Family (long entry with lots of pics)
Despite all the ups and downs in the week beforehand Christmas day went off without a hitch.
Grubblet and her family arrived safely the day before and the poor Christmas tree was groaning under the weight of all the presents stacked around it.
Finally it was christmas morning and there were some very excited children.
Anticipation is a marvellous thing
Dad was excited (complete with purple reindeer antlers)
Mum was excited
Dad was given the job of passing out the presents
Which meant there were some very happy children - K
T - with the stuffed monkey and chocolates from Nana
J - with the stuffed Cheetah from Nana
Troll was happy - especially with the new phone from Nana
Her brother R got some good loot
Fun was generally had by all
Including Grubblet
Ra'zac had fun in the discarded wrappings!
Golom and Moosie tried to blend in
And of course, Grubblet finally got her book! (yes, those are tears under her eyes)
One very happy niece and her auntie
Then it was time for Christmas dinner - which the children enjoyed as a picnic next to the Christmas tree
By the end of the day there were some very tired children
It was an utterly lovely day - the first time I had ever shared it with all three of my children together, not to mention having my adoreable grandchildren with me!
My house was packed to the gills with wriggling little bodies, laughter and merriment.
After Christmas dinner we spilled out onto the back verandah where the adults lounged around digesting dinner while the littles played with their new toys.
Since then we have been out every day showing Grublette's family around, taking the littles to the adventure playground at St Kilda, to Melba's chocolate factory, to the giant Rockinghorse, the Whispering wall and Hahndorf. In between there has been games of cricket in my backyard and the cement areas around my house have never looked so pretty with all the sidewalk chalk artistry they have been doing!
Last night they slept back up at Tailem Bend at my ex's place and today the children are here while Grubblette and her hubby go on a wine-tasting tour of the Barossa Valley.
So, to say my usual routine is shot to hell is an understatement! But sometimes a change of routine is a good thing. I am blessed in having such a special family that I would never begrudge time spent with them.
To top it all off, yesterday my brother rang. I had sent him a copy of The Stories I Never Told at his request as he also knew little of our family history. He had been away fishing for a few days and was now home and reading the book. He called me to tell me that he was really surprised by how articulate my writing was. He said he hadn't expected to enjoy it as much as he was.
We had a long talk about what we remembered from our childhood which was very interesting. He being 15 months older than I means that he can remember things that I cannot and I have remembered things he had forgotten as different things had clearly made different impressions on both of us. It was a really good to share memories of our distant childhood and a real boost to me as a writer that he seemed to be enjoying the book so much. To write a family history and make it more than just a dry regurgitation of dates is no small thing, so I am flattered that he has been so enthralled with it.
I think too that he has been surprised at his sister's ability as a writer. He volunteered to do any proof-reading should I require it on future work. To have my brother's support in my writing is a huge thing for me and I still cannot stop smiling because of it.
Even so, he IS still my big brother, the one I fought with throughout my childhood and one must not be misled to think he has become a saint of some sort. While we were talking yesterday tygrr told him that he had to be nice to his sister. His reply? 'It has always been my official duty to give her a hard time and while it may pain me to do so, I always carry out my duty to the best of my capablities!' It's reassuring somehow to know that some things never change... *grins*
So I honestly think I can say I have had the most family around me this year that I ever have had at Christmas time. Talking about the book brought people like my own grandparents and parents close to mind, almost as if we were sharing the season with them also this year. It was something special.
I even had an email from my sister in Queensland (the snobby one who I hear from about twice a year) just before Christmas. She is often a bit judgemental so I don't always share a lot with her that is happening but the devil got the better of me this time and I told her finally about my name change earlier this year as well as about the book I had written. She didn't seem to mind too much about the name change and was thrilled to hear about the book and asked for a copy of it. So I shall post that off after New Years. It will be interesting to see what she thinks of it.
So, be warned that I shall only be here somewhat erratically over the next week - if at all!
Tomorrow A and R shall be helping me with some cleanup chores around the house and yard before a traier-load of stuff is taken to the waste transfer station. Tomorrow night A and Grubblet are going out to dinner and a movie which was a gift from da Bird. The littles shall be staying home with me and I have encouraged their parents to stay out as late as they like while they have the chance.
On Sunday they are all going to the Adelaide Zoo for the day. I shall refrain as the bronchitis is still pretty bad and it would be a waste of time to pay an entrance fee and then sit in the cafe all day, so I shall drop troll with them at the Zoo and then find somewhere cool to sit where I can have a coffee, people-watch and maybe read a book until they are done at the zoo. Even better I might actually get to do some work on planning for my fantasy trilogy! Sneaking in a little bit of planning work now and then is helping to keep me sane while I wait to work on it after school resumes!
Monday A and T are off to play golf with my ex so Grublette and the girls are coming down here for a girl's day so we might all end up going to the cinema to see Enchanted. Afterwards the men are coming down to have a barbecue out the back.
Tuesday and Wednesday Grubblette and her family shall be away at Snowtown visiting family so we shall have a quiet couple of days before going down to Victor Harbour, Goolwa and Port Elliot for the day on Thursday.
Friday they leave to go back to Queensland...:(
Still, there is lots of fun to be had before then, so I shall not dwell on that as it's a whole week away yet!
Now though, tis lunch time and I have a horde of hungry children to feed!
