This set starts on Christmas Eve.

I’ve been adding to it since lunchtime yesterday  Enjoy!

Thanks for all the lovely pressies  We’re having lots of fun with them all

Merry Christmas!

This week was going along quite nicely until i went for my consultant appointment with the Oral Surgeon on Tuesday.  Wanting to avoid not being able to eat solids over the christmas period I asked if he could fit me in sooner rather than later.   I wasn’t quite expecting him to say “sure.. I’ll shove you on the end of my list for Friday.”  So, here I am less than 48 hours later minus the one wisdom tooth I owned.  Instead I have a sore throat and a chesty cough caused by the tube the put down my throat for the general atheistic and a stitched up gum (ouchy) I should be fully recovered and ready to roll for Christmas though

We’ve also put up our Christmas decorations.  After bug bombing the shed to make sure we didn’t transfer and 8 legged beasts into the house with the baubles (we’ve had quite enough of those already thanks!) the tree, tinsel and all other shin/sparkly Christmassy bits are up.  I think Matt wanted to cheer me up!  :)  I do like Christmas!  Nearly all of the present buying is done and posted.  Most of you will have had your Christmas cards already and some of you will receive yours in a parcel with presents Keep and eye out for that posty van and try not to get too confused if a nondescript parcel arrives from amazon and you don’t remember ordering anything… That’ll be Matt forgetting to let you know that you shouldn’t open that until Christmas day.. lol

Despite being invited out for Christmas dinner, Matt is determined to have his own turkey. I’m leaving it to him to order it!  He’ll be eating turkey fo r a fortnight as he’s the only one who eats meat in this house (unless you count the cats). How are your christmas preparations going?

This week Santa came to Adelaide… He really did. Seeee

This weekend was the official start of both summer and Christmas in Adelaide:  The Credit Union Christmas Pageant!  As usual, I skipped along with “dragged” Matt to the city center to watch the parade.  We didn’t stand in our usual spot this year so the pictures aren’t quite as good but we did have a good view!  A few new floats this year, ones I hadn’t seen before, involved pandas surfing (Yes.. Funi and Wang Wang hanging out on the beach with a koala and… well… surfing! Of course!),   Penguins being cool and some skateboarding crazy people.  All good fun! Matt Certainly enjoyed Tweeting about it all the way through… ;0)

Matt's Nett App Goodies

In other news Matt received a present from someone other than santa this week…  Having photoshopped a competition cap onto his head he managed to win a conference trade stall prize… without ever having attended the conference..  Cap, 3 t-shirt, pocket spotlight, 4 gb memory stick, a shopping bag and load more.. including $50 to spend at JB Hi-fi!  He was VERY excited about his goodies!  I dread to think what Christmas day will actually be like!

Christmas Cake Ingredients

I used to work with a teacher who , like me, got very excited about Chrimstas.   Sometime in October, she’d start telling me that she could feel Christmas coming that you could “smell it in the air”.  We used to have fun seeing who would detect the onset of Christmas first.  It’s true though, you can tell when Christmas is coming (and not just because the Xmas trees are out in all the stores from about August!), the seasons change, it gets darker, colder and the air smells damp and cold.  Christmas is coming.

Here in Australia of course the seasons are changing the other way.  It’s getting lighter, warmer, drier and dustier… Christmas is coming!  In fact, it’s the Christmas Pageant next weekend and I’ve just sat and written out as many of the Christmas cards I can that need to be sent over to the U.K. A lot of our Christmas pressie buying is done and I’ve just shoved the Christmas cake in the oven.

How are your preparations going?

I haven’t really been doing such a stellar job of keeping my blog up to date with events from the last few weeks have I? I guess we’ve been so busy running around doing things that I haven’t really had a moment to myself to sit down, reflect and write. I did manage to shove up loads of pictures of us opening pressies and the like but so much has been going on since then I am afraid that this post may become behemoth in size.

Christmas on the beach

An antipodean Christmas and New Year is certainly different, even if you have your parents around. I’ve had interesting Christmases before but when it’s actually supposed to be the norm it is most unusual to sit on a beach, dipping your toe in the sea on Christmas day.

It’s also very strange having Summer and the Christmas holidays all at once. I don’t envy all my pals back home who have returned to work, I still have another 4 weeks of hols left, but I’m sure I’ll be desperate for a longer holiday in 6 months when I should be getting another, medium size break for either Christmas or Summer.

It is lovely though and although we had to ‘ship’ everything, including the fridge (in the form of an eski) down onto the beach, the day had a very un-chrismassy relaxed feel. Usually, Christmas is a massive job from start to finish, breakfast, present opening, cleaning up from present opening, preparing 3 course lunch, eating lunch, cleaning up after lunch and then keeping everyone entertained all afternoon before preparing a buffet style leftovers option for all the other visitors who may appear during the evening. This Christmas we ate cold meat and salad (probably what would normally be the left over bit) and then wandered off to the beach. Simple and strangely relaxing! I didn’t even have to worry about what my “Christmas outfit” would be. No posh frock.. just my

bikini….

