A White Christmas, A White New Year and A White Dodge

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Welcome to a new year and 2011 is already off and flying.

We spent our first Christmas abroad and away from family, it started with th Mt Norquay Christmas party the night before, until they ran out of beer!! Christmas Day, we both had off, so we put the turkey in the oven and headed up to the snow. Slightly surreal riding and skiing on Christmas day. It was good fun, then we came home and started dinner. Most in the house worked, so our big meal was that night, 15 people! Quite a feast was prepared, the turkey was moist and vegetarians were catered for!! We did a 'Grizzly' Kris Kringle and some very creative presents were given out for a max spend of ten bucks. We listened to 'reggea' christmas carols and enjoyed the night.

We both decided although it was a fun day/night, it didn't really seem like Christmas, and the chances of spending anymore Christmases away from Oz, summer weather and seafood are quite slim.

The week between Christmas and New Years was the holiday season, with both of us working long hours, not a whole lot happened other than work work work.

New Years was at a house party, then wandering into town, Banff Avenue, for fireworks, in minus 15 degrees. The thousands crammed into town, provided a bit of body warmth, hugs and kisses with housemates, friends and strangers.

The recent weeks has brought epic snowfall and powder days and beers. Along with a drive to Calgary to find, insure, and drive back a car. A 2003 Dodge Caravan was found. It is quite a feeling to have 'freedom' again, not relying on buses or hitch hiking to the hills.

The only downer since arriving was loosing the ashes with a house full of poms and watching the devastation unfold back home with the queensland floods and around home. We hope everyone is staying safe and dry.

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