Christmas Day 09

The Farm is where we head of course!
There was a big morning tea with pineapple dip of course as well as all the other usual suspects. Oh I do love a plate of Jatz and a bowl of pineapple dip!
There was washing up to be done.

And the Christmas Tree. The tree was actually in the living room but I carried out to the turf to take photos…. I love this tree. I found it on Ebay for $9.95, I carefully waited till the last minute to place my bid, hoping no one else wanted it as much as I did. No one else did and it was mine for the starting price. Let me tell you right now, I was prepared to pay a lot more than $9.95! A quick drive to Ipswich and it was in the boot of the car. It is made in Italy, I guess in the late 50’s to early 60’s. It is a little over 6ft tall and is a combination of white, silver and clear tinsel. I’ll have to take a close up photo today when we go to the farm as it actually have leaf shaped tinsel mixed in as well! There are a few of the little white pine cone branch tips missing but oh when the light catches on the tree doesn’t it looks amazing!

The wind of course picked up when we went to take photos, (hence why we are holding the tree) and the sun wouldn’t stay out for long hence why there is sun in Mum’s photo but not in mine.

160/365
Oh Christmas Tree, 160/365 Oh Christmas Tree

It was just a few little knick knacks under the tree, I got a candy thermometer, Matthew got various fiddle toys, the kitchen got an oven mit etc.

It was roast veal and veggies for lunch which Matthew was cooking. Whilst we waited, Grandad put his legs up (of course) and Mum and I went down to the Black Flat to explore and take photos.

Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day
Exploring the Black Flat on Christmas Day

Then it was time for lunch (lunch round 3pm of course). Bon-Bons with silly jokes and trinkets inside, roast meat and veg, gravy in the Christmas gravy boat and of course dessert. Plum pudding, trifle, flummery, jelly, custard etc etc!

Then you guessed it, time to wash up again!

That was Christmas at the Farm 09. Who knows what next year will bring.

Christmas Eve 09

Another year, another Christmas. This year Christmas was much, much smaller than last year. Christmas Eve it was just the four of us and Christmas Day it was just us four and Grandad.

I woke up on Christmas Eve to see this. Strangely enough, now that I’m on holidays I’m typically up at 5, you just can’t ignore those birds! When I’m at work though it’s the alarm that wakes me some time between 6 and 6:30. I was pulling back the curtains, and saw this most delightful reflection on the window next door.

159/365.
Morning Reflections, 159/365

That was the start to a bigggish day. I had presents to wrap, bags to pack etc etc. It was only six days ago but I know I did something of semi-importance before heading to Mum’s (I think it is kind of weird how even though my brother and father live there as well in conversation I will say going to Mum’s, carrying on though).

Christmas Eve, means Mahalia Jackson, a fancy afternoon tea, presents, four pots on the stove and waiting for it to get dark enough to have dinner. One of the downsides to having an European Christmas is that well we don’t have short hours of daylight in summer do we???? Dinner is of course, smoked lamb, mashed potato, peas, glazed carrots, cauliflower and broccoli au gratin with rice pudding for dessert. At some stage during dinner I asked Pabbi if he had ever got the almond. As it had come to me that I didn’t think I had seen his name in the book. Pabbi’s response was not since coming to Australia. I spoke to soon. As is always the case, Pabbi stirred the almond into the pudding and dished out pudding, making his usual comments of you sure don’t want more….. Well this year Pabbi got the almond! (Mum/Pabbi, has this been written in the book?)

We had a new addition to the table this year. For many years I have adored the Swedish Christmas Candelabra/Candolier that we’ve had but I don’t ever recall seeing it plugged in or lit up. This year, I pulled it apart, stripped out all the wiring and replaced the fake candles with real candles.

So pretty! Adds a fair bit more light to the table as well when paired with the four candles that we usually dine by at Christmas.
Re-made
Re-made

Once the washing up was done it was of course time for the tree. I got a 3L mixing bowl form my Kitchenaid, some biscuit tins (a pretty old Sunshine powdered milk tin and a collectible Milo tin from 2003 when they had the 70th birthday celebrations) and a bag to match my quilt.

Mum had asked me during the week if I had any brittle left from the packages. I said of course I do. When I arrived on Christmas Eve, Mum asked if I had any left….. I said no. One of Mum’s presents was a container of brittle!

That is Christmas Eve….

Christmas 2009

We’ve had our dinner by candle light, we’ve had our smoked lamb and rice pudding. We’ve listened to Mahalia Jackson.
The presents have been opened. Now we retire to rest and look forward to the farm tomorrow.
Merry Christmas, Gleðileg Jól etc.

Lv 12 Christmas

I had the most enjoyable time the last few weeks at work decorating Level 12 for Christmas. There was originally to be a competition between the two floors but due to the drama involving the contract transition as the Chandler Mcleod staff faced uncertainty as to their future it was called off. I still kept on decorating though 😀 This is what Lv 12 ended up looking like. One of the doctors is quite a Christmas nut and brought in a heap of decorations for us to use. One of my most favourite had to be the garland we had across the counter.

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Christmas on Level 12

Sadly yesterday we had to take it all down. Gosh the floor looks empty and bland now!

The time is near

You might have gathered that I have done a lot of baking over the last week or so. Tonight it all came together to look like this.
Packed and ready to go, 156/365

25 boxes full of Christmas sweets. I’ll take more photos tomorrow in better light of the boxes as all I have done since I got home from work round 5 is bag up goodies, pack and wrap the boxes. Ready for bed now!

Just about all done

Every last little bit, 155/365

I now have only one thing left to make for my biscuit boxes and I will do that tomorrow night as well as decorating the boxes so the first set are ready to be packed on Tuesday morning to take to work.

This is just such a striking song, the video clip makes it more so.