Christmas

Hi guys. Very sorry, attempted to put some photos up, but sadly my phone is too complicated for this cafe. Well, more truthfully, the phone and computer combined are too complicated for me, and I've left the cable for the camera at home. This is a shame, christmas was excellent, was hoping to put on some photos of how excellent it was. Spent the day at Maeve and John's house drinking wine, eating food and getting to know cousins big and small. It was fabulous, very relaxing and a lot of fun.

Not a whole lot else to talk about. Most of my friends are still away, still getting in a lot of couch time. Life continues on as always. New years should be fun, have been invited to a party at a hotel in Hertfordshire. Loads of food, wine and a piper to bring in the new year. Can't do a lot better than that.

Whatever you're doing for new years and beyond, hope its a lot of fun. See you all in 2007.

Never warm again

Please, ignore any reference I may have made to how cold it can be in the last post. It has, of course, gotten a lot colder now. The sort of cold which makes you think that you'll never be warm again. Cold mixed with fog and predictions of snow, its something else.

Having said that, it really doesn't feel like Christmas. Its freezing, Christmas should be spent in the pool with stubbies on a hot summer day! But enough about the weather.

Am missing home this week. This is the first Christmas outside of Brisbane or Sydney for many many years and its an odd feeling. Am having some great times in this here little town, but have a feeling that I'm missing something at home that's happening right now. Missing Matthew more than anyone if truth be told, am feeling the huge distance now more than ever. Still life goes on for the moment.

Am spending Christmas day with Aunt Maeve, Uncle John, Aunt Brenda, some cousins and some children of cousins. Who I suppose are also cousins. Vive la differance, family is family and I'm faring better than a lot of folk here who have none. Mind you, they've all gone to Prague for what sounds like a meat and beer festival of some description....

Anyways, to all who read this, have a wonderful, wonderful Christmas and an excellent new year. Will be thinking of you all.

Dreaming of a white christmas...

Christmas is a funny time of year. No matter how many warnings you receive it seems to sneak up and catch you unawares. One minute you're cursing the carols in October, the next you're fighting your way through checkouts, knowing that the thing you're buying will be half the price in a week. Yay for christmas.

There's no sign of a white christmas here, in fact, it is 'unusually warm'. I've put that expression in inverted commas because that's what everyone is saying right now. This is troubling. Clearly, it is not warm, it is very cold. Proof? No worries. Look onto the street. Your average punter is not wearing a hawaii shirt and deck shoes, overcoats, big scarves and woolly hats are the order of the day. I think then that the phrase refers to the fact that it is not cold enough to snow, which is a bit of a shame really.

Anyway, it is the season to be jolly, and I do hope that thats what everyone who reads this drivel is actually doing. I'm trying to be good, still have designs on coming home in late January to see Matthew. If nothing else, the change in temperature will be a killer.

Have arrived at work this morning to the wonderful news that Australia has won the second test. Its great. When it comes to sport, the one thing that Australia and England have in common are that we are both very cocky prior to the game. The huge difference is that the English are rubbish at any type of game at all. Cricket, rugby, soccer, don't matter, they suck. When they lose, the team are torn apart mercilessly by the media and the public, who are amazingly negative, until the next game, where they are back to their 'of course we'll win, we're english' attitude. Since I've been here they've lost a game of soccer to Croatia, a game of rugby to Argentina and a game of cricket to a team selected by John Howard, all of which have been great fun to watch.

Anyways, better run. Hope you are all super.