WE'VE been singing one of our favourite traditional carols this week. But this time, with a twist. It goes something like...
On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me -
A kookaburra in a gum tree.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me -
Two cockatoos, and a kookaburra in a gum tree.
On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me -
Three parakeets, two cockatoos and a kookaburra in a gum tree.
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me -
Four great galahs, three parakeets, two cockatoos and a kookaburra in a gum tree.
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me -
Five opals black, four great galahs, three parakeets, two cockatoos and a kookaburra in a gum tree.
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me -
Six 'roos a-jumping, five opals black, four great galahs, three parakeets, two cockatoos and a kookaburra in a gum tree.
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me -
Seven emus running, six 'roos a-jumping, five opals black, four great galahs, three parakeets, two cockatoos and a kookaburra in a gum tree.
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me -
Eight koalas clinging, seven emus running, six 'roos a-jumping, five opals black, four great galahs, three parakeets, two cockatoos and a kookaburra in a gum tree.
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me -
Nine wombats waddling, eight koalas clinging, seven emus running, six 'roos a-jumping, five opals black, four great galahs, three parakeets, two cockatoos and a kookaburra in a gum tree.
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me -
Ten dingoes dashing, nine wombats waddling, eight koalas clinging, seven emus running, six 'roos a-jumping, five opals black, four great galahs, three parakeets, two cockatoos and a kookaburra in a gum tree.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me -
Eleven snakes a-sliding, ten dingoes dashing, nine wombats waddling, eight koalas clinging, seven emus running, six 'roos a-jumping, five opals black, four great galahs, three parakeets, two cockatoos and a kookaburra in a gum tree.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me -
Twelve goannas going, eleven snakes a-sliding, ten dingoes dashing, nine wombats waddling, eight koalas clinging, seven emus running, six 'roos a-jumping, five opals black, four great galahs, three parakeets, two cockatoos and a kookaburra in a gum tree.
This Sheila simply can't wait for that little lot to rock up on the festive Down Under doorstep... Happy Christmas!
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Monday, 14 December 2009
Breaking the habit of a lifetime
UP until today, I have been what could be considered as "moderately laid back" in my festive planning.
So, in a vain attempt to put myself around before the Big Fella visits, I've been speaking with a neighbour, friend and fellow mum-from-school and have taken the first steps into organising a bit of a do on Christmas Eve.
Granted, people have stuff to do, so we've decided to open up the house for a wine or two on the night before Christmas just purely to catch up and spend time with eachother on our new decking area. Just an hour or two. Promise. That's all I'll need to touch base with everyone before the big day.
To be honest, with just days to go 'til the big event, I'm still more than unprepared for it. I'd like to have champagne and strawberries in bed while the children tear the wrappings off their gifts, then, when calm is restored, we plan on heading down to the beach for a quick dip in the ocean to build up an appetite for the festive feast. All traditional of course. With sprouts, and turkey and veggies galore.
But before that, I have to get my head around the annual Christmas tree purchase. Each and every year until now, I've always got my own way by insisting on a real tree. Not sure why. Just one of those things that I'm hell-bent on. So, this year shouldn't be any different. Until I heard the stories about all things green and real.
We were just about ready to part with our $50 when we spotted a friend in the distance and had a chat. He's been out here for a few years and went on to tell us they also went all out with tradition on their first festive season with a real tree. But never again he said. Especially after wrestling with the over-sized and cumbersome branches to get a few baubles on, then having to pick all the needles up after they dropped all over the floor within minutes of being dressed and last but by no means least... the way the spiders crawl out of them once they're inside and looking pretty.
Not being ready to have Redbacks as part of my overall colour scheme, we grabbed a more than understated plastic variety cashing in at a whopping $11.90 (!!!) and now have the task of trying to make it look as grand as my elaborate arboreal predecessors.
But until we have the house exactly how we want it, I'm really not fussed this year. As long as the boys enjoy putting it all together and there's plenty of gifts beneath it, that's fine in my Christmas book.
So, having broke the back of the shopping today, all's that's left is to work a few shifts to pay for it all, before the boys break up for their 7-week summer holidays from school and dream about a laid back festive season in the sun.
So, in a vain attempt to put myself around before the Big Fella visits, I've been speaking with a neighbour, friend and fellow mum-from-school and have taken the first steps into organising a bit of a do on Christmas Eve.
Granted, people have stuff to do, so we've decided to open up the house for a wine or two on the night before Christmas just purely to catch up and spend time with eachother on our new decking area. Just an hour or two. Promise. That's all I'll need to touch base with everyone before the big day.
To be honest, with just days to go 'til the big event, I'm still more than unprepared for it. I'd like to have champagne and strawberries in bed while the children tear the wrappings off their gifts, then, when calm is restored, we plan on heading down to the beach for a quick dip in the ocean to build up an appetite for the festive feast. All traditional of course. With sprouts, and turkey and veggies galore.
But before that, I have to get my head around the annual Christmas tree purchase. Each and every year until now, I've always got my own way by insisting on a real tree. Not sure why. Just one of those things that I'm hell-bent on. So, this year shouldn't be any different. Until I heard the stories about all things green and real.
We were just about ready to part with our $50 when we spotted a friend in the distance and had a chat. He's been out here for a few years and went on to tell us they also went all out with tradition on their first festive season with a real tree. But never again he said. Especially after wrestling with the over-sized and cumbersome branches to get a few baubles on, then having to pick all the needles up after they dropped all over the floor within minutes of being dressed and last but by no means least... the way the spiders crawl out of them once they're inside and looking pretty.
