful atmosphere. A cloudless day of sunshine moved into a beautiful warm night and we sat out with a glass or 2 of Prosecco and had lots of laughs - we kept the people around us amused with a few charades, and the group next to us had brought their music so we had a little dance at one point with them. The countdown and fireworks were spectacular and we had a wonderful view, people clapped and cheered and it was just a lovely relaxed way to see in the new year. 

From my family to yours I wish you the most fun-filled and happy 2025. Take care all, and we hope to hear from you at Island Home soon with new products and old favourites like our Hamptons Furniture range still proving very popular. 

I will be back with you all very soon!