Tis the season to be social.

I thought we were going to have a very quiet Christmas as our family get together had been held a couple of weeks earlier.

Our daughter in law asked us to join her family for lunch on Christmas day, which was a pleasant day, over the years that Fiona has been part of our family we have met on several occasions so we knew all of them. Nineteen sat down to lunch, it was cold meats and salads, so sensible at this time of the year. So many people try to keep with tradition and have a roast dinner with all the roast vegetables followed by pudding, great in the UK but definitely not for our weather. Although the weather was hot it was not unbearably hot which is often the case on Christmas days gone past.

In the Christmas week, we had our tax done which meant preparing lunch, then we had friends over for dinner the same day, only time we were all available.  Then Christmas. Monday and Wednesday saw us entertaining friends that we hadn't seen since we had lived up here. Both couples now have family living in Queensland and had travelled here for Christmas.

It was great to catch up, one couple we met when we were first married about 40 years ago and hadn't seen them for fifteen years. The second couple we met later, Warren worked with the wife in a small office and the boss, his wife and the other couple and us used to go to dinner in and around Canberra on a regular basis.

Today we have delivered the car to the new owner and have tidied up the loose ends caused by making changes. All ready now for the New year. A happy and safe 2016 to all.

Helping out in the community

Yesterday our local paper landed on the door step, I don't often read it but thought I would give it a flick through. During my flicking there was a advert asking for help for families for Christmas and listed the families and their ages and a phone number.

I decided to ring and check it out. They were asking for a hamper or similar and a gift for the kids. I was given family No. seven. They also asked if there could be a gift for mum as well as the two boys, which to me was a given. If Mum is having trouble making ends meet then she is probably doing without, so of course I would include something for her.

I figured that I had a week and was thinking of making PJs but no they asked if it could be delivered as soon as possible. Of course thinking about it, that made sense. No fresh meat or fruit and vegetables could be included as they had no refrigeration at the centre.

I left to shop this morning at 8.15 am but shop were already busy. I had two boys three and ten. I did buy some boring stuff like socks and jocks, again could help them out.

This is what I ended up sending, I had the gift bags and bon bons were left over the cane basket came from the teddies picnic earlier in the year. 

I had enough stuff for three or four presents each.

Funny thing, I was buying some salmon and the small tins 210 gms were $2.30 and I grabbed two for the basket, then I wondered how much was a bigger tin of 420 gms, same price! I changed the smaller tins for the bigger tins. There was no tinned ham but I found enough to fill it, I know it was heavy. It did feel weird not buying meat or F & V

Red hat Christmas party

My outfit for our Christmas party, as it was our Christmas get together, the colours were red and I wore my purple skirt as I don't have red pants or a skirt and I didn't really want to wear black like I normally do.

I bought the shoes which have purple straps but not real sure about them, don't think they are really me. I wore them to work today but think they will be banished to the black hole (back of my wardrobe until Red Hat days when I do wear a skirt some times. My flash hat usually only comes out for special occasions too.

We had lunch at the Deception Bay Tavern, $12 meals for seniors and they had set the table nicely with red and green bon bons, it was a nice meal, we had pre ordered and that means we pretty much get our meals at the same time.

We exchange gifts to the value of  $5 and this picture is what I made. Actually I made a bigger one a couple of months ago, it was before 2016 diaries were available to buy . I put it somewhere and then couldn't find where I put it so quickly had to make another with a 2016 diary so that was all good. (The iron mark did brush off!)

Christmas Decorations.

I know people have been talking about Christmas decorations being out in stores for awhile but I haven't really taken much notice, until yesterday. I went to my favourite shop Spotlight and got the material that I wanted (and a couple of pieces as well that wasn't in the game plan but will make some great Christmas presents).

After I wandered down into the homemakers area as I did want to buy some soap mould and in that corner of the store was row after row of Christmas decorations. One shelf had Santas sitting up the top, there must have been thirty or more, the Santas looked to be about 80cms high, then there were the lights and the tinsel as well everything else.

It is still over two months to Christmas. I am doing a couple of things early as I will need to post them early. From Spotlight I went across to Woolworths to pick up a couple of things and they had Christmas cakes,mine pies and puddings. I did buy a small pudding and some packs of mince pies, they are now in the freezer. I do like the Christmas fruit mince pies and I bought the pudding as they has single serves ones and that is all that Warren and I need so bought it while it was available.

I don't put our Christmas decorations up until December first, even then I don't do too much.

Christmas Eve

Why is it that it is instilled in us (or me anyway) that the house needs to be readied for Christmas? This morning I thought to myself I should refresh the sheets on our bed (for Christmas). It was not even the day that I usually wash on but I started the washing machine anyway. Then I decided that the floor of the bathroom should be washed so took everything out and swept and washed the floor.
Ended up washing all the floors in the house, ready for Christmas!

We are not even having anyone here for Christmas or maybe it was that nothing else was happening. I went to the library yesterday and the post Office (No, not sending anything for Christmas but a birthday present for next week)

I only had one gift to wrap for tomorrow which I did buy yesterday although I had known what I was going to get Warren for his birthday. We had said that our trip to HK next year would be our Christmas present but then he suggested that we should buy each other something.

Anyway the house is all ready for Christmas even though we are going out for lunch.

Merry Christmas and stay safe.

Christmas shopping!

I try to avoid the shops a the this time of the year but I did have one gift to post so toodled off early yesterday,phew not early enough. There was a line up at the post office that went out the door. Luckily they had some-one who was helping to use the self service booth and as I only had one thing to do, she took me over there and did that for me. Jumped about five people in the queue.

Had a few other things to do to finish Christmas shopping, in all I visited five places and it took me two hours  any other time of the year, it would have been 30 minutes.

Actually the bank took the longest, I just wanted some information and was expecting to be able to pick up a brochure but they were in crisis as the terminals were down and there were lots of staff helping people to use the ATM's and laptops inside the bank to assess accounts on-line. I didn't realise that the info I wanted was on-line. Cant remember the last time  I went into that bank, as i use ATMs

Wrapped Chrissy presents yesterday and thankfully it is all done except for food shopping.