Happy New Year

Well now, to everybody everywhere, may the coming year bring you whatever your heart's desire and a pocketful of coinage.

And so it is the last day of the year and time to make our New Year resolutions - do you make resolutions? I'm thinking of some that I know I'll be able to keep - I mean it's pretty silly making all those grandiose reso thingies and just knowing you ain't gonna keep 'em!

So... better to make ones you know you'll be able to keep without too much difficulty. Like...um...let's see now...
1. I promise I will eat all my hot chips and food that's bad for me
2. I will not give up smoking for 2010
3. I will make sure there's petrol in the car
4. I will eat chocolate when and where I feel like it
5. I will not go on a diet
6. I will wear daggy clothes and sloppy t-shirts
7. I will keep the house messy
8. I will not vacuum unless I really, really have to
9. I will not give up stuff for Lent
10. I will annoy my grown-up kiddies and embarrass them.

Reckon I'll have a pretty easy job of keeping those resolutions. See, no point in making stuff you won't keep - you're just fooling yourself.

Out with the new and In with the Old

Oh yes, this is much better - at least I can read the damned thing. Honestly, my eyes were jumping all over the place and I kept seeing spotty dots. Ever tried reading letter/words on a spotted background? Not one of my better ideas that. So, I'll forgo the "swirly" side bits and stick with the plain.

New BAckground?

Hmmm, I've just found out how to get a nice, swirly patterned background, but somehow I don't think the photos and text are going to fit it.
This is just a test run to see what will happen. I may have to go back to the original plain pink.

Edited to add: Well it's official - it looks pretty dumb - writing all over the place and not down the middle of the page on the white centre. It's making the place look untidy, so - it'll have to go.

Back to the original.

Christmas - Aussie Style

Christmas Downunder

A few shots of an Aussie Christmas - outside under the sun. Just as well it wasn't over 30º - the trees (what there is) are in the wrong place!

There were so many of us (19 - one was absent due to illness) that my daughter had the bright idea of bringing all the Chrissie pressies outside and opening them there. This of course was met with some opposition (who else but by one of the "blokes"), however, we won that one, so out they all came. And an excellent idea it was too.

I mean honestly, can you imagine two prams, three toddlers, a high chair and numerous adults all trying to squeeze into my lounge room? Pfft! Outside was much better.

Little Christmas Angels

From left - Miss 7 months, Miss 8 months and Master nearly 2.

Christmas Day

Today is Christmas Day.

Adeste Fideles sung by Bing Crosby.

May your Christmas be filled with happiness and joy.
God bless.

The Six White Boomers

As you know, Christmas "Downunder" is in summer and the poor old reindeer (Rudolph, et al) couldn't stand the heat. And would probably suffer terrible sunburn!

And so, apart from a rusty Holden Ute, if Father Christmas/Santa did use his sleigh, it would of course be pulled by six white boomers. For the uninitiated, a boomer is a kangaroo. Why, we even have a song about them.



The Six White Boomers

Well, yesterday was certainly a "stinker" - 37º with a hot northerly. Junior and I went to the fruit shop and did all the shopping for fruit and vegies. He's been very good and has been a marvelous help - I did my back in and am unable to do very much and he's been a tower of strength. He picked out and carried all the stuff, while I waited near the car. I saw one very hot "Santa" walking along the street, ringing his bell, in full Christmas regalia - red suit, hat, and beard. He must have been terribly hot and I'm sure he would have like nothing better than to be down at the beach, (trying to) cooling off.

Best thing for hot summer days.

I may not be able to post for a bit, so I wish you all a merry Christmas. And for all those who are unhappy or troubled, may the Spirit of Christmas bring you joy and peace. And above all, be happy.☺
God bless.

An Aussie Christmas

Australians let us barbecue for Christmas time is here
A time to stop and rest a bit, and psych up for New Year
On patterned plastic tablecloth we’ll eat our pudding up
And drink a Christmas cordial in polystyrene cup.

Australians let us barbecue for Christmas Time is come
The time we sing that silly song ‘Parum, pum pum pum pum’
We’ll fa la la and ho ho ho and all that Christmas stuff
We’ll crack a gag with Pop and Gran and chuckle our heads off.

