So this is Christmas....... and what I've done......

Well, Christmas is done & dusted.

It was good.

We drove to Poppy Ken's late in the evening before Christmas as the air-con in the car (which HAD been repaired was on the fritz again after just 4 deliciously cool days of driving....)

The day started with NOT waking up at sparrow fart, then having a swim at Newcastle Beach, followed by breakfast at Maccas. Yes, you read that right: breakfast at Maccas.

And it was good.

Then, my Dad, Beloved & I & the kids all got together for lunch at my brothers house with his wife, kids & inlaw family types for lunch. Cricket was played, copious amounts of festive food/drink were consumed and a few people napped after lunch, as is the custom.

And it was good.

Then it was off to my sister-in-law's place to get together for a while, without too much food/drink involved. It was good to get together with everyone there, especially Beloved's mum, the lovely Nanny Val, as she sufferred a stoke a couple of weeks ago. She is doing well. She still has her mobility & physical co-ordination, but is finding speech, reading & writing difficult. There is a long road of therapy & a few lifestyle changes ahead for her, but she is facing the challenge head on with her usual approach of humour & grace in equal measures.

And it was good.

All three of the kids then returned to GG's place in King Street to watch Xmas-gift DVD's for the evening. A sleep-over at Sisters! That was different! My babies are growing up..... Beloved & I returned to Poppy Ken's and turned in for an early night.

And it was good.

Beloved & I had a day together on Boxing Day, not doing much at all until it was time to collect the kids & head off to Uncle & Aunts for the traditional Boxing Day/Night get-together. There is always such good food at Aunty Dor's..... it's changing though: I'm not sure if it will still happen in a few years.... this will be a shame. GG couldn't be there, as she had to work. And Sboy was very busy socialising. But Vboy had fun with his cousins.

And it was good.

Breakie on the Deckie at Nords Wharf with lovely friends started the next day, followed by a visit back at Sister-in-laws to see Nanny Val again, and more relatives..... We rounded out the day by catching up with a family that we hadn't spent time with for at least 7 years.... Their oldest is the same age as Vboy, then a boy who was 2 or 3 last time that we saw him, and the youngest is a delightful little girl that we hadn't met before...... we dropped in at 6pm and talked our way through until 11..... then drove home..... 1.40am was the end of our journey.

And it was good.

The rain has continued up here, which is marvelous, even though it has effected Sboy's "holiday" activities. I gave up almost any pretence of hanging the washing on the line: it is happily tumbling around & around instead. I've spent a fair bit of it watching "Scrubs" dvd's and pottering around dusting & wiping surfaces........ There may have been a wee power nap in there, too.....

And it's been good.

I have 3 days of work ahead of me before another 4 day break over the New Year period. It will be interesting, as I'm having a night away, sleeping in a nurses' home in between shifts at a hospital a little further west of here.

I'll fill you in on the details.

Hopefully, it will be good.

Bye xoxoxoxo

Tannenbaum, oh tannenbaum

Renata,

your wish is my command........

This is my table centrepiece this year.......

simple, but effective.....

And the bush, which shall remain nameless (and out of focus...)

All the decorations are shades and tones of purple, pinks, white, gold & silver.
It wasn't easy to get motivated this year. It has no flashing lights or sparkling tinsel. There are also a lot of decorations still in boxes. This year, less is definitely more...... It's also way better proportioned than it appears after I cropped the photo... (I never said I was a photographer.... which is just as well...)

Christmas shopping is almost all done, but not wrapped. This will have to wait until my course work is all wrapped up. (hahaha) It will be my reward to myself. The last of the shopping will happen in Newcastle with GG on Tuesday. It could get a little expensive........

It's hard to believe that a happy little standard such as "O Tannenbaum" could be used by the Nazis in an anti-Christian exercise........

"Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree,
Your branches green delight us.
They're green when summer days are bright,
They're green when winter snow is white......"


It's almost Friday.

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

:0 )

Santa Baby......

Hi Bloggers!


I am alive and kicking, just busy and don't have time to sit here and share my life. Everything is fine up here, but hot. Bloody hot. But it's hot everywhere. A view excerpts from my life:

We've had 2 of our golden oldie men pass away in the last couple of weeks. Neither were blood relatives, but definitely golden men.

GG has moved house ....again. Hopefully, she'll stay put where she is for a while. I just can't move up and down too many more places with stairs. Mind you, where she is now has has a lovely view of Newcastle harbour, and the nor-easter breeze is to die for..... She's loving her Assistant-managing at Dominos. It can be fraught with stress & peril at times, though. But, she's happy; ergo, I am happy.

Sboy rode shows at the Sydney Motorcycle Show, and we spent a few days watching him. Damn he's good! He has 2 more shows in Sydney between now and the end of the year, and he'll be home in between, so that will be excellent! He has been working casually at a surf shop in Brisbane, so at least he has been able to feed himself when there are no shows.

V boy? Not too much happening with him...... it's a good life, when you're 15...... It's going to be a looooong summer school holiday break............

Beloved spent 4 days in Sydney & working with with "The Hell Team" at the Sydney Motor Cycle Show...... He loved it.... all those bikes: so little money.

I have worked and worked and worked. The Sunday before last, we all went to Newie for a Xmas lunch with Beloved's family. Then I stayed in Newcastle, went to a golden bloke's funeral then I had a course on the Tuesday. Then on Sunday, we moved GG to her new abode. Then Monday, we went on the CMFEU Picnic day at Luna Park in Sydney..... HOT HOT HOT!!!!!!! THERE WAS NO AIRCON IN THE CAR!!!!!!!....... but there is now....... Sydney harbour is beautiful......

The Xmas bush is up, most of the shopping is completed. We are in Newie for 4 days over the Christmas period, but I'm not sure what my contribution will be on the day, yet.

I have to complete the assignment & clinical placement days of my course.... by then end of the month.... I may have to negotiate and extension......

I have 2 days off between now & Xmas: one of these will be spent with GG, the other, I think I'll use to clean my house a little...... there is more than a little grime around here......

If there are any nurses or enrolled nurses out there looking for work, there's some (understatement) up this way....

If anybody needs an able-bodied man for some work, give my brother a call: he's unemployed and has 5 mouths & a mortgage to feed......


I'd best go: work is a-calling........ AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!

HoHoHoHo!