Again - cut and adapted from a few emails home....
24/12/08
We are out tonight to watch Carol Singing, they have camel rides and stalls etc. in the Blackwood Oval. Seemingly this has been the warmest Christmas Eve for a while, although the coolest December month for 7 years. So should be nice, supposedly you just rock up with your seats etc. bottle of wine, chips (as in crisps). They call sweets here lollies, which was a bit confusing for the kids, and flip flops are called “thongs”. Sorry I can’t ask for a pair of kids thongs. Imagine Jamie in them!
Anyhow meant to be a lovely 30 tomorrow, so should be great better hot or cold. Don’t like it in between. Just cooking my free range chickens, (not really turkey fans, so thought we would eat what we like this year) making my Yorkshires don`t know if they will freeze, in order to keep them fresh for tomorrow. Just wrapped the kilted sausages, so getting there. Just do the veg tomorrow. Like to get it all prepared the day before as I never know how numb my hands may be, with the alcohol.
Georgia opened her present this morning as they get one present on Christmas Eve. Jamie has not opened it yet. He wanted a play station game early, surprise, surprise! So he is busy on Batman Lego PS2 which seems quite cool. Don`t like saying cool anymore as Jamie has it drummed into me that cool means constipated overweight old lady. His new one from school.
5/1/09
Been in the near 30`s this week. So bronzing away nicely. Trying to be careful though as strong sun, you burn even when the sun is not out. Find it is more pleasant to go out after 4pm. Saying that it is a dry heat in Adelaide, so you don`t get that humidity that you would in Sydney.
We had a nice start to Christmas on the beach, and then our friends came round.
They had little Martha with them their 7 week old puppy (3 kilos). Charlie (20 kilos) and she was very good, not as bad as I expected it would be, with them both running around mad. Both were very well behaved. Martha fell in the pool, and Dean shouted “I'll save her” then followed in after her with clothes and all. My Hero!
New Years eve was very pleasant, spent it at Lesley and Paul’s, new friends who live nearby. They are people Dean met through the golf club. Lesley is very nice, easy to talk to with a nice sense of humour. She has 3 older boys 21, 23 and 25 I think. One in a band, one into art and design and the other can’t remember. The kids were the only young ones there so they behaved wonderfully, Jamie found the X box, and Georgia the Foxtel. Suffered the next day though as there was a nonstop flow of wine, very good hosts.
We had Dean’s friends from EBOG on New Year’s Day from the UK, Gary & Lisa Haycock, just a
flying visit on their travels and a one night stay. They just stopped in here on the way through after a few days on beautiful Kangaroo Island. They have two young children, forgot what it was like to have a 2 year old around again. Cute little Amber had a sausage in her hand which I am sure she enjoyed, as did all my furniture. Abi also very cute and 5 looked like she was manufacturing ketchup from every orifice. Lisa a great talker even though she does not drink, kept flowing the stories until the small hours of the next day. They all had to get up early the next day as catching a flight to Brisbane, then to pick up a car and drive/sight see to Sydney for a three day trip then home. Very brave doing all that travelling with two little kids but they seemed to cope well. It was really nice to see them all.
The following night we all went to Rainey’s and Ray’s house including Charlie. For a few New Years drinks, drank too much as usual but had a great time. Charlie threw up on their decking and did a major throw as we were leaving on their nice clean floor but was forgiven. Better Charlie than me I say! (Since found out after a vet visit that he was a bit poorly but all better now)
Had another few drinky nights, but all calming a bit now. Thank goodness. Dean booked us all including the my little Georgia and Jamie, a night in the City to watch Phantom of the Opera at the theatre, promised we would take them to Les Miserables in London before we left and it did not happen. So hopefully they will enjoy as they know all the music. I Love it having seen it twice already.
Looking forward to the 12th as they start the building on the house again. Will be good to see it taking shape after all this time. Let’s hope we like it. Always a worry?
Kids still have a few weeks off school, so they are enjoying the late evenings and late mornings totally chilling. We are moving them to a new school term 1. Not until 2010, as that’s when the spaces are available. So will squeeze us dry. But hopefully will be worth it. It’s called Westminster; they have the primary, middle and high on the same campus which I prefer, as a lot easier, about 15 mins from here. So not too bad. It looks lovely wish I had the opportunity when I was young. Sure they won’t be thinking that when they have to leave all their friends again. But they will hopefully benefit in the long term.
10/1/09
So to summarise so far still miss friends and family an awful lot and always will as they are my good friends, but enjoying living in Australia. Looking forward to when my sister Wendy comes over which is meant to be next Christmas with her new baby who will be 8 months then. Love the weather and how people have time to chat and smile, very rarely come across a grumpy one. Some things are a bit behind here, and a slower pace, but you get used to it. In the UK I was always chasing my tail, doing what? You may ask, not sure but always rushing about.
Love being near the beach and walking Charlie there. (His favourite place.) I would like to meet more Australians as sometimes I feel we have moved to Newcastle and have started saying “Man” after every sentence.(that needs to stop). Loads of Geordies here, (they are all lovely don`t get me wrong), but don`t want to be an expat purely mixing only with British people. But Australians are hard to make friends with even though they are pleasant and sociable. I suppose it is like us in the UK with the European community. Really really don’t miss these cold grey days, or the M25 traffic. I have always said where ever I lay my hat, that`s my home. Just need all my lovely friends to lay their hats near mine, and then it would be the perfect home............ xx
We are out tonight to watch Carol Singing, they have camel rides and stalls etc. in the Blackwood Oval. Seemingly this has been the warmest Christmas Eve for a while, although the coolest December month for 7 years. So should be nice, supposedly you just rock up with your seats etc. bottle of wine, chips (as in crisps). They call sweets here lollies, which was a bit confusing for the kids, and flip flops are called “thongs”. Sorry I can’t ask for a pair of kids thongs. Imagine Jamie in them!
