Our First Christmas in Oz

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Well, I think we were all a bit unsure of what an Aussie Christmas would be like but once it got here I have to say, it was pretty good. We really did miss our friends & family from back home and there was a serious lack of that Christmassy feel in the lead up but we made the conscious decision to make it a bit of a different one.... so...

This year we had our roast dinner (complete with hard sought brussel sprouts) on Christmas Eve so as to free up Christmas Day as much as possible. Josh & Ebz went surfing and came back in the evening to the table set outside on the balcony and we watched the sun set over the lake as we ate our dinner complete with champers, party hats and crackers. We could hear other families on their balconies around the lake, doing the same. It was such a warm evening that we were able to stay outside until really late, with our own live entertainment compliments of Ebz and the Cicadas! The finale was watching a possum doing acrobatics in the trees just in front of us which we could just make out in the dark. Very special.

Christmas Day - Josh cooked a fantastic brunch. After presents (which did have a definate 'Quicksilver' twist this year, but with no complaints) we headed off to the beach which was was still surpringly uncrowded. Josh surfed and the rest of us had a great time in the water too, getting wiped out on many occasions by the Aussie waves and having to hold on tight to swimwear!!! After topping up the tan, we returned home in the evening to throw a few prawns on the Barbie as planned complete with cold meats and salad. We all had a great day and really enjoyed the novelty of being able to be outside all day in the sun and heat.

Josh booked into a 3 day Scuba diving course and absolutely loved it. He now has his PADI open water certificate and is hoping to do more diving a.s.a.p.

Lynne & Peter, it was lovely to have you over for a meal on the 27th- the first non-family visitors we have had in our new home!

Then, Claire, Perry, Georgia, Jack & Issy Reynolds came to stay on 29th and initiated us into the world of Slurpees! While they were here, we managed a breakfast on one of the free beach BBQ's and had a great trip into Sydney via the Manly ferry to Circular Quay. This has got to be the best way to arrive in the City with amazing views of the Opera House, Harbour bridge etc, etc. We visited the Queen Victoria Building and the kids all brought the most disgusting Jelly Beans ever at the Harry Potter Expo including snot, rotten egg & ear wax flavour (going on the amount spat out I think must have been pretty close to the real thing!) The day finished with cocktails on Darling Harbour and a final walk back through The Rocks.

We had the good fortune to all be invited to a New Years Eve party in Kirribilli. The apartment was right next to the Harbour Bridge and had to be one of the best spots to see the fireworks, so how lucky were we? Thank you Jim & Annette. Thanks also to Claire for the great hats, tiaras etc. Never forget the sight of Georgias glowing green teeth! Catching the train in & out of the City proved a sucess and it was all one of those really unforgettable experiences. Ebz in the end watched them with work friends from North Head near Manly and also had a great evening, at one stage she could see about 7 seperate displays around the Harbour at once. Think we all got in about 3am and needless to say, had a bit of a shabby Sunday.

It was great having a full house again, but we are now back down to four and have had another great day on the beach. It has become very hot at last and we are enjoying every bit of it. We now have bags packed and plan an early start tomorrow for a road trip North up to Nelsons Bay. We were hoping to stay over but left it too late and no vacancies (still not got my head around this being summer hols and busiest time of year) but putting a few days stuff in the car in case we find somewhere. Watch this space.

BAD NEWS - I was so over the moon to get my camera back that Nikon had mended and brought over by Josh, but guess what, its broken again. Gutted!!! Only a week of use. Thanks, NIKON. Really NOT looking forward to sorting that out AGAIN and really NOT impressed about all the things I have NOT been able to have a photo record of AGAIN. Aaaarghghghgh.

Its 11.30pm now and we have the doors open to let air through to cool us down so thats it for now. Wishing you all a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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