Puppies

We see Peter down at the market every now and then.

He has three Rhodesian Ridgebacks, beautiful specimens, and he takes the whole thing kind of seriously, going to shows and all that.

And it just so happens he lives on our street.

So Eloise, dog-fan, was delighted to hear that Peter's lady-dog was in the family way and that she was due to drop around Christmas time.

She agitated every single day to be allowed to go and see the puppies. Initially this was not allowed because the puppies were too little, then because they were too delicate, then because she was just nagging too much and it was bloody irritating.

But finally I relented and we went around and were invited in to see the puppies wobbling around, suckling, sleeping, and pooing and peeing.

A week later we went back to see the puppies walking around, suckling, sleeping, pooing and peeing.

A certain sister-in-law should thank her lucky stars that she won't be required to lick up her offspring's doings.

Another Set of Visitors

After Mum had left, and after New Year, which was uneventful, thanks for asking, we had some more visitors in the shape of relatives-in-law, namely Josie, Nicole's cousin, who lives in Melbourne with her not-quite-husband mAdam; Adam, her not-quite-husband; John, her father and Nicole's Uncle; and Ros, his wife, Josie's mother and Nicole's Aunt.

They came for a flying visit and so we collected them from the airport and deposited them back there again afterwards.

In the intervening day or so we ate ourselves into a state of engorgement and rode the buses and CityCats up and down the river.

We introduced them to another Australian River City, but one where the water is water-coloured and the river can honestly be said to be a river rather then a big stream, and where the subtropical air is sweet with the fragrance of flowers of paradise. Which does tend to bring on Nicole's hayfever.

Anyway I think they enjoyed it, perhaps except the underground bits on the bus.

On another day in New South Wales

We went out one morning to walk the dog and decided to go down to Ballina and see what beaches there were.

The writing was on the wall as we approached our candidate and the heavens opened, prompting eyebrows, so we progressed on the Lake Something Or Other where things were dry and took our chances.

We took an umbrella, sensibly, as a hundred yards onto the beach, raindrops began to fall, building rapidly to a drumroll of water on the umbrella beneath which we all cowered, lowing.

Eventually we came to the conclusion that things were unlikely to improve, and legged it.

Though we did manage a beachy walk later on.

Something woke me in the early morning and I looked outside to see dark and murk, so I decided to take a drive with the dog down to Byron through the valleys. It was a misty drive at first with ghostly groves of macadamias sliding by but then the rising sun reached through an edge of mist and we descended in clear air to find Belongil Beach which we tramped up and down, dodging the high tide surging up against the rocks.

Nightcap National Park

One day, down at Byron Bay, to relieve the obvious monotony of going to the beach every day, we decided on the second or third day to visit a waterfally rainforesty place.

And the place we chose was Minyon Falls in the Nightcap National Park.

The drive there was pleasant, kind of hyper-English as we drove along little country roads under those sort of archy tunnels of trees that are so very nice to drive under. Lots and lots of tree tunnels, and very windy roads in a condition of aged weariness. Then of course there were the extensive macadamia plantations, which were kind of un-English in a counterbalancing way, complemented in that sense by the nice weather.

The road gave way to a dirt track as we entered the National Park and the eucalypts to more exotic woodland and we climbed the valley-side before arriving at the car park. A short walk to the platform at the top of the falls, which weren't really in full flow, but rather a gentle glush across the cliffs which disappeared out of sight across the ledge, with a view below a hundred metres perhaps (but probably not) to matchstick figures beneath wandering around and waving up at us.

We decided to take the walk to the bottom, and so drove down to another car park where there was an idiosynchratic rooster wandering around idiosynchratically with a splendid ruff or comb or whatever, very pleased with himself though no doubt confused to find himself in a rainforest. Perhaps not intelligent enough for confusion we found out as he attacked his reflection in a car hubcap.

The walk itself was warm and steep, and after a couple of km, confusing as it disappeared with limited signage up a tumble of volcanic boulders which we needed to scramble up and over.

We wondered if Mum would make it with her bandaged leg, but she was a trooper and heventually we arrived at a theatre beneath the cliffs where the air turned to rain at the whim of the winds as the glush we saw from above became pulses of mist gliding down to the rocks beneath and the forests behind.

Aussie Christmas 2011

So here we are, having our Christmas Barbecue.

Eloise was up bright and early and has rationalised the Spring Hill Santa Claus Busting, and so was delighted that the real Santa, not some cheapskate imposter, had been and eaten his mince pie (yum yum) and Rudolph had clearly enjoyed the carrot.

And, what joy! They had left her a skateboard and the Rosa book she really really wanted.

The rest of us slowly moved into awakefulness and before terribly long we were breakfasting on muffins and poached eggs, and soon we were out on our Christmas Dog Walk which was quite hot.

It's kind of difficult to feel Christmassy when the sun's out and the temperature's in the high 20s, but we struggle through don't we.

So it was back to present opening and Eloise bagged a feast while the rest of us schadenfreudenly unpacked our adult quotas.

I thank you all for your kind gifts.

Especially Faye who afforded us a happy (and I use that word advisedly) hour or so on a star projector kit made from cardboard. Kind of the Ikea equivalent of a planetarium, only damn fiddly, and you have to make your own stars. With a pin. And we lost a bit.

Laters, we went out to the forest for a barbecue. We made Mum just around as we played football and frisbee.

At sunset we returned home, engorged. As is right.

Clear Springs Cottage

We have been away for a while.

After Nicole's graduation we decided to take a short break from the hurly-burly of urban life and go and hire a cottage in the countryside.

So we got this place down in New South Wales, near Byron Bay, which was nice, and not actually as far away as we thought.

And it had chickens. Which, given we have a girl and a dog, could go either of two ways.

Mrs Clever

Nicole has been studying for a little while for her Master's Degree in Being a Nurse. More specifically, being a Nurse Researcher.

She has had to write a dissertation and everything. Of course I'd like to take credit for the constructive comments and criticisms I made of her work as it progressed, but as it happens she didn't even ask me to proof-read it. And me with my finger on the pulse of grammatical rectitude and everything.

Anyhow I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Mrs Clever who now has two graduate degrees and a postgraduate degree under her belt.

I can take credit for making her attend her own graduation, as she didn't really want to, what with not being interested in standing up in front of a bunch of people and walking across a stage while dressed up in silly clothes - and who can blame her - but, you know, it's an occasion, isn't it.

So we toddled along and set through two hours of people standing up in front of a bunch of people and walking across a stage while dressed up in silly clothes, after some other people dressed up in slightly different silly clothes made dull speeches and before some other illustrious personage, also dressed in silly clothes, pontificated about something or other.

Luckily Eloise had to go to the toilet and so there was some respite.

Nicole was afraid of falling over, but she didn't. And she is now a Master of Advanced Nursing Practice. So good for her.

Christmas Cheer

Our hand was gently forced into putting up the Christmas Tree and bedecking it with lights and so on and so forth.

We'd previously attempted to buy and Advent Calendar. None was available without some sort of branded tie-in, so feeling that this somehow failed to capture the, you know, spiritual essence of Christmas, we refused to get one.

After all, when it comes to telling the story of the Nativity and all that, does Dora the Explorer really cut it? Or the Disney Princesses? Chuggington?

I mean I'm no Jesus-freak but really.

The Dreaded Carol Concert

We've been treated to spontaneous carol renditions at the dinner table for a while now as school-time rehearsals have been resonating in the proto-psyche.

The other day it was time to reap the fruits of the whirlwind as the class held their carol concert.

Punctual as ever I arrived just as things got underway so I found myself a little spot and pointed my camera in the general direction of the action as we were treated to Aussie Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Whotsit, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, etc.

It was nice.

And afterwards there was a slap-up buffet type thing. Nicole and Eloise had made some Banana Bread/Cake. It was a little crumbly. I had a few handfuls.

The Dreaded Dance Concert

And so, back to Dance School for us, for the Dreaded Dance Concert.

But with this school, no punishing schedule of rehearsals, costume fittings, photo-shoots, no outlay on tickets for the Queensland Conservatorium.

Just a simple concert at the Dance School.

Not that this was without its drawbacks: the room was big but the crowd was bigger, and there was no room to swing the proverbial cat behind the tape on the floor past which no member of the unsuspecting public could venture without fear of unspeakable injury.

But that was the only drawback really. The concert itself, in stark contrast to previous affairs which lasted for HOURS somewhere in the distance with kids dancing frankly not very well to rubbish music, indistinguishable from one another under layers of stage makeup, this was short with the kids right in front of us, and the dancing was actually OK! Less said about the music though, the better.

Oh, and Eloise got a "high merit" for her ballet exam too. From the Royal Academy of Ballet.