Anyhow meant to be a lovely 30 tomorrow, so should be great better hot or cold. Don’t like it in between. Just cooking my free range chickens, (not really turkey fans, so thought we would eat what we like this year) making my Yorkshires don`t know if they will freeze, in order to keep them fresh for tomorrow. Just wrapped the kilted sausages, so getting there. Just do the veg tomorrow. Like to get it all prepared the day before as I never know how numb my hands may be, with the alcohol.
Georgia opened her present this morning as they get one present on Christmas Eve. Jamie has not opened it yet. He wanted a play station game early, surprise, surprise! So he is busy on Batman Lego PS2 which seems quite cool. Don`t like saying cool anymore as Jamie has it drummed into me that cool means constipated overweight old lady. His new one from school.
5/1/09
Been in the near 30`s this week. So bronzing away nicely. Trying to be careful though as strong sun, you burn even when the sun is not out. Find it is more pleasant to go out after 4pm. Saying that it is a dry heat in Adelaide, so you don`t get that humidity that you would in Sydney.
We had a nice start to Christmas on the beach, and then our friends came round.
They had little Martha with them their 7 week old puppy (3 kilos). Charlie (20 kilos) and she was very good, not as bad as I expected it would be, with them both running around mad. Both were very well behaved. Martha fell in the pool, and Dean shouted “I'll save her” then followed in after her with clothes and all. My Hero!New Years eve was very pleasant, spent it at Lesley and Paul’s, new friends who live nearby. They are people Dean met through the golf club. Lesley is very nice, easy to talk to with a nice sense of humour. She has 3 older boys 21, 23 and 25 I think. One in a band, one into art and design and the other can’t remember. The kids were the only young ones there so they behaved wonderfully, Jamie found the X box, and Georgia the Foxtel. Suffered the next day though as there was a nonstop flow of wine, very good hosts.
We had Dean’s friends from EBOG on New Year’s Day from the UK, Gary & Lisa Haycock, just a
flying visit on their travels and a one night stay. They just stopped in here on the way through after a few days on beautiful Kangaroo Island. They have two young children, forgot what it was like to have a 2 year old around again. Cute little Amber had a sausage in her hand which I am sure she enjoyed, as did all my furniture. Abi also very cute and 5 looked like she was manufacturing ketchup from every orifice. Lisa a great talker even though she does not drink, kept flowing the stories until the small hours of the next day. They all had to get up early the next day as catching a flight to Brisbane, then to pick up a car and drive/sight see to Sydney for a three day trip then home. Very brave doing all that travelling with two little kids but they seemed to cope well. It was really nice to see them all.The following night we all went to Rainey’s and Ray’s house including Charlie. For a few New Years drinks, drank too much as usual but had a great time. Charlie threw up on their decking and did a major throw as we were leaving on their nice clean floor but was forgiven. Better Charlie than me I say! (Since found out after a vet visit that he was a bit poorly but all better now)
Had another few drinky nights, but all calming a bit now. Thank goodness. Dean booked us all including the my little Georgia and Jamie, a night in the City to watch Phantom of the Opera at the theatre, promised we would take them to Les Miserables in London before we left and it did not happen. So hopefully they will enjoy as they know all the music. I Love it having seen it twice already.
Looking forward to the 12th as they start the building on the house again. Will be good to see it taking shape after all this time. Let’s hope we like it. Always a worry?
Kids still have a few weeks off school, so they are enjoying the late evenings and late mornings totally chilling. We are moving them to a new school term 1. Not until 2010, as that’s when the spaces are available. So will squeeze us dry. But hopefully will be worth it. It’s called Westminster; they have the primary, middle and high on the same campus which I prefer, as a lot easier, about 15 mins from here. So not too bad. It looks lovely wish I had the opportunity when I was young. Sure they won’t be thinking that when they have to leave all their friends again. But they will hopefully benefit in the long term.
10/1/09
So to summarise so far still miss friends and family an awful lot and always will as they are my good friends, but enjoying living in Australia. Looking forward to when my sister Wendy comes over which is meant to be next Christmas with her new baby who will be 8 months then. Love the weather and how people have time to chat and smile, very rarely come across a grumpy one. Some things are a bit behind here, and a slower pace, but you get used to it. In the UK I was always chasing my tail, doing what? You may ask, not sure but always rushing about.
Love being near the beach and walking Charlie there. (His favourite place.) I would like to meet more Australians as sometimes I feel we have moved to Newcastle and have started saying “Man” after every sentence.(that needs to stop). Loads of Geordies here, (they are all lovely don`t get me wrong), but don`t want to be an expat purely mixing only with British people. But Australians are hard to make friends with even though they are pleasant and sociable. I suppose it is like us in the UK with the European community. Really really don’t miss these cold grey days, or the M25 traffic. I have always said where ever I lay my hat, that`s my home. Just need all my lovely friends to lay their hats near mine, and then it would be the perfect home............ xx 
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