Hope everyone had a blast with their festive season and I shall catch up on reading soon!
Red.
Grubblet and her family arrived safely the day before and the poor Christmas tree was groaning under the weight of all the presents stacked around it.
Finally it was christmas morning and there were some very excited children.
Anticipation is a marvellous thing
Dad was excited (complete with purple reindeer antlers)
Mum was excited
Dad was given the job of passing out the presents
Which meant there were some very happy children - K
T - with the stuffed monkey and chocolates from Nana
J - with the stuffed Cheetah from Nana
Troll was happy - especially with the new phone from Nana
Her brother R got some good loot
Fun was generally had by all
Including Grubblet
Ra'zac had fun in the discarded wrappings!
Golom and Moosie tried to blend in
And of course, Grubblet finally got her book! (yes, those are tears under her eyes)
One very happy niece and her auntie
Then it was time for Christmas dinner - which the children enjoyed as a picnic next to the Christmas tree
By the end of the day there were some very tired children
It was an utterly lovely day - the first time I had ever shared it with all three of my children together, not to mention having my adoreable grandchildren with me!
My house was packed to the gills with wriggling little bodies, laughter and merriment.
After Christmas dinner we spilled out onto the back verandah where the adults lounged around digesting dinner while the littles played with their new toys.
Since then we have been out every day showing Grublette's family around, taking the littles to the adventure playground at St Kilda, to Melba's chocolate factory, to the giant Rockinghorse, the Whispering wall and Hahndorf. In between there has been games of cricket in my backyard and the cement areas around my house have never looked so pretty with all the sidewalk chalk artistry they have been doing!
Last night they slept back up at Tailem Bend at my ex's place and today the children are here while Grubblette and her hubby go on a wine-tasting tour of the Barossa Valley.
So, to say my usual routine is shot to hell is an understatement! But sometimes a change of routine is a good thing. I am blessed in having such a special family that I would never begrudge time spent with them.
To top it all off, yesterday my brother rang. I had sent him a copy of The Stories I Never Told at his request as he also knew little of our family history. He had been away fishing for a few days and was now home and reading the book. He called me to tell me that he was really surprised by how articulate my writing was. He said he hadn't expected to enjoy it as much as he was.
We had a long talk about what we remembered from our childhood which was very interesting. He being 15 months older than I means that he can remember things that I cannot and I have remembered things he had forgotten as different things had clearly made different impressions on both of us. It was a really good to share memories of our distant childhood and a real boost to me as a writer that he seemed to be enjoying the book so much. To write a family history and make it more than just a dry regurgitation of dates is no small thing, so I am flattered that he has been so enthralled with it.
I think too that he has been surprised at his sister's ability as a writer. He volunteered to do any proof-reading should I require it on future work. To have my brother's support in my writing is a huge thing for me and I still cannot stop smiling because of it.
Even so, he IS still my big brother, the one I fought with throughout my childhood and one must not be misled to think he has become a saint of some sort. While we were talking yesterday tygrr told him that he had to be nice to his sister. His reply? 'It has always been my official duty to give her a hard time and while it may pain me to do so, I always carry out my duty to the best of my capablities!' It's reassuring somehow to know that some things never change... *grins*
So I honestly think I can say I have had the most family around me this year that I ever have had at Christmas time. Talking about the book brought people like my own grandparents and parents close to mind, almost as if we were sharing the season with them also this year. It was something special.
I even had an email from my sister in Queensland (the snobby one who I hear from about twice a year) just before Christmas. She is often a bit judgemental so I don't always share a lot with her that is happening but the devil got the better of me this time and I told her finally about my name change earlier this year as well as about the book I had written. She didn't seem to mind too much about the name change and was thrilled to hear about the book and asked for a copy of it. So I shall post that off after New Years. It will be interesting to see what she thinks of it.
So, be warned that I shall only be here somewhat erratically over the next week - if at all!
Tomorrow A and R shall be helping me with some cleanup chores around the house and yard before a traier-load of stuff is taken to the waste transfer station. Tomorrow night A and Grubblet are going out to dinner and a movie which was a gift from da Bird. The littles shall be staying home with me and I have encouraged their parents to stay out as late as they like while they have the chance.
On Sunday they are all going to the Adelaide Zoo for the day. I shall refrain as the bronchitis is still pretty bad and it would be a waste of time to pay an entrance fee and then sit in the cafe all day, so I shall drop troll with them at the Zoo and then find somewhere cool to sit where I can have a coffee, people-watch and maybe read a book until they are done at the zoo. Even better I might actually get to do some work on planning for my fantasy trilogy! Sneaking in a little bit of planning work now and then is helping to keep me sane while I wait to work on it after school resumes!
Monday A and T are off to play golf with my ex so Grublette and the girls are coming down here for a girl's day so we might all end up going to the cinema to see Enchanted. Afterwards the men are coming down to have a barbecue out the back.
Tuesday and Wednesday Grubblette and her family shall be away at Snowtown visiting family so we shall have a quiet couple of days before going down to Victor Harbour, Goolwa and Port Elliot for the day on Thursday.
Friday they leave to go back to Queensland...:(
Still, there is lots of fun to be had before then, so I shall not dwell on that as it's a whole week away yet!
Now though, tis lunch time and I have a horde of hungry children to feed!
Hope everyone had a blast with their festive season and I shall catch up on reading soon!
Red.