Holidays

Oh dear, I forgot to take any photos on Christmas Day. We had a quiet day, we didn't even make it to church as it started too early and was going to be packed. We had a lovely morning of presents, French toast and bacon and relaxing.

We none of us like traditional Christmas foods. Turkey and ham hold little appeal, prawns even less, so we went for a family favourite, too expensive for every day, lamb cutlets. I made a massive pavlova for dessert, which, given that I don't eat sugar, I thought we would never get through, but the other four enthusiastic dessert eaters managed it over a couple of days.

On Boxing Day we put Joss on the bus for PY summer camp and will pick her up on Thursday evening. By all accounts she is having a wonderful time.

Yesterday, Mim, Bill and the gorgeous Charlie stopped in for lunch on their way back from Christmas in Corowa. The McMillans came too and Andrew's parents also arrived in time for lunch. Everyone left except for Sue and Ron who are here until Saturday.

Like Andrew, Toby has all the present receiving occasions over a short period of the year. It can be hard to think of something to get him for his birthday so soon after Christmas, but this year he said that all he wanted was a ping pong table. The post-Christmas sales are a great time to buy big ticket items like this, so it's happy early birthday to Toby! If any other family members wish to contribute, feel free.....

That high pitched thwack is going to become the new soundtrack to my life. 

Christmas Eve

Work has finished, we are all on holidays. Phew!

This evening we had a carols service at church. Bethany played the violin and sang in the choir of children, Andrew played the keyboard and Toby played the drums in The Little Drummer Boy.

I watched the fellow in front of me who was facing away from the front so he could translate everything into sign language for his mother, in her line of sight.

Now we are watching the carols on TV, so much better than the ones in the Domain. I do hope I haven't missed my favourite carol.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas number one

This year we are having a very quiet Christmas Day. It will be just us. I won't miss the travelling, but I will miss the chaos of a big, family celebration. My brother and his family have travelled from Melbourne to Sydney for Christmas and, delightfully, spent the weekend with us to break the journey and have a pre-Christmas Christmas.

We decorated star biscuits.

There was an awful lot of trampolining.

I think the best part was seeing the cousins enjoy each other's company.

Now, I just need to get through the last day of work, and can start relaxing!

Getting there

This morning, while I was getting ready for work, I was thinking through what's coming up for us. Bethany has a slumber party tonight, it's Andrew's birthday tomorrow, Joss has friends to sleep over on Thursday and Saturday, Phil, Kristin and the kids are coming the weekend before Christmas. Then it struck me. If tomorrow is Andrew's birthday, then Christmas is next week, which makes the weekend before Christmas THIS weekend! I'm awfully glad I realised that today and not when they arrive on Saturday.

Such odd weather we have been having, hot and sunny then blowing a gale, thunder and lightning. 

This time next week , we'll be watching the carols on Christmas Eve and I will be on holiday. There's an awful lot to do before then, though, so must keep going.

Did anyone watch Death Comes to Pemberley? On the whole, I don't much fancy the classics being messed with. I did, many years ago, read Pride and Promiscuity : The Lost Sex Scenes from Jane Austen, which was very funny, and I quite enjoyed Longbourne. I won't touch anything that messes with Jane Eyre (hang on, I have read Wide Sargasso Sea, but nothing else) and knew about Death Comes to Pemberley, but was not compelled to read it. I didn't think to watch it, either, until I realised it was probably cosy crime, which I enjoy watching. 

I'm not sure Elizabeth and Darcy were quite right (I might have had trouble with Elizabeth having Esther Summerson's face - watch and read Bleak House if you haven't), but other characters were spot on and it was a good story.

I think Milo is very comfortable inside.

Junior School celebration night

It's not presentation night or awards night, it's celebration night and everyone gets to perform and gets an award. It doesn't take as long as it used to do it's much easier to enjoy, though hearing that our local member is attending 17 presentation nights this year, has certainly put any political ambition to death!

Bethany and a boy from her year were chosen to compere the evening and they did a wonderful job. Bethany's award was for excellence in creative writing and diligence in spelling. That's my girl!

That was on Tuesday night. Last night I picked up Joss and Toby from their surfing trips so today the long, summer holidays officially begin! As usual, I am about to go to work, but am enjoying the fact that I made only one lunch, will wake no one up and get no one ready for the bus. Happy holidays!

Estella Christmas party

It's the new tradition - to take Bethany's friend Charis to the Estella Christmas party. This year I drove, rather than walked, and took chairs. It's the way to go, I tell you!

Joss was too busy packing for her surfing trip, so she asked if we would get her lollies from Santa. No way! It doesn't work like that!

Presentation night

I must have successfully adjusted my attitude as I neither tried to get out of or even resented Joss and Toby's presentation night on Friday. It helps that it is held just over the hill at the university and that both Joss and Toby had been told they were getting an award.

The top tier was packed, but clearly few wanted to sit down with the teachers and students. I realise that these photos are ridiculous, but you can take my word for it that Toby is receiving the academic award for music in the photo above. In his assessments across the whole year, he got 100%, so we thought he might get this!

Below, it's Joss, getting the academic award for food technology. They both topped the year in a subject! So proud......

Tomorrow they both have to be at school at 6.30am to leave for Activities Week. They are both heading to the coast, though separate places, to learn to surf. An important skill for country kids, I'm sure.

Drama and politics

In the middle of the year, Bethany had an evening of theatre games for speech and drama. Last night, as the end of year celebration, they had a movie night, showing the movies they had made in their lessons. Bethany's was called Snow White and the Seven Used Car Salesmen, and she played Snow White.

It was often hard to hear the dialogue, and the technology caused a number of problems through the evening, but Bethany and her friends had fun and I had a book for the long pauses between movies.

Today was a day of action for NSW Public libraries. We are trying to get the state government to increase their funding, as they have been decreasing it steadily so that we are the state with the poorest funding. At Wagga City Library lots of media came to hear my boss speak about it and the mayor read a story, then there was much cake.

Yay for the weekend! Now to get through the rest of presentation night. Yes, I am blogging during the event. At least I'm not reading a book or texting my friend sitting in my row like two people I know!

Storm

I'll confess that I was rather hoping it would rain yesterday evening, just when cycling was due to start, but it was clear as a bell during those hours. There was thunder and rain at bed time, so lovely to go to sleep to.

This afternoon, as I was getting washing off the line, a violent wind started blowing and I needed help getting the washing into the basket before it blew away. As soon as we got inside, the heavens opened and hail, the size of large marbles fell for what felt like ages. Half of our garage is full of bikes, so one car was outside and Jane's lovely new car was also copping it. She ran outside and quickly drove it home to her garage - so handy to live close! It was all pretty exciting, really.