A Merry Christmas

This morning Christmas past was brought to memory at a very early hour!!!
I think it started around 11 pm last night when the neighbours, who have 2 small children, were toiling away putting Christmas presents together. Unfortunately for me they were doing it just outside my bedroom window.

But this is Christmas and it started to bring back very pleasant memories of when my children were little and I toiled until all hours of Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning to get the kids' presents put together and presentable after coming home late from the work Christmas party. I think that the worst one was a tin plate kitchen set for my daughter. Complete with stove, bench, sink and other things that I don't remember now. The big problem was that the instructions to put the things together was in CHINESE!!! Great fun!!!

Then !!!!!!!! The kids next door woke up and wanted to see their presents arrayed in the back yard next door. Again, just outside my bedroom window. The hour was 4.45 am!!!!!!!!
Joy To The World and all that. At first I didn't go much on the noise as it took me a little while to realise what was going on, then, like a flash from the blue, I realised that it was CHRISTMAS MORNING!!!!
I laid there and listened to the whoops and cries of joy as they saw what their wonderful parents had toiled so hard to put together last night while the youngsters were sleeping.

I still didn't know what it was until I ventured out of my cosy bed, still half asleep, and looked out of my window. Lo and behold!!!! There stood a fully erected trampoline complete with netting sides and a netball/basketball ring free standing at the side of the house.
Those kids just didn't know what to play with first and I am pretty sure that they had other presents inside just waiting to be opened.
That was when the realisation hit me that living here in Queensland, we are so far away from family and I really started to miss the kids and grand kids. Memories started flooding back of Christmases past when my kids were small and still believed in Santa. The laughter and kisses and cuddles when they opened their presents was as if it only happened today.

Last Christmas wasn't as touching as today as there were no young children living next door.
I would dearly loved to have been able to just join in their joy with them for a couple of minutes, but that was pushing neighbourly friendship a bit too far as we have only just started to get to know them.But all in all, it made my Christmas seem just that little bit closer to home and all day I have been thinking about what my kids and grand kids were up to today.

Enjoy your Christmas and share the joy where ever you can.

The Wet Season

Looks like the "Wet Season" is finally here although it is a month late!!
Last month was the driest November for nearly 30 years with temperatures from 30 to 36 Celsius for days on end. There was no rain for 23 days. We finally had a decent rain on 23 and 24 November with 47 ml and 24 ml on those days. But it was still stinking hot.
December has set an all time record with the coldest December day on record in South East Queensland. Today the maximum was only 18 degrees in Ipswich, and it was bloody cold. I even got out my trackie daks and put some socks on.
I checked the rain gauge about 1730 (5:30 pm for those non-service people) and we have had nearly 60 ml since 0700 (7:00 am) this morning.
Hopefully the rain will ease off for a day or so to let what we have had do some good and then drop some more.
With the dry we have had over the last month, the ground is almost water resistant and it needs intermittent rain to wet the sub-soil or it will just run off down the drains.
But I suppose I can't complain. I have a 10,000 litre water tank full to over flowing and a good hose that reaches to the bottom of the garden for when its dry. The only things when its so dry is the ants and other insects that don't like me watering of an evening when they are settling down for the night ----- and they bite!!!