Family & Friends

are two of the most important ingredients of a Happy Christmas and we were very lucky this year to be able to spend time with both making for a wonderful time.

Our festivities started with a trip to Adelaide where we combined a Christmas Party with a Retirement Party for our good friend Grant Tilley who retired after many long years with Hills. Bill got to help send him off in style. While Hills will miss Grant, we will continue to see him & Jill as we all travel between SA & Vic. An early start to the morning after was not ideal but nessecary as we headed back to Melbourne to meet David & Sarah who had arrived from Perth to spend Christmas with us. It was lovely to see them again and spend some time with them over the Christmas holidays. Also very exciting as Sarah is expecting their first baby in April.

Dinner with Marg & Peter O was our next stop in celebrating the festive season as they came in for a 2 night stopover on their way to the family Christmas in Maffra. Hope you all had a great time. We loved catching up with you both and hearing all the news from the West.

A very wet, cold and windy Saturday saw us heading off to Healesville with Sarah & David. Once there we met our friends, Hans, Astrid & Bianca and after a yummy lunch at the RACV club we all continued up and over the Black Spur to Marysville where we braved the weather again for a look at Buno's Sculpture Gardens and everyone but me ventured out to Steavensons Falls, the tallest in Victoria cascading 82m in 3 leaps. I stayed dry in the car. Dinner at the Black Spur Inn on the way home was well worth the trip and sitting in the glass roofed dining room with the rain pouring down gave us hope that some of the rain might end up in the dams and ease the water crisis.

The next night was party time with Karen's traditional Christmas Eve party held a night early. It was great to see everyone again and as usual we all ate & drank too much - at least we had a day to recover.

Christmas morning at last and we had a fun time opening presents with Sarah & David before it was time to prepare for our big event - the Family Christmas Dinner at home. Our first in Melbourne. Mum, Maree, Jarrod & Arron all arrived and more presents were exchanged & opened - smiles all round - a good sign that everyone chose right. The food was a success and Sarah's roast vegies & gravy extra yummy. The phone worked overtime as well as we talked to Gareth, Grandpa, Anna, Paul & Anne in Perth surviving the heat and then we had a video call to Faye, Rem & Ethan having their first Christmas in the Netherlands in near freezing temps. The afternoon was spent snoozing, listening to music and catching up on everyone's news before Sarah & David headed off to meet their friends who had also arrived from Perth. Mum, Maree, Bill & I finished the night off with a token meal of leftovers - why - it's christmas, that's what you do, before they headed home after a really enjoyable day.

A slower start to Boxing day and then we went off to Port Melbourne where we joined friends at a quiet gathering for a couple of hours then it was back into the city to meet with Michael & Doris for dinner at Chloes. They too were passing through Melbourne on their way from Perth to their family near Taralgon. Sarah & David continued to explore Melbourne with Joel & Jarrod.

So there you have it, 2 weeks filled with good times spent with family & friends, what more could we ask for at this time. I hope that whatever you all did for Christmas you too spent it with family & friends and enjoyed it as much as we did. With 2007 coming to a fast close we wish you all a Happy New Year and a great night whatever you do.

until next year......

The Magic of Christmas

With only 6 days to go until we celebrate Christmas again it is time to gather your wits and hit the shops for all those last minute gifts (or if you are like us all of them). The list has been written and rewritten a few times as we change our mind as too what we think people might like, need or appreciate. Well now it is too late for change. The deed has been done, the presents are purchased, wrapped and are under the tree.

Our tree, while viewed with affection, is very much smaller than our feature photo today. This is the tree from the City Square in Melbourne. Each night there is a laser light show once dark which draws a crowd of people with kids & adults alike enthralled by the dazzling display. At Federation square the Advent Calender has also been the feature of a light and aerialists display. Just like the tree many people gather round from 9.00pm to watch as two daring aerialists perform in front of a magical animation and unveil the day’s window on the side of a three-storey building.

The Christmas Spectacular in the foyer at Crown is also wowing the crowds again, playing every half hour and looking like a Big circus tent, the children are spellbound while they wait for Santa to appear on the large carousel.

The city is alive with music as buskers, The Salvation Army musicians & roving singers are all playing & singing Christmas songs & Carols. Even the old GPO bells are chiming Silent Night throughout the day.

So now with all in place for the big day it's time to rest awhile as we contemplate the next stage of the Christmas extravaganza - The Christmas Parties.

until next time.............

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Every single week. The tree is decorated and Santa waits beside it to hear if the children have been naughty or nice as he decides, with a little bit of help from Mum & Dad, what he might bring them on Christmas Eve. We came across him in the City Square on Sunday as we were walking into the city to do some shopping of our own. It is the one place in town where the kids can see Santa and you take the photo with your own camera. I sneaked this shot during a change of children (no unauthorised kiddies in this blog).

Bill has continued to be very mobile during the last few weeks with trips to Sydney & Adelaide. This week he is off to Brisbane on Wednesday after returning from Adelaide tomorrow. We have still found time to get out & about on the weekends seeing the South Dragons win their last home game a week ago. On Saturday night we went and saw Death at a funeral and had dinner at a Japanese Restaraunt - Sushi Train - afterwards. The movie was very funny and worth taking a look at if you haven't already seen it. And dinner was really yummy as well.

A train ride to the suburbs was Wednesday's adventure last week as I went down and met Mum & Maree for dinner at Chelsea. Bill joined us from work. We were working out the menu for Christmas Day dinner which is happening at home this year. Gee, I will have to try and remember how to cook for more than 2 people. There will be 8 of us here. It will be alright on the day, I'm sure. I wonder if my new cookbook '4 ingredients' will help me? Somehow I don't think so.

Well once again there's the week that was, time to be off to find some Christmas cards to write

until next time.........