Australians let us go for broke in backyards great and small
With Christmas gifts and outdoor chairs, with cricket bat and ball
We’ll pass the salad dressing round, we’ll eat potato chips
And compliment the hostess on a great French Onion Dip.

With sausages and coleslaw too, then let us barbecue.

(Sung to the tune of Advance Australia Fair)

Christmas Downunder

Christmas in Australia - IN the red roofed homes of Australia across this wide brown land, hundreds of people sit down on Christmas Day to a piping hot Christmas lunch (usually) at one o'clock in the afternoon. And there will be a selection of hot meats - roast pork (complete with crackling), or roast beef or lamb,or a couple of roast chooks, roast turkey and ham - the ham is often cold.

And it will be accompanied with all the trimmings - baked spuds, pumpkin and carrot, and green vegies. This of course will be followed by piping hot Chrissie pud with hot custard and/or cream and maybe ice-cream. Very nice on a cold winters day I'm sure. Only thing is - Christmas Day in Australia is in summer and here we are sitting down to a hot meal that would warm the cockles of your heart - and it'll be Forty degrees in the shade! - that's 40ºC - 104ºF!

Christmas Fashions

And you'll find many will be dressed in their Christmas shorts...

and thongs.

With a t-shirt instead of the usual singlet. (A tshirt is dressier)

We've even had to change the words of some of the Christmas songs - like Jingle Bells - To reflect the Aussie landscape of course! I mean, could you imagine singing about sleighs and snowmen? In Australia? There wouldn't be any reindeer (they couldn't take the heat), the sleighs would wear out crossing the Nullarbor, and the snowmen would melt! Here's our version of Jingle Bells -

Oh Christmas Tree...

Christmas Angel

One of our "Angels".

The Tree

Junior bought me a new Christmas Tree -the biggest he could find. I would have preferred the next size down but he was having none of it. So - he had his way (well he was paying for it so what else could I do?)

He decorated it. And had to bend the top of the tree down to get the angel to sit there, otherwise she kept falling off! I put the gold beads on though.

Oh Christmas Tree

I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do. It was a toss-up between the Vienna boy's choir and Nana Mouskouri. The Vienna boys won.

Work Christmas Party

MY work put on our Family Christmas Picnic last week - free food, free drink (non-alcoholic alas), icecream, rides and a present from Father Christmas for the kiddies. Yes, the "Man in the red suit" is always a popular figure at this time of year. Why, he's even known to have been "mobbed"!

Now, in countries on the other side of the world, wearing a nice thick velvet suit complete with fur - fake or otherwise - might be a nice, warm thing for those gents who work with their elves, in shops, along the street, and have the little dears sitting on their knees while they listen to the hastily whispered, "I want a.....". And a happy, smiling, jolly chap listens attentively and nods his head, and at the end of a four hour shift (or however long it is) goes home, puts his feet in front of the fire, sips a warm toddy and toddles off to bed, snug under his electric blanket.
Sounds nice eh?

Well, spare a thought for those who don't live "on the other side of the world" - Terra Australis. (To you of course, it is the other side of the world, but not for us) Yes, Terra Australis - here in Australia it is summer, and all those nice, jolly gents who wear the 'nice thick velvet suit complete with fur - fake or otherwise -' swelter, as they discreetly dab the sweat that runs down their faces. Doing this when it's 40º is no picnic. OH, 40º is 40ºC - that's 104ºF.

And so...I take my hat off to them - they do a wonderful job and make little people very happy.

Baby's First Christmas

This little bub didn't even cry, although she wasn't too sure who he was. But she did like the colour red.

The Farmyard

There were farm animals which amused the kiddies and even many adults had to be dragged away.


Having Fun

Everybody loves a picnic and when it's free, it's even better. The weather turned out to be quite nice - not as hot as last year's one which was a relief for many.


The Drinks King

Meet our king of the drinks. Take a bow.


Master Carver

And here - meet the master carver. He did a wonderful job.


The Queue

Have you ever noticed which is the l.o.n.g.e.s.t queue? It's always for the ice-cream.