Feeding the ducks

Pretty early on mum established a relationship with Honk and Honk .  She discovered the duck and chicken feed available at Coles and they have been spoilt every day since.  They have been chomping their way through bag after bag of the stuff!  Unfortunately for Matt and I the ‘honks’ like to come to our bedroom window and make loud noises until she goes out to feed them!  Not sure what’ll happen when she leaves on Sunday Hopefully they’ll return to their bread diet as before.  They’ve certainly been fattened up over the holidays! Matt keeps looking at them an muttering “Good life Pizza, ginger jam.. Hop on!”

Bruce Meekat says "g'day"

Mum and the fake Pandas

Of course, mum wouldn’ t be satisfied with just geese and ducks and so we’ve visited the Zoo,

Moriala and Gorge Wildlife Park.She’s spent an hour taking pictures of pandas and hogging the panda exibition spots (holding off small children who wanted to cuddle them) We found Bruce Meerkat and she’s even cuddled another Koala. We did attempt to see Dolphins at Port Adelaide but unfortunately – and unusually, they decided to swim the opposite way up the river.  We spent 2 hours on a boat and when we got off we found them under a bridge. We had some pancakes and a wander around the town too. Dad took some piccies of the lighthouse (a strange one it is) and mum found some pirates to talk to.

Light House Port Adelaide

No Dolphins - Sulk - Port Adelaide

Pirates at Port Adelaide

Relaxing in the Hammock

Despite being dragged around all of these lovely wildlife parks (he loves it really!) Dad has managed to get some rest. Whilst hanging about in the hammock or messing about on a sun lounger he has taken the opportunity to be all entrepreneurial and see if he can expand the business out here. He’s even flown to Melbourne for meetings, met with bank managers and accountants and registered websites. He probably now knows far more about Australian business and tax practices than I do (despite having had a business for 12 months).

Chim Chimeny!

I’ve kept mum busy.  She was being annoyed by grass that was not the regulation half an inch in length and really doesn’t understand the concept of a dishwasher.  As a result, she decided to the mo the lawn dust in her new dress and turn into a swamp monster.  She has also managed to get through 2 bottles of fairy liquid (I’ve had the same one for a year now… never use the stuff!) Was amusing to see her very muddy face when she realised what she looked like. Especially after she’d already marched out the front to have a chat to the locals resembling something like chimney sweep.

Windy Penguins

Apart from spending time on the river I’ve also taken them to Victor Habour so we could visit the “Little Penguins”, visit somewhere new and let Matt enjoy a bit of the “holiday” feel whilst we celebrated the New Year. Hilariously, it turned out to be a

Up the Bluff Victor Harbour

bit nippy and windy the night we chose to visit Granite Island. Well… that is if you can call 16 cold. I honestly have no idea how they’ll survive when they get back.  Mum has been describing temperatures that are well into their 30s as temperatures “like back home”… Perhaps that’s the air-con working well?… too well?

We walked up the Bluff, a very beautiful hill /hump on at the pinnacle of a lovely sweeping bay, ate fish and chips, “froze” whilst watching penguins waddle about and enjoyed the facilities at the McCracken Country Club. All very lovely.

House Hunting

Some time has also been spent looking at real estate and land. I’ve driven mum and Dad around loads of the areas that we’re thinking of buying in.  We can’t afford anything here in Grange so we’re looking further down south in Port Noarlunga / Moana or slightly further north in Largs’ Bay / Semaphore.  We’ve been approved for a mortgage (yay!) but we’re attempting to be very careful this time… Interest rates are rising, new builds aren’t going up as fast as they were (even though it all looks like it’s booming and the house prices just keep going up… surely that has to stop at some point? Probably, knowing our past history, at the point where we have just finished unpacking the boxes.  It’s fun having a look around though :0) Mum’s fancied herself as a bit of an Amanda Lamb I think!

Ipads... addictive.. apparently...

If you’ve seen my faceache or Twitter status updates then you’ll probably know that one of the gifts I got at Christmas was an Apple MacBook Pro.  I’m using now… So I’m attempting to be different and try something new and stylish.  Mum and Dad arrived with Ipads in tow.  Picked up in Singapore – because everyone had one – I don’t think they can actually go more than 4 hours without playing with it!

Dad’s got the radio, the papers, his email and the archers on his.  Mum’s got solitaire, tennis (which she plays enthusiastically whilst dad’s trying to sleep – occasionally knocking him with her tennis elbow) and soooo many more apps.  I constantly here ” can I have… it’s only 59p”.  She’s even discovered she can get mild porn Mils and Boons to read on there! She is as I speak, warming up dad for the purchase of Series 1 + 2 of Merlin for the plane home… lol  They’re worse than the flipping kids!

