So far our holiday & Christmas prep has been pretty chilled. There was the usual six and half hour drive north from the city but we took our time and leaving ahead of the holiday traffic, suffered only the boredom of a trip we’ve made too many times for there to be any residue of novelty.
There was also the usual stop at the MIL’s and shops but we minimised the duration of both. We arrived home to a tidy-ish house, and had a bet on who would arrive first: LHS neighbour’s cat looking for snackies, or RHS neighbour looking for a chat. RHS neighbour won by a whisker… we chatted for while, dispensed snackies, dispatched the unpacking then settled with a simple dinner and glasses of wine.
Prior to retiring we hit the shower, and discovered we had company of the eight legged kind, in the form of a grand-daddy long legs (arachnophobes will be happy to know our dodgy internet won’t cope with image uploads). I’m the spider lover of the two of us, so I advised Spidy to stay put and all would be well. It was, but I was unsure of what the score would be post the G.O.’s shower. Surprisingly, both of them came out the encounter intact, and Spidy’s reign over the back bathroom continues.
I tested out our new internet coverage arrangements and confirmed they are pre-historic. I was able to look at our bank balance online but unable to transfer any cash… I can see Facebook in slo-mo, and who has been posting via my Gmail In-Box, opening posts is hit & miss, and commenting appears to be out of the question.
Still, the blogging world isn’t far from my thoughts, as early Saturday morning while I was hanging out washing I saw two colourful bugs hanging off the clothesline, doing what comes naturally and thought of http://picsandstuff.wordpress.com/about/, my bug loving fellow blogger, who’d have been back out there with her camera taking insect-style paparazzi shots.
Today, Christmas Eve, we forayed to the shops for last minute festive provisions. Not needing much, we were directed by the helpful customer service assistant, [who a couple of days previously solved my ham bag dilemma by directing me to the shelf above the hams… obviously a hiding in plain sight display technique] suggested the Fast Lane would be appropriate for us, which the G.O. took literally and queue jumped our trolley ahead of a basket holding, bandana wearing local who was clearly and vocally unimpressed with the multitude of drop-ins… “I’ve never had to line up before…”
After a stop at the fishmongers as the G.O. queued to park the car, I queued in bank-like fashion while cheerful seafood shop assistants flung the great Aussie festive dining essential: prawns, into plastic bags with ice, and had monosyllabic conversations with fellow queuers… “are you in line to pay?”… “no”… “yes”… well merry Christmas to you too…
We were greeted by similar festive cheer when we looked in at the MIL’s where only the brother-in-law was home.
Me: “We’ve couldn’t get a jar of oysters over the road but we’ve got extra prawns, do you want some?”
BIL: “I don’t eat them.”
Me: “What, prawns?” [having seen him chow down on them during previous festive occasions]
BIL: “No, oysters.”
Me: “We’ve got prawns.
BIL: “I don’t eat them either… you have to peel the sh!t things…”
I’m guessing the BIL also no longer eats onions, oranges, bananas or anything that come out of shrink-wrapped plastic.
As we happily drove the 30 km’s out into the hills towards home, away from the crowds, such as they were, of the small town of Macksville on the Mid-North Coast, I reflected on our morning, and summed it up to the G.O. “I guess the festive spirit eludes some…”
We’ve had sunny, warm, breezy days and after waiting for the temp to drop, the G.O. is doing that most festive thing, mowing the lawn. I, accompanied by Christmas carols and my own off-key singing, am cooking a chook and small Madeleine shaped vanilla cakes for my deconstructed trifle…to go with the blackberry jelly, passionfruit jelly & cornflour custard made yesterday, and fresh peaches.
Merry Christmas from EllaDee and the G.O. at Taylors Arm 🙂
Even if the power of the internet is not with me, my thoughts are with you…
daleleelife101.blog 
have fun elladee, enjoy the break, spiders and all!
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Thank you. I am back and catching up on the blogging world which despite having a lovely break, I missed 🙂
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And a Merry Christmas to you too! Sounds like you are having a wonderfully chilled time!
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Thank you – it was one of our better breaks. Lots of time at the beach 🙂
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LOL! Sounds suitably laid back, nearly as much as us (a quick foray geocaching yesterday and a visit to a new supermarket). Christmas Eve, deliver my last remaining cards, and we are sitting around chilling out reading in peace and traquillity.
My internet was terrible earlier, don’t know if it was browser issues or connection but I was getting zilch response, so it’s not just out in the sticks where people have problems. Us city Christmas people have them too 😀 (Better now, obviously, and touching wood).
