Another year has flown by so we must be having fun!
It truly is a wonderful time of the year, as things wind down and the space opens to stop, take stock and reflect on the year that has been.
Our pride and joy this year has been seeing the 'wise as' community go from strength to strength, right across Australia and beyond. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who made this possible; our customers, booksellers, educators, agents, suppliers and affiliates.
It's only appropriate that our biggest shout-out goes to all the grandmothers out there; they were amongst the first to discover and embrace Willow the Wonderer ❤️ It's been great to see mums and dads, aunties and uncles, teachers, librarians and early childhood educators, and even counsellors and psychologists follow suit.
Thank you all for sharing Willow the Wonderer's tales with the little ones in your lives.
As they say, it takes a village to raise a child.
And we are glad to have found a way to be of service.
Knowing that there are now thousands of children growing up, reading and listening to stories we wish we'd grown up with - stories imbued with seeds of wisdom - has made the past few years amongst the most gratifying in our lives. Gives us goosebumps just thinking about the magic they'll bring to our world...
We too are ending the year with taking time to slow down and be still.
After an early Christmas with the family on Friday, we are heading off for some quiet bush camping at Wollemi National Park. Christmas camping has become a bit of a ritual for us - the change of scenary, natural environment and sparce access to technology makes it a great way to unwind and recharge.
And just as we are at our most relaxed, inspiration tends to strike! The storyline for the next Willow the Wonderer book usually pops into our heads about this time and sets our work up for the year ahead.
The miracle of the digital technology means that Wise As Stories will 'stay open' during our short break. Customers will be able to place orders as per usual. Shipping will re-commence on January 2nd when we are back on board - to do it all again!
Take care and have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Catch you in 2024.
Reeta & Darren
P.S. In case you bought the books and giftsets as Christmas presents, we hope they are a hit!
Do let us know what you and your little ones made of it :)
An unexpected delight in 2023: We found ourselves at the Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side where we were greeted by the North Face in all it's glory! Getting there and spending the night at 5200m had its challenges ... but hey, Ce La Vie ;-) The perfect photo to sum up the year