The 1st of December has arrived and summer seems to have 'left the building'. Either that or the weather gods have gone on holidays. Not sure how long the 'cold spell' will last but I'm enjoying it much better than the never ending heatwave Perth has been having.
We started December at a Market with Tallarook being the first one for the month. The cold morning and the threat of rain didn't dampen the spirits of all who came out. We had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the festive atmosphere of the day even though the temperature didn't get above 10.5 deg until after we left at 2pm. Back at home we had the heater on for the afternoon and the news told us it had snowed on Mount Buller and Mount Hotham. First day of summer eh!
Of course December is also the 'silly season' as Christmas Parties start to happen in earnest. Our first one was when we joined member of the Euroa Historic Society for their Christmas break up at the Farmers Arms Museum. The 2020 calendars that Bill designed for them have sold well so very soon he'll be back to the old photos again as he gets the 2021 edition ready to go.
Next was the Line Dancing Christmas trip and this year we were on a bus and heading up to Mansfield where we had a lovely day visiting the Mansfield Zoo. This is a small Zoo just out of Mansfield and we were taken on a tour by the owners, Bronwen and David.
We loved the cute Marmoset monkeys, the even cuter Meercats, the beautiful Fallow Deer, the friendly Camels, the gorgeous Alpine Dingoes and the scary looking Alligator. The stunning Peacocks were certainly trying to attract the ladies as they both constantly displayed their beautiful tails as we wandered around.
The highlight of the visit was seeing the magnificent lions be fed. Two beautiful White Lions had been brought from Qld a few years ago and they are the star attraction of this zoo. After our visit we journeyed back into Mansfield where we enjoyed lunch at the Delatite Hotel followed by a couple hours of retail therapy in town. A fabulous day out enjoyed by all who attended.
The Christmas Party theme continued for the next couple of weeks with break up functions at my Family History group, my exercise group, Bill's Photography and Computer groups, our Trivia group had a great night out at the Middle Pub, aka Euroa Hotel, as we tried to spend all our winnings from this year. And of course the loudest and most energetic of them all was the Line Dancing Christmas Party. Once again Jimmy and Gayle provided the entertainment for the night and the rest of us danced until we could dance no more. Another great night was enjoyed by all.
The weeks before Christmas saw us very busy at the Markets and we worked hard and enjoyed ourselves at Violet Town and Euroa. This year Bill has re branded our stall and thanks to Anita we have a new identity, Birds in Focus, and a new banner too.
We did two twilight markets as well, one at Jamieson and a new one at the beautiful Bolly Gum Park in Kinglake. The small community combined their Kids Christmas Concert and Carols with the market and it was a lovely day and evening and a fun way to spend a sunny Sunday. This interesting sculpture of the Bower Birds bower stands under the towering Gum Trees.
This month we were kept busy with quite a few road trips as we did final run arounds for the year checking calendars, cards etc. Trips to Yackandandah, Beechworth, Chiltern, Wangaratta, Glenrowan, Shepparton, Mooroopna, Murchison, Benalla and Yea saw us add a few km to the cars mileage but we enjoyed our days out and love seeing Bill's work being embraced.
We combined our trip to Rutherglen with a little sightseeing as we followed the signs to see 'The Big Wine Bottle'. This rather clever Monument was once the towns Water Tower and was in use from early 1900's to 1964 when it was decommissioned. It stands on the highest point in town and overlooks the scenic landscape.
We had an unexpected trip to Melbourne one day when we found out that friends from Perth were visiting. We caught the train in and met Sandra and Vicki and spent the day with them checking out some of the city's Christmas icons.
The Gingerbread Village has relocated from The Town Hall to Collins Lane and was just a wonderful display. With all donations going to the RCH you can understand why it is such a popular Christmas outing in Melbourne. This years display included these iconic Bathing Boxes from Brighton Beach.
Sandra and Vicki took us to the Sheraton in Collins St for a delicious Festive High Tea. The Jingle Bell Cocktail had the potential to be lethal and delicious though our festive feast was we were unable to finish it all. It was such a unexpected treat and we thank you both very much.
Leaving the Hotel we made our way to Crown to see the Christmas display in the foyer. It was delightful as always and we jumped at the opportunity to have a 'family' photo taken with Santa. From here we made our way back to Southern Cross Station to catch the train home. It was a fabulous day and we loved being able to catch up with you both.
Summer finally made it's appearance and for the last few weeks we have had temperatures in the high 30's and 40's. It seems like it's here to stay for a while and while the city temps drop after a day or so on this side of the 'range' we are HOT. There has been no rain for weeks and with below average rainfall for the winter everything is very dry. As we watch the dreadful fires in NSW and SA we can only hope that Victoria stays safe. Of course as we know now that hasn't happened and we have devastating fires here too. Our hearts go out to all those affected.
Christmas has come and gone and we decided to catch the train this year to get to our family in Parkdale. It certainly was a much less stressful ride to town and back. We enjoyed our Christmas Dinner with Faye, Rem, Ethan, Maree and Mum. We were joined by Rem's Mum, Amelia and Laurie together with other relations who visited on the day. It was lovely see everyone again and good to catch up. Of course we missed our family in Perth and hope it won't be too long until we can see you all again.
It was a quiet time between Christmas and New Year as we spent most of the week inside with the airconditioning on escaping from the extreme heat. We joined Judy and Peter at their place for a barbecue on New Years Eve and we had a lovely time with good food, good wine and good friends. What better way to say goodbye to 2019.
So for now it's time to wind it up for another year. We hope that you all enjoyed the Festive Season with your family and friends and we wish you all health, happiness and love in the year that follows.
until next time........
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