10/01/2026
The Oxford Dictionary word of the year for 2025? Rage Bait - reflecting the year’s discussions around social unrest and online content manipulation. Or you may prefer the Merriam-Webster Dictionary word, Slop - low-quality digital content produced by Artificial Intelligence. Given Brain Rot was Oxford’s word last year, I’m sensing a trend…
The only reason I’ve seen in the new year in the past few years is because I’ve been ubering M around… but this year I had an offer too good to refuse to join F in Port Fairy. With all field bins home and only reaping here at home left to do my contribution to on-farm work was done (not that I do much really!)
As M headed north to Booleroo, and F's advice she was departing the Snowy Mountains, I figured I best cease flaffing about and pack the car. I eventually headed off undecided which way I’d go and only the slightest idea of where Port Fairy actually was… and with HO’s advice to avoid the Princes Highway as it will be a car park both ways and a bit of a sh*t show.
It was the BOM advice I was more mindful of given my POT is 25 degrees (prime operating temperature.) My life is generally rather orchestrated and planned, so the idea of not having any real itinerary or direction was me living on the edge!
Taking the Princes Highway (HO was of course right, but how else was I to try out the waffles at Coonalpine!) Not realising just how big the waffles were, I had to break one of my life rules to ‘never eat anything bigger than your head.’ Sitting tackling my waffle and fighting to keep my hair out of it, I checked google maps and recalculated my route to include, in addition to RnR, some RbR (red bubbles research) in the Coonawarra. Tip: Purchasing without tasting (I was driving after all) is an efficient way to move between cellar doors, and give yourself something to look forward to later!
Arriving in PF about an hour after F, we started our break with a Shut the Gate Wines Mr Nobody NV Sparkling Rouge – cooled via a brief stint in the car fridge on loan from F’s mum as there was no fridge in the holiday house. This led to some tough calls made re food v wine due to limited cooling capacity. Unfortunately half of the bubbles exploded on opening leaving the kitchen looking like a crime scene (and F’s shoes exhibit A in any enquiry) which was not a bad thing given how tired we both were, and how well it was going down. Early night – tick.
Also joining us was LM, who’s ETA was late afternoon NYE. She answered F’s early morning SOS call to bring a (large) esky please, which left F and me to spend NYE day exploring the fabulous PF shops without worrying about the cooling tension between wine v food!
Awaiting LM upon her arrival was a divine Di Giorgio Family Wines Pinot Noir Chardonnay I’d picked up in the Coonawarra the day before. The intel was that Port Fairy’s NYE pageant was not to be missed, so we left the Balnaves of Coonawarra Sparkling Cabernet NV chilling and walked around the corner into town to watch the pageant. Reflecting on our day over Bird In Hand Winery Sparkling I asked F to remind me where it was I had bought my exquisite earrings (on sale, couldn’t decide between the two so I bought both – that’s how girl maths works). It’s called Snog and Move On was the reply. No, F, I think you mean ‘Pash + Evolve’ and that’s enough bubbles for you! To which the reply was, ‘Let’s go back to the pub and watch the fireworks.’ So we did.
Clearly PF on NYE is THE place to be as all pubs jam packed – no one knows us so it was on - singing, dancing and fireworks to ring in the new year! Given we were half an hour ahead of SA, I was surprised HO didn’t respond to my Happy New Year text… M did, ‘though – I knew she and J would still be up!
A memorable and perfect start to the new year thanks to a Patrick of Coonawarra Chardonnay Pinot Noir. Divine, divine, divine. My grab and go Coonawarra cellar door experience on the way over will be the gift that keeps on giving for sure!
After 3 days of RnR with F and LM, I packed up the car excited about the next 3 days with #1 son albeit questioning why I was leaving 20 degree days to head inland knowing an oppressive 38 degrees would greet me as I stepped out of the car 7 hours later! C spoilt me with a delicious Pad See Ew (who knew he cooked such delights!) which paired beautifully with the Best's Wines - Great Western Blanc de Noir cuvee I had picked up as I’d passed through western Victoria.
Given I am conditioned to 22 degrees all year round, and my POT, the BOM is the highest used app on my phone, so it was thanks to BOM we came to spend 2 fabulous days together watching the cricket and movies, reading and just generally lollying about in C’s orbit, topped off with a river cruise on what turned out to be a stunning evening.
It really was 6 days of Lagom – not too much, not too little but ‘just the right amount of’ everything. I’m calling it now - Lagom is my word of the year for 2026.