Not being ready to have Redbacks as part of my overall colour scheme, we grabbed a more than understated plastic variety cashing in at a whopping $11.90 (!!!) and now have the task of trying to make it look as grand as my elaborate arboreal predecessors.
But until we have the house exactly how we want it, I'm really not fussed this year. As long as the boys enjoy putting it all together and there's plenty of gifts beneath it, that's fine in my Christmas book.
So, having broke the back of the shopping today, all's that's left is to work a few shifts to pay for it all, before the boys break up for their 7-week summer holidays from school and dream about a laid back festive season in the sun.
Monday, 7 December 2009
Carolling on the course
WE went to a local golf club on Sunday night for a festive carol singing event. Sitting there in the sun singing Away in a Manger was surreal but then, Christmas Down Under was always going to be different to whatever we've known before.
At the golf club, we were introduced to a new version of one of our favourite traditional carols but this time, with a twist. It went something like...
Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden ute
Kicking up the dust, Esky in the boot
Kelpie by my side, singing Christmas songs
It's summer time and I am in
My singlet, shorts and thongs.
Oh... Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer's day
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time's a beaut,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden ute.
Engine's getting hot, we dodge the kangaroos
The swaggie climbs aboard, he is welcome too
All the family's there, sitting by the pool
Christmas Day, the Aussie way, by the barbecue.
Oh... Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer's day.
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time's a beaut
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden ute.
At the golf club, we were introduced to a new version of one of our favourite traditional carols but this time, with a twist. It went something like...
Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden ute
Kicking up the dust, Esky in the boot
Kelpie by my side, singing Christmas songs
It's summer time and I am in
My singlet, shorts and thongs.
Oh... Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer's day
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time's a beaut,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden ute.
Engine's getting hot, we dodge the kangaroos
The swaggie climbs aboard, he is welcome too
All the family's there, sitting by the pool
Christmas Day, the Aussie way, by the barbecue.
Oh... Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer's day.
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time's a beaut
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden ute.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
New girl... again
TODAY, I woke up homesick. Not sure how that exactly works because Australia is my home now but I felt a tad on the off side.
Although I've been surprisingly fine upto now, I've been told the UK heartstrings inevitably pull - regardless of how many tens of thousands of miles they have to stretch. But they do. And especially at this time of year.
I've said it before and I'll say it again but I really can't get my head around the fact that Christmas is just a matter of a few weeks away. When we're experiencing blistering heats of 35C, I'm in no frame of mind to put together a wishlist for Santa or even buy Christmas cards. For the past 40-odd years, my brain has been trained to celebrate the Noel in temperatures hardly failing to get off zero but here I am, in a hot and drowsy state, trying to put some sort of order into organising our first Aussie festive season.
To be honest, I'll be quite happy to just sit back and let it happen but half of me thinks I should be planning things to keep us busy and our minds on track. Although there will be countless thoughts of how things are without us on the other side of the globe, we have to take stock of what we have and look to the future.
We have two lives running parallel to eachother now. A life with fond memories that will never diminish. Another really new and fresh one in which we're learning all the time. It is enough to monkey around with our brains and emotions but us Pommies are made of sterner stuff ... well, I thought that until this morning.
I feel a little unsettled and I'm putting it down to starting a new job and all the mixed sort of feelings that that brings. In my new role as an allocations consultant at a nursing agency, I feel awkward.
This environment is a fast paced one and I'm constantly being told that I'll grasp the nettle soon enough. I simply hate being the new office girl but really can't think of a nicer place to be the rookie.
The staff and it's bosses are fantastic people and from an outsider looking in, I get the feeling they really look after everyone. And that speaks volumes. Loyalty works both ways and that's why I think I'm missing Leader-land so much.
Almost 17 years under my newspaper belt and no wonder I'm feeling jaded. Ever since I got here, I've been craving getting settled into a job I look forward to going to.
And here, I think I might have found it...
Although I've been surprisingly fine upto now, I've been told the UK heartstrings inevitably pull - regardless of how many tens of thousands of miles they have to stretch. But they do. And especially at this time of year.
I've said it before and I'll say it again but I really can't get my head around the fact that Christmas is just a matter of a few weeks away. When we're experiencing blistering heats of 35C, I'm in no frame of mind to put together a wishlist for Santa or even buy Christmas cards. For the past 40-odd years, my brain has been trained to celebrate the Noel in temperatures hardly failing to get off zero but here I am, in a hot and drowsy state, trying to put some sort of order into organising our first Aussie festive season.
To be honest, I'll be quite happy to just sit back and let it happen but half of me thinks I should be planning things to keep us busy and our minds on track. Although there will be countless thoughts of how things are without us on the other side of the globe, we have to take stock of what we have and look to the future.
We have two lives running parallel to eachother now. A life with fond memories that will never diminish. Another really new and fresh one in which we're learning all the time. It is enough to monkey around with our brains and emotions but us Pommies are made of sterner stuff ... well, I thought that until this morning.
I feel a little unsettled and I'm putting it down to starting a new job and all the mixed sort of feelings that that brings. In my new role as an allocations consultant at a nursing agency, I feel awkward.
This environment is a fast paced one and I'm constantly being told that I'll grasp the nettle soon enough. I simply hate being the new office girl but really can't think of a nicer place to be the rookie.
The staff and it's bosses are fantastic people and from an outsider looking in, I get the feeling they really look after everyone. And that speaks volumes. Loyalty works both ways and that's why I think I'm missing Leader-land so much.
Almost 17 years under my newspaper belt and no wonder I'm feeling jaded. Ever since I got here, I've been craving getting settled into a job I look forward to going to.
And here, I think I might have found it...
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