Friday 30 December 2016

Christmas–At Home

 

IMG_5662

Merry Christmas everyone!

2016 Christmas Day was spent

at Paul & Mel’s with Grahams family.

Tom and Merel are here from Brussels. (and I finally got to give them the quilt that I have been making for years – post to follow)!

IMG_5656IMG_5657

Mel went to lots of effort, with lots and lots of food!

IMG_5658

We had the boxing Day ‘Cheese Board’ at our place. Georgie got to dress up in her Christmas collar!

And, Lizzy decided she loves kids…….

IMG_5659

…and food!

IMG_5660

I’ve run out of space for the Christmas village, its totally out of control!

This year I’ve added, a tearoom, some clowns to the carnival, and a group of dogs dressed in Christmas costumes…. Smile who’s going to dispose of this junk when I’m gone?

IMG_5640

 

IMG_5642

Apart from the village additions, I controlled the rest of my urges and bought no further Christmas decorations this year! The house is FULL.

I don’t think the decorations will come out next year as we are planning to spend Christmas in London… But our planning is in the early days, might not come off yet!

IMG_5639

IMG_5636

scan of post it 001

Wednesday 21 December 2016

Its Christmas–With Kim’s Work!

 

IMG_5610

More Christmas cheer this year!

I’ve made reindeer noses for the staff and our  friends.

Well I didn’t really make them,,, but assembled them..  I spent an awful lot of time printing labels out and putting it all together.. not to mention the tweezers and the glue to stick the sequin on Rudolph's nose….

IMG_5612

Also, again, not to mention that you can’t buy proper Jaffas anymore! What's that about.

After driving all round town, I used a Darell Lea peanut cluster for the red nose,  which was yummy!

Everyone loved them. Very successful.

IMG_5614

We entered the hospital Christmas decorations competition.

We didn’t stand a hope! Some of the wards and units where fantastic.

Pharmacy and radiology had brilliant decorations (X ray deer). I hear kids ward was amazing and I went into a corridor in the community health building that was like Santa's grotto!

IMG_5616

We had a blow up reindeer, kindly donated by Bunnings. Its was made up to look like it had been hit by a truck….

The new tree was unfortunately covered with specimen jars –  not my idea….

IMG_5617

Nothing to do with me..

Do you really think I have any control! Ha Ha.

IMG_5632

IMG_5633

Our Christmas party was at the Grand Hotel, which is sort of our local….

We are closed now until January 3rd. It was chaos on the last day. We are redecorating our nurses station. We had to move all the computer terminals and paperwork. We also had to discharge and transfer our last patients out!

Whew – now to get my Christmas shopping done.

IMAG0047

scan of post it 001

Tuesday 20 December 2016

Its Christmas ! - with the car club

 

Car Club Christmas

Above is Graham and I looking very festive!

This year the ‘Classic and Specialist Car Club of Northern NSW’ Christmas party was upstairs at the bowling club.

Graham did his usual duty as president and presented the awards.

Car Club Christmas 3

We also played games….

Below is Gary and I knocking down bottles of water with an orange that was hanging in the leg of a pantyhose that was tied around the waist… We also did the making a snowman by wrapping a victim in toilet paper game… our team were hopeless at everything!

Car Club Christmas 2

_______

Then the next week it was the Christmas BBQ at Dumaresq Dam.

Santa visited all the kids, and some of the big kids too.

IMG_5629

“Please Santa can I have a new/second hand Ford Focus for Christmas?”

“Ho Ho Ho, have you been a good boy Graham”?

IMG_5619

Big crowd this year.

It was bizarrely freezing after all the warm weather, lots of people had to resort to wearing their car rugs to keep warm!

IMG_5622IMG_5623

Here’s the club BBQ again, its all self contained in a trailer, easy to move about.

More Christmas stories yet to come!!!

scan of post it 001

 

Saturday 3 December 2016

Quilt - ‘Millions of Minions’ !


IMG_5593

A cot quilt for two of my work ‘Minions’, who got together and produced a tiny baby girl.

IMG_5597

Willo was born 6 weeks early and before we could even hold the baby shower. I finished the binding on the quilt the day she was born which was cutting it fine….

IMG_5598

I’ve even got minion wrap and a card to match!

IMG_5599

As usual, my own design and quilted by Art n Quilting studio. 

IMG_5601
IMG_5594

I’ve got another quilt to hurry up and finish before Christmas so I need to get a wiggle on with that!


scan of post it 001

Tuesday 22 November 2016

Mystery Run 2016 – Day Two

 

IMG_20161127_day 2

IMG_5488

Much cooler today, and what a beautiful day it is!

IMG_5489

Our first stop was Black Head, which is north of Tuncurry off the lakes way. Very pretty spot.

IMG_5491

We had morning tea at Tuncurry. Then drove around to visit some of the beaches.

IMG_5496

No Whales.

But isn’t the sea a magnificent colour.

IMG_5500 

Then lunch at Smiths Lake.

IMG_5499

We spent Christmas here in 2009. One of my very first blog posts!

IMG_5498

The house is still there and looks the same.

(Which is more than I can say for US in the 2009 Christmas Day pic below. My boys have lost lots of weight since this photo, and broken up with both those partners. And Seth dog is long dead)

anyway – back to the Mystery Run….

The afternoon was spent with some free time.

There are 19 cars and 37 people on the trip this time. We ended up at the pub instead of the club tonight as they were happier to provide a courtesy bus.

scan of post it 001

Monday 21 November 2016

Mystery Run 2016–Day One

 

Its time for the Car Club Mystery Run for 2016.

IMG_20161127_Title

As in previous years we only find out on the first day in which direction we are heading. Although we did have an inkling that this year we wouldn't be going too far, and that we were only going to stay in 2 places.

At least that saves with the packing up every day!

IMG_20161127_Day 1

So the news on the first day is that we are heading to Taree.

Turning at Nowendoc and heading down the 90km of dirt road to Wingham.

IMG_5480

Not been this way before.

What I always like about this trip is that we go places we normally wouldn’t be bothered with!

IMG_5484

Its very dusty, and its jolly hot too.

33 degrees, and the only air con we have is to wind down the windows.

IMG_5486IMG_5487

Everything in the boot was caked with dust.

The boys will be all out washing their vehicles this afternoon.

I think I had mild heat stroke by the time we got to Taree, not helped by the hay fever tablets giving me a raging thirst.

IMG_20161127_Taree 1IMG_20161127_Taree 2 

Anyway, lots of water an a cool shower and I was okay.

scan of post it 001