Botanical Gardens SA

Motor Museum SA

LOF gets Floaty

Piccies!

Coming at ya!

It’s officially the first of December.  That means I can now start going on and on about Christmas!!!   Yay!  Watch out for new Xmassy rockinmochin logos and everything! (i’m actually thinking of re-vamping the whole site AGAIN) lol

Things have become more and more christmassy this end.  Schools here are winding up (we seem to always go “up” rather than “down” here) for the summer hols and have only this week and a bit to go! That means less work for me in schools but more time to work on things like publishing proposals, South Australian Interactive Whiteboard networks and new ventures for the new year!

I have discovered a rather cool website where I can contact Santa and ask him for a message. Some of you might have received one in your in box already? If not here’s one for all of you

Message from Santa to Readers

Decorated Christmas Cat

We’ve begun putting up the Christmas decorations.  This had all been made a little more exciting by the fact that we actually didn’t own any.  We had to leave them all behind in the UK.  We were advised to because a lot of them had pine cones, sticks or other bits of nature that Customs just wouldn’t have appreciated.

That’s meant a massive Christmas tree and decoration search has begun.  KMart was the cheapest for trees and we got our lovely, 6ft  “Cashmere” tree for just $79  (£48).  We got a few decorations from there too until I remembered driving past the Christmas superstore!

This shop is there all year round and it sells nothing but party goods, silly outfits and erm.. well yes… Christmas decorations and fairy lights – All year round… Lol.. Needless to say it’s rather busy at the moment and we got some brilliant bargains too. Those giant snowflakes next to Hendrix are actually lights that are now hanging on the wall in the living room

Sparkly tree - from outside

Putting the top on the tree!

What with tinsel, LED flashy lights, new baubles and a strange, white fluffy reindeer (that I bought for Mum when she gets here) the tree looks very nice.  Sparkly and pretty.  So far it’s surviving nicely and seems to have only taken a brief beating from Stan.  He doesn’t seem so inclined to chase LED lights around the tree as he did the standard ones!

I’m quite glad really.  I always had visions of coming home to a fried cat with Christmas lights in his mouth -stoopid kitty!

An update on Honk and Honky is also very important.  If you’ve been following my tweets then you’ll know that they’re still around. Only now they’ve gotten into the habit of appearing at the window of the living room at dusk and honking at us.  Honky even tried to jump up onto the window ledge and get in the other day (thank goodness for fly goose screens!) Bless em!

Still visiting!

No Geesies! You're not allowed in! Go to your house!

Anyhoo with all the Xmas pressies now starting to arrive in the UK and a second Christmas cake having been baked (I “accidentally” ate the last one- oops)  It looks like it’s going to be a fun Xmas! There’s just over a week until Ma and Paleave Blighty and head over – weather permitting!

SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW!  You’ve even made it onto our “national” centric news programs!  lol Make sure you send me piccies!

and the geese are getting friendly!

These lovely little chaps (who I know bedbee would definitely want to steal) appeared at the Creek on Friday. Apparently they are very friendly and like bread! After walking home from breakfast at the beach this morning these two decided to nibble on my skirt and then follow Matt home! He had to fill their bellies with treats and then lead them back across to the creek afterwards. He has named them Honk and Honky and I am sure that they will be back!

There are all sorts of additions to the Creek this spring. The baby ducks I wrote about here a few months ago are now the “teen” ducks and a new waddle of babies wandered across our garden yesterday so I guess duckie – the next generation is in full swing! The baby sea chickens have also successfully managed to reach teen status. They’re all really tame though. All you have to do is stand by the creek and they’ll assume you’re there with bread and come and see you. Very fun They do get bored pretty quickly if there’s no bread though. Well, with the exception of Honk and Honky who had the good brains to follow Matt to the house and wait for some bread – One teen duck accompanied them too   Stan, however, was not so impressed!

This weekend has been full of Christmassy things. I’ve nearly finished buying and wrapping the xmas presents that need to be sent to the U of K, I’ve begun browsing the web for the best deal on Christmas trees and decorations (ours are all still in the UK – Didn’t fancy the customs bill for fake pine cones etc.) and watching the Christmas Pageant!! Yay!

The Christmas Pageant is a real tradition here in Adelaide and it’s good fun to see all the chalk drawings in the road, the excited kids (including me) and then the funky parade.  There are some things in it that I do not get.  Like this really freaky jester.  But it is fun to see Koala’s in ice (?), the elves and their presents, the carol singers, Rudolph having a relax and of course Santa! It’s all very exciting and yet… warm… strange! Do I really have to put up Christmas Icicle lights?  What would the hot, Australian version be?  Any suggestions?  lol

It’s Christmas!!

Only just here in the Uk but very much so in Oz

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone