Christmas celebrations - I love them

Tomorrow it will be New Years Eve.   We have experienced a week of Christmas celebrations.  And what an enjoyable week it has been too.  We have loved every minute of it.

Boxing Day lunch was spent with Sonya in her new house.  Sonya's parents, John and Jennie arrived from the UK on Christmas morning, and it was so lovely to meet them.  We ate a most delicious lunch, beautifully prepared by Sonya, with the help of Darren.  

In between the celebrations we managed to watch a little cricket on television, when it was not being halted by the rain.

I must mention that Adelaide, and the surrounding areas experienced a terrible storm on Tuesday night, with high winds and heavy rain.  Many houses had power cuts, which meant they were without power for hours.  It was also extremely humid.

But the next day we managed to drive south to Southborough, to spend the day at Sue's holiday house, where we caught up with her family and friends.  The weather turned out to be beautifully warm and sunny, and we all enjoyed a lazy afternoon talking, eating and drinking good wine.  The younger members went down to the beach for a swim, or for a look around Victor Harbour.  We all had a very enjoyable day.

Walter, Darren, Donna and I went for an evening drive around Aldinga Beach to look at the Christmas lights.  There were not as many this year.  However, the house in the photograph below certainly made the trip worthwhile.

And finally a Christmas lunch at Dave's house in the woodland area of Aldinga Beach.  It was quite a scrumptious spread, with many people contributing to the meal.

It was very difficult to choose, such an array of delicious food.

The prawns were enormous.

We all sat around the table in the verandah, sounded by bush.  Perfect.

A slice of mouthwatering pavlova.

After lunch we walked down the road to Aldinga Beach.  So easy.

Lucy, Jay and Scarlet carried Lucy's giant inflatable white swan down to the beach but the waves were too rough.  We also took the surfboards and body boards down, and much fun was had trying to surf the waves, which were the best I had ever seen there.  No doubt due to the storm, a few days previously.

Although I was tumbled by the waves a few times, I mostly managed to stay upright.  My attempt at body surfing and using a body board were total failures.

The tide was coming in, and many vehicles were having to drive though the water in order to get back to the entrance of the beach.  I hope they all washed their vehicles well afterwards.

Vehicles are allowed on the beach.

Elvis, the dog, looking at the cricket game.  Unfortunately he was not allowed to join in the fun.  Elvis is a passionate 'catch the tennis ball' fan.

I have been eating all my favourite food, and I think it is time to slow down.  We have had three lots of prawns, at Donna's, Sonya's and Dave's,  the freshest of rock oysters at Sonya's, an assortment of cold meats, mouth watering hams, tasty pulled pork, an array of fresh salads, plus fruit salad, pavlovas, cheesecakes and to top it all off fish and chips from Jimmies, the popular take away shop on the seafront.

Australians are definitely foodies.

Christmas Day, Australian style

Christmas Day, Glenelg.   A lovely family day celebrated in extremely hot weather.  Not quite 40 segrees, but it got close to it.

First, the Gingerbread House, the walls, courtesy of IKEA, stuck together and decorated by Lucy, Jay and Jespa.  Sadly the house collapsed due to the high humidity on Boxing Day.   Apparently it still tasted very good, according to those that were confident enough to eat it.

Christmas Eve, and a walk to Glenelg Jetty, to see the sunset, together with hundreds of other people, all out enjoying the warm weather.

Lucy and Poppy, the dog, sitting on the cool green grass.

Glenelg jetty with a lovely red sunset behind it,

A Chinese pagoda?   It looks like one, I know, but in fact it was the surf life saving lookout hut.

The silhouette figures of Lucy and Jay.

Jespa, Lucy and Jay taking silly selfies.  I should have included a really silly photograph.  That would have embarrassed them.   This was one of the more reasonable photographs.

Not much sunset left, but the colour predicted a very hot Christmas Day.

Three anxious people waiting to open presents.

Walter received a surprise present.  An empty box.  The car-cam was missing, although the leads were there.  We did not believe him when he said there was no camera.  We had at that point been joking about prices being left on clothes. But Walter was right.  There was no camera in the box.

I bought the car-cam in Maplin in the United Kingdom.  A surprise Christmas present for Walter.   I have been in contact with the manager of the shop and it is currently being sorted out.  Apparently the cameras were taken out of their boxes, due to a high level of theft in the shop.  The assistant did not put the camera back in the box before he gave it to me.  I was not a happy person.

The prawns.  An Australian Christmas dinner is not complete without an entree of prawns.  Unpeeled of course.  Delicious.  The downside is the dilema of how to dispose of the prawn shells and heads afterwards.  Dump them in a rubbish bin somewhere, not yours of course, or freeze them until the next rubbish collection day.  The latter choice is the correct option.  Unless one has a huge garden and can bury the shells in a very deep hole.  The smell of left over prawn bits in the heat of summer is pretty awful, to say the least.

Notice Poppy looking eagerly towards the prawns.  We did peel one for her.  One gulp and it was gone.

Everyone eagerly tucking into their long awaited Christmas lunch;  cold meats, salads and hot roasted vegetables followed by fruit salad, custard, jelly and cream.  Perfectly organised by Donna.  Mouth wateringly delicious.

I am the only person aware that a photograph was being taken.  Food was definitely uppermost on everyone's minds, and so it should be too.  Except for the teenager looking at a text message.

After we opened more presents we spent a couple of hours relaxing in the shade, and trying to work out whose phone app contained the correct temperature.  In the end we all agreed that it was, indeed, very hot.

Late in the afternoon, our evening guests arrived, together with Mango, the dog.   The two dogs had a lovely time in the paddling pool.  So cool.

After more present opening (I loved receiving all the presents) and eating more food, plus a couple of great Skype calls to the UK and the Netherlands, it was time to finish, say goodbye to our guests and collapse into bed.  Very happy people.

Oral suprises

What a surprise!  Walter now has no top molars on both sides of his mouth, and no bottom molars on the right side.   They were removed, just like that.  In twenty minutes apparently.   No fuss.  A quick decision.  And hey presto, his mouth no longer contains most of his molars.  

It all happened early yesterday, at 8.30 am, when Walter went to a local dentist because the gum around a back molar was inflamed.  He expected to receive some antibiotics.  

In the meantime I got dressed, and put my makeup and jewellery on.  So that I would be ready when he returned from the dentist.  We were going shopping in Rundle Mall and then lunch with Andreena and Donna.

At 9 am Walter rang me to say that he was having most of his molars taken out.  'Eh', I said.  'Get a second opinion'.  But apparently the teeth and gums were a mess and if he wanted to leave the country early February with some false teeth, then it had to happen now.

Walter returned home at 10.30 am, with chipmunk cheeks due to numerous wads of dressing pads in his mouth to stop the bleeding, a drooping lip and plenty of drool.  And unable to speak clearly.  He looked very funny, except it was not funny.  I tactfully did not take a photograph.  Or laugh.

And readers may wonder how this all happened.   Well Walter has a coveted gold card, a veteran affairs card, which entitles him to free medical and dental cover in Australia.   Now our dentist in England has spent many hours working on Walter's back teeth, at a great cost to us, and perhaps it was time to confront the situation.  But it was all a little unexpected to say the least.

Last night we had pork schnitzels and chips for dinner.  Walter ate bananas and custard.  Just as well he ate the huge schnitzel in Penola, because he will not be eating any more on this trip, or steaks or lamb chops.  Christmas Day will be spent nibbling his cold meat and salads.  Good for the waistline.  There is always a benefit.

Although Walter still looks a little peaky, due to shock no doubt, he feels more or less normal again and can sit outside and enjoy his beer, non alcoholic of course.

 And to enjoy the beautiful sunset, down at Aldinga Beach.

Andreena and Donna, looking relaxed under the shade in Victoria Square.  We had a lovely picnic lunch together, sitting in the revamped square.  Of course Walter had to stay at home, resting and eating cool Greek yoghurt.

A mental note to self.  Should I have any dental problems, find another dentist.

Good old Adelaide

Adelaide.  And we have been here a week.  The older one gets, the faster time goes, or so it seems.  But we are having a great time.   

Walter enjoyed eating a giant beef schnitzel in a pub in Penola.  Unfortunately the downfall of being in Australia is that one eats too much.  The food here is generally just too delicious and portion sizes in pubs are too large.   I ordered a plate of salt and pepper squid last Friday and received a huge pile of squid with chips underneath the squid.  Our stomachs are starting to expand already.

On the way from Point Lonsdale, Victoria, we drove along an inland route, around Colac, and into South Australia.  A very pleasant drive in cool weather.

We stayed in a comfortable motel in Penola, just over the South Australian border.  A pleasant small country town.  It is also the home town of St Mary of the Cross Mackillop, who helped found the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (the Josephites).  They established schools and welfare institutions throughout Australia, with an emphasis on education of the poor.

Penola is also on the edge of the Coonawarra wine area, which we travelled through on our journey to Adelaide.

There were Father Christmas figures everywhere; waving from old vans, sitting on hay bales, hugging letter boxes, etc.  Yes it was a competition.  Namely the annual Coonawarra stuffed Santa competition.  Good old Google provided the answer to my question.

Santa bursting through the wall in Penola.

There was also an abundance of hay bale sculptures in one of the south eastern towns. Another competition?  When I searched Google, it came up with plenty of hay bale sculptures, in Victoria and South Australia, including an interesting sculpture of a cow and a bull together.  It was burnt down by some vandals.  The sculpture and the burning of it caused quite an uproar apparently.  It would appear that interesting events take place in these quiet country places.

The Santa figure at the front of a Coonawarra winery, enjoying a bottle of wine as he watches television.

Well looked after rows of grape vines.

