Christmas and Boxing Day Celebrations

Just eleven of us on Christmas Day, the only children being the five year old twin girls. Mother was kicked out of hospital on the Thursday and she attended. Her moaning about her health and fragility led R to think she is not long for this world. I think as long as she keeps complaining about her treatments by all medical services, self diagnosing what medications she should and should not take, and starts a phone conversation with me saying 'Oh love, I am in a terrible way. The doctors don't know what they are doing', with her voice so shaky. Five minutes later, her voice will settle down. Ten minutes later as I am trying to hang up, she sounds quite happy and rational. 

For the record, myself and R. Mother and ABI Brother, Tradie Brother who hosted, Sister, Bone Doctor and Jo, Hippie Niece and her partner and her five year old beautiful twin latte coloured daughters. 

I was inventive and this year we travelled to Mornington Peninsular using the Western Port Highway and aside from a bank up at the Hall Road roundabout, it was quite smooth sailing, taking an hour. I think it was one and a half hours last year on the freeways/toll roads. We took the freeways and toll roads home and it only took 45 minutes. R thanked me for my planning. So he should. It could have gone terribly wrong and there would be much less than thanks.

It was the usual Christmas fare, with various cooked meats and vegetables. It was preceded by fresh prawns. I don't mind prawns but I only ate one as I lost two minutes of my life to remove the shell for minor pleasure. I think we export prawns to Vietnam for locals to shell and they are sent back here to be sold to be sold as fresh. I prefer shelled prawns, even if labour in third world countries is exploited and the prawns arrive at the table with a lot of travel miles. But I can easily live without them. 

Boxing Day was repeat and rinse in some ways, but a bit different. Mother was exhausted by Christmas Day and so she did not attend for the first time, and stopped her carer, ABI Brother from attending for an hour as she was so unwell, she could not be left alone. We all encouraged ABI Brother to come for an hour, but no, Mother would not let him free. Boxing Day was quite chaotic with maybe 30 people there, including three babies under 6 months, two two year olds, a five year old girl and an eight year old girl. It is unlikely the family will grow anymore, but there is the danger Hippie Niece will want a child with her current partner. She has settled now but she was to put it crudely, unstable for a number of years after the birth of her twins. I don't think she should have another baby and nor does anyone else. It was rather hot on Boxing Day, too hot really. We were exhausted and even though we slept well that night, the next day we felt very lethargic. Thankfully a cool change blasted in mid morning. 

Tradie Brother had decorated and planned Christmas Day so well. In spite of the efforts, the food was quite ordinary to say the best but it wasn't for a lack of effort and like I could do better. It would be KFC and Red Rooster if left up to me.

Table decoration with large pieces of gum tree bark around both inside and out. 

While the the water air con was working well, I asked if anyone was too hot and if so, I could turn the overhead fans on. The result would have been such fun, but everyone yelled, no!

You can't see much but the hose going up to the fibre glass corrugated sheet roof over the outdoor area sprays over shade cloth above the roof and drops the temperature underneath considerably. There is some dripping below at the edges of the roof, but that is ok.

You have to look closely but the round horizontal pipe drains from the roof and has drip holes that keeps the ferns well watered and lush. I don't really know how it works but it also adds a cooling effect.