Season’s Greetings to you and GO and Spidy.
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We did a lot of reading in peace & tranquility as well 🙂 The G.O. read and finished The Secret River by Kate Grenville which Marianne remonded my was about convicts settling on the Hawkesbury River, after I wrote The Matthias & Eupam post. I was a little disappointed with the books I took, and wished many times I had internet so I could read blogs.
I had to relocate Spidy to the verandah when I cleaned that bathroom… he stayed there quite happily for a couple of weeks but returned to the bathroom just before we left… very civilised really.
I think internet dramas are ubiquitous… just when we can’t live [forever] without it…
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According to my date thingy, it is now Christmas Day in Oz, so a very Merry Christmas to you both.
Your description of driving an all too common route is so true. I loath the three hour drive to Yorkshire, and that’s only half the length of yours 😮
Your Christmas sound idyllic, escaping from the rat race and beautiful weather too….. ENJOY!!
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Thank you. I hope you had a wonderful festive season. Our 3 weeks passed pleasantly and not too quickly as we didn’t try to cram too much in. The ‘real’ world however, has been a little hard to get used to 🙂
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Just once, I would love to spend a Christmas Down Under or there-abouts. I don’t want a tropical island Christmas but one in a land with many of the trappings of home (mall Santas, holiday lights, etc.) but also gardens in bloom, sunbathing weather, and even lawns to be mowed. Maybe one day I’ll show up on your door step, EllaDee … well, once you’ve assured me that the beast in your bath is no more.
Wishing you and yours a very memorable Christmas and wonderful New Year.
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You would be quite welcome on my door step… I’m not sure what you make of it though but it would be an adventure. Many consider 6 hours from Sydney, then 30 mins out into the hills to be too too far from civilisation. I can always relocate the spiders 🙂
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Merry Christmas, EllaDee! Have a great break.
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Thank you. I hope your’s was great also.
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Have a wonderful Christmas, my dear!!! 😀
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Thank you. I hope you had a wonderful tropical Christmas. I’m back at my desk and hit the ground running but hope get time to catch up on all the wonderful blogging I missed 🙂
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I know you might not get this until afterwards, but I really wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas EllaDee, I hope your time away is relaxing and your Christmas is wonderful.
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Thank you so much. I see you had some hot hot Victorian summer weather. Hope all is well 🙂
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Merry Christmas from a very soggy Sydney, where it has poured with rain all day and had a few bouts of thunder and lightning thrown in! So much for a BBQ at Bondi! lol
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Thank you. I’ve probably missed you… but despite the hit & miss weather I hope you had a wonderful Sydney stay 🙂
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You have missed me – we flew to New Zealand on January 3rd.
We had a great time in Sydney though 🙂
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Merry xmas to you, the G.O., and the unexpected critters too 🙂
The Man indulged in a little festive season mowing too, I think there is some sort of social conditioning involved as the neighbourhood rang with the sounds of mowers and chainsaws on xmas morning!
Have a great time while you are away, and I hope that when (not if, please not if!) we get that big tatts win in a few days you guys are one of the ones we are sharing it with 😉 That way you will never have to come home! YAY! 🙂
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How lovely you are 🙂
I hope one day you get to visit us, not in boring Sydney (well that would be nice too) but when we make our escape to the Mid North Coast, and on our travels 🙂
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It’s a deal! We’ll see you in the Kimberley, we’ll have to coordinate campsites 😀
(Actually, we have a friend who is working up there in the diamond mine at the moment who keeps telling us to visit. We managed when he was working in Alice but I think the Kimberley is a bit beyond our petrol budget! 😉 )
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Sounds as though things were going just as they should – and I hope Christmas lunch went swimmingly and you and the GO are now well into your break and feeling relaxed and summery, walking the beaches, surfing and coming back home to a bit of this and that and a nice simple meal at the end of the day.
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You must have a long looking glass! That is exactly how we spent our break… I hope your break was equally nice 🙂
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Hope you had a wonderful holiday respite! Sorry the stores were so trying. But at least you are far from them now. 😉
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Thank you. I can see a Grandma H from you… I’m trying to catch up but I get to that one as soon as I can. I think stores, and people in genral are always trying, and usually I’m up for it but I’d found my mellow holiday self quite qucikly 🙂
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LOL. Indeed a Christmas Day of Grandma H stories. 😉 Aw I’m so glad you enjoy her stories. When I lived in NYC, I used to online shop. Or shop on Thursday night when everyone was at the bar hooking up. Easiest time to get personalized shopping attention. 🙂
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