Finally we arrived at the small town of Keith, which is on the main Melbourne to Adelaide highway.  Keith is very much a small country town, blink and one will miss it.

The one and only cafe, I think.  But the coffee was very good, thank goodness.  We sat and watched the people walk by, about three I think.  Everyone smiled and said good morning.  People are very friendly in country towns.

We arrived in Adelaide a week ago and so good to see our family again.   We spent two days frantically catching up on news and Christmas sbopping and then it was time to relax a little.

A selfie photo on Largs Bay jetty,  with Lucy, Donna and Walter

A delicious lunch at Largs Bay hotel, which is where I ordered the huge plate of salt and pepper squid, my favourite dish.  However, I think my craving for squid was more than satisfied and I will not be ordering this dish for a while now.

Patrick works for the chain of hotels that own Largs Bay hotel so he was able to take a lunch break and join us for a  hour.  He is currently doing some maintenance work at this hotel, and what a beautiful place to work in, plus the glorious views of the sea and beach, which he can enjoy as he is working.

Coffee time, in Darren's back garden, in glorious weather.

Glenelg beach.  A perfect beach scene, except that there was a chilly wind.  Not seen in this photograph of course.

The picturesque and tropical looking Moseley Square, Glenelg.

Scott has sold his car and bought a brand new Honda CBR 500, which is very exciting for Scott but not for any non motorbike people in the family.  I must admit it is a very good looking bike.

Walter and I have been trying to go for a nightly walk along the cliff tops at Aldinga Beach.  As well as being a picturesque walk, we hope to walk off some of the lovely food we have been eating during the day.

The view across the sea last night.  Very cloudy and a chilly wind.

A fleece jacket was definitely needed.

There is a new fitness area beside the clifftop path.  Walter tried out a few of the exercises displayed on the boards.   He was very careful of course, as he did not want to spend the rest of his time here recovering from an injury.

The new toilet block, looks very impressive.  This toilet block is badly needed as it is opposite a takeaway shop, and people often eat their food while sitting at the adjacent picnic tables.

We were also very happy to be here when Jay and Jespa brought their school reports home and both are to be congratulated on their efforts this year.  Fantastic reports.

Also Lucy received her Year 12 SACE results yesterday, with credits for all subjects so it will be off to university next year.  Another teacher in the family.  A tremendous achievement, especially after moving to another country two years ago, which included a new school and education system as well.  Congratulations, Lucy.

And now we have Christmas in a few days, with an accompanying heat wave.  After two weeks of mild, sunny weather, which included a few chilly days, the temperature is expected to rise dramatically.  A heatwave is expected for the Christmas period with temperatures of 40 degrees.   Thank goodness we planned a cold buffet.   No turkey roast with accompanying hot vegetables and gravy, followed by Christmas pudding, for us this year.

Point Lonsdale, Victoria, Australia

We have spent a lovely few days with Rudolf and Conny at their delightful home in Point Lonsdale.   Point Lonsdale is the western headland which marks the entrance to Port Phillip Bay and the city of Melbourne.

Initially the weather was cold, only 14 degrees, and there was a biting wind blowing from the south east.  My fleece jacket was well used.

Their garden was beautiful, and full of interesting shrubs, flowers and trees.  It was a perfect place to sit in, to read a book or admire the plants and listen to the abundant bird life.

We watched Rudolf play in a bowls match on Saturday, which was interesting.  There is more to bowls then just rolling a ball towards the kitty.  Great skill is required.  Rudolf's team won their match, but his club lost by two points.

I love the colourful club outfits, so much better than traditional whites.

The sun finally appeared, just in time to visit Jason, Angela and Alice in Woodend.  Woodend is out towards Mt Mascal, and Hanging Rock, which is the setting of the fictional story, 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'.

Angela and Jason took us to a peony farm, not far from Mt Mascal.  A magnificent setting, with peony fields set on a hillside, and surrounded by dense bush.

Rows of Karl Rosenfield blooms.

A newly formed dam.

Alice with huge bunches of peonies.

The peony 'Red Charm'.

Jason and Angela's house in Woodend has been transformed from a wooden cottage with a long front verandah, after much hard work, into a large and very comfortable family home.   Great creative ideas.

They have two hens, the name of one I have forgotten but one is called Lucy.   They lay plenty of eggs and love company.  Real characters.  Every time we went outside they made plenty of noise, and wanted to join us.

We went out to lunch at an amazing restaurant, with panoramic views over the hills and valley.   One wall of the restaurant was glass.  The food was delicious.  A perfect setting for a family lunch.

Father and son, Rudolf and Jason, posing on the balcony in front of the restaurant.  Rudolf is Walter's brother.   Plenty of family likeness there.

And finally, back to Point Lonsdale with a walk along the coastal path, towards a cafe in Point Lonsdale.   A beautiful warm and sunny day.

Sadly our few days came to an end and we were off again.   Destination - Aldinga Beach and Adelaide.  Looking forward to seeing all our family there.