Week 2 of the break

Friday 27 December

Where did that week go. I can't believe that it's nearly a week since I started my Christmas holidays. But the good news about holidays is that there's time to go shopping ... and I was certainly planning to do my bit. First up ... JB Hi-Fi - but we weren't going to stop there unless I could get a park out the front … and, amazingly, we did - after we'd gone down the street, and turned around to come back up and turn right into Ruthven Street. How lucky was that? Not lucky enough - even though Mum did find the INXS CD she was after … and yes, they were vinyl records they were selling! I couldn't find what I was after there (thus saving my Christmas Gift Card for another day) so we were off to K-Mart … together with everyone else who was after post-Christmas bargains - even though it wasn't Boxing Day!

Next stop, We and Ma's for lunch ... missing Te, Dr and the kids because they had gone to Dr's parents for their family Christmas. Then afternoon tea with Ju, Da and his daughter Sa. Woz is still with us and now that he has been shaved, and lost what must be several kilos of fur, he does seem to be a bit more comfortable, and moving around just a little quicker.

Next up ... Mum's for dinner and transferring CDs to her MP3 player … then back to We and Ma's for a couple of movies … "something something in something", and “We're The Millers”. I think I definitely enjoyed the Miller one more.

It was a relatively late night ... we arrived back just on midnight ... and we know Percy was still up because he greeted us with barking.

 

Saturday 28 December

What's better than paying your toll online? Paying it twice! I couldn't believe it when I realised that I had reversed my registration details when I entered them - not that it's the first time but I usually realise before I submit the transaction. But I did realise - and within the cut-off period. as well so that at least that was a bonus.

Dr, Te and Ch came round to deliver the Christmas presents - and to take Mum shopping out to Bunnings so she could get soil, and some more plants, to go with her multi-level planter present.

I spent some time this morning showing Mum how to use her tablet … which she won't be using for Skyping but looks like she will be using for watching some shows, reading some books, and looking at her photos on a larger screen than the one on the back of her camera.

Then, it was time to drive back down the Range to Latimers - stopping in to see Jo who arrived back from Canada with Ra on Christmas Eve. We ended up staying hours … trying to solve the problems of the world - and some a little closer to home. Even though we had left Toowoomba just after lunch, we didn't make it home until after 9pm - to find the watch dog sleeping, Maggie on the coffee table, and Tinka not far away, and asking to be let in not long after. It was good to be home.

 

Sunday 29 December

Call with Tr - won't be having one next week … No, wait, that's the week after when they go up to the Central Coast with their mates, The Deans.

The Markets. Susan, Steve's sister was there with their dog Grace.

Emine's birthday.

We were going to go to The Big House this afternoon but decided to come home instead … that very well may have been the wrong decision. It was HOT.

 

Monday 30 December

Up early-ish for the holidays and I set out to try out the 300mm lens with some photography at Broadbeach.

Breakfast with the girls at Koi (my second breakfast - had toast and coffee at Alto while looking at my photos. Koi was good though - fresh juices in jam jars with handles. Why is it that a drink looks so much better in one of those? And allows a $8 price tag? At The Big House cocktails in jam jars were just over $10 - so the alcohol shot (if you do get one in your drink - the first time I had one, they seemed to put M's shot of Vodka in my glass!) is $2 - which is probably about right … hmmm.

And speaking of The Big House, we did make it there: CSP - jackpot is nearly back up to $70k and worth winning again. A little play on the pokies. Lunch at Bite.

Then home to do the washing. We were supposed to get rain today and for the next few days so washing that could fit under cover, did and we made sure it was secured so it couldn't be blown away in the wind from a storm.

Trivia. A win ... and a couple of blowouts but over now.

 

Tuesday 31 December

New Year's Eve.

Up late - after resetting the alarm. It's been a while since I actually crawled out of bed at after 10 AM. Neither Suz nor I heard M leave. Didn't hear a sound in fact.

Tinka help me with my breakfast this morning. Rather then stop her, I did take a couple of photographs.

The washing came off the line this morning because it looks like we will get rain.

The plan for today: new pants for Sooz, Yum Cha at Robina and I'm thinking maybe a movie before we clean up the room. Well, we managed to do some of that.

Dinner at Fast Wok with Mouse and M before they went off to other things - Rock & Roll at The Big House NYE Party.

Sooz and I went home but stopped in for dessert at Maccas on the way. I was surprised at how many people were there!

We managed to stay up for the fireworks - but only just - I fell asleep at least once through them even though they were quite amazing. They did whirlybird things on the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and they, to me, were as amazing as the cascade of fireworks falling from the Bridge into the Harbour.

 

Wednesday 1 January

Happy New Year to one and all! We managed, just, to stay awake for the new years eve fireworks as broadcast from Sydney. They would truly spectacular and the worst waiting up for. It would've been better though if I could've stayed awake the whole way through.

I left the girls at home while I went off to the casino to have breakfast this morning. I have always loved their thick white toast with butter and strawberry jam and this morning was no exception. Then it was off to Southport RSL to make the girls and Mouse for bingo. The traffic was a little heavy so I was concerned I would miss eyes down.

Mouse did very well winning two full houses. And that's good because it went into the city and pay for our lunch at flavors@ferry at Ferry Road.

 

Thursday 2 January

Drive to Palmers Island. It is as awesome as S had said!

Max and Coco

Syl skinny-dipping today - her way of cooling off between jobs. And she always has jobs on the go. I'm not sure if she ever stays still!

Max and Coco in the river... with the sharks who, luckily, weren't there this afternoon. I'm sure we would have heard the "Jaws" theme music if they had been!

Lamb chomps and sausages on the BBQ for dinner. Then Scrabble... only one game though as everyone was tired - which could have something to do with the height of the water-table in the area - or that Syl and An spent part of the day doing jobs in preparation for their intended sale of Palmers Island.

 

Friday 3 January

Sooz and I went for a tourist-type drive in to Yamba and then back to MacLean - leaving Syl and An to work on their jobs around the house as they start getting the house ready for sale.

Sooz and Syl off fishing this afternoon - Sooz caught a couple but they had a combined length of no more than 4 inches she said. Syl had caught one this morning which was also small - but it had encouraged her to keep going because by the time she had told it in, another fish had chomped off a big piece of it, leaving only the head.

Cricket watching this afternoon - saw Steve Smith get a Century - scoring the ton by doing consecutive 6's .

Dinner - roast chicken and vegetables - and lemon pudding - all made by An.

Two games of Scrabble tonight. Individual - then teams - An and I against Syl and Sooz. It was close and in the end Syl and Sooz beat us by a mere 5 points.

 

Saturday 4 January

Another sleep-in - it's fantastic being on holidays ... but it was time to get in the car and make our way back to Latimers.

Breakfast with Syl and An before they started on jobs and we started packing to go home.

Big Foot

Rubbish to the bins at the roadside. Had to text Syl letting her how much room was still available - she declined my offer to send her photographs.

Quite heavy traffic on the way into Woodburn - expect delays - holiday traffic - we had thought about stopping there but continued on - only stopping for the briefest of moments to take a photograph of the Big Foot I had spied on the way to Palmers. Then on to Broadwater and Our Daily Bread for lunch. While we were there a child sneezed on us ... hopefully this will come to naught!

 

Sunday 5 January

The last day of the break arrived far too quickly. Call with Tr - last one for a fortnight - they will be away. Tr enjoyed Eugenia. Terri is reading it now - so Tr wasn't allowed to go into details lest there be spoilers.

The Markets were due to be in the Car Park today so rather than braving the Crowds and the heat, Sooz and I went to breakfast at Alto at Broadbeach instead. The Broadbeach Markets were on too, but we gave them a miss and went back to Latimers - where I left Sooz - and all the furries who were inside when we arrived home since it was so hot (but not as hot as yesterday) - while I went out to the movies. There was a huge queue at the movies - all for Frozen - the only movie scheduled for now - and I thought about changing but, with no other options, and really wanting to see Frozen, I stayed in the queue and watched kids playing Temple Run on their iPod - and making it look effortless - even managing to look away from the screen mid-game, as opposed to big people who are glued to the screen every millisecond - maybe she has just played more!

And it was well worth it ... if only for Olaf!