Christmas came and went II (the real thing)

How much can you write about christmas? Guess it was busy.

So, we went on chrissy eve (after church, and the packing of the entire car, cos we couldn't do that on saturday could we, including all mum/neville/em/thom's presents- our car looked like santa's sleigh) and all stayed in a holiday house (me and pete, sister katy and partner, mum and neville and little bro and sis). And sister mim and nephews were there in the daytime/s.
The cooler weather was nice cos it meant our chrissy dinner was a bit more climate-appropriate. In the afternoon, I kept moving to the quieter end of the house, but there wasn't really one. Hence I kept moving.

Boxing day we had birthday celebrations for the one sister at a park. All went back to the house and 4 of the adults holed up in corners with their christmas present books. We left around 8 or 9pm, minus my oven mitts, as I later discovered.

THEN (oh no, I'm not done yet....), Wednesday we had a 'rest' day ('rest' day meaning i got to sleep in past 8am, wash all the clothes again, water the garden, unpack the presents and repack the suitcases).

Thursday we drove down to my dad's, in south gippsland. Seeing as I am still digital-camera-less, here's a photo that was taken last year, from dad's back house yard fence, looking at what is some of their land (down to just past the bottom of the hill, and off to the left). they have about 25 acres.



So that was very peaceful and pleasant. Dad was back at work the days we were there, but we didn't leave until saturday (last) night. Got home not long before midnight;)

He now has two clydesdales (named Bonnie and Jay), to add to their two dogs (Bobbie and Muffy) and their 6 calves (5 little black angus cross bull calves and a jersey heifer calf called lily-beth). And a crimson rosella and two umm turtle doves? That I am serious about, although there's no partridge in a pear tree. Last time we went they had a galah called spud but he is flying free with his galah kind nowadays.

We did a lot of gardening and yesterday dad was in there picking up some stuff and he grabbed hold of a tiger snake. I was standing near him and saw him pick it up and fling it down again. Lucky it was half asleep. I ran in one direction. Sharon ran in the other. I threw him a big stick, Sharon threw him a shovel. Lucky it didn't know which direction to run either. I think the being airborne bit confused it as well. he hacked at it and chopped off it's head and we all stood around for the next half hour a bit dazed.

After we recovered from that, and loaded up the ute and trailer with a bunch of rubbish, we went to...dah dah dah daaaahh... The Tip. I confess we did. I remember going when I was a kid. Not since. I made pete go a couple of times in sydney/nsw and dump some stuff, but that was at weird sanitized? regimented nazi versions of the tip where they make you pay your weeks grocery bill to get rid of a few bags of rubbish, and looking around at junk is strictly forbidden.

This may make me sound like a weirdo feral to some people, and perhaps confuse others, but oh well.
This occasion was just as i remembered it from my fond childhood experiences, although slightly more regimented. Although dad was friends with the (tip officials, for lack of a better word) and so we could discreetly fossick to our hearts content. 'Tip-ratting' is what we used to call it. The object is to find things you either want/need for something, or can sell to someone else who wants or needs it. I think there is a grand continuum that goes op-shop, clearance sale, tip. The stuff from some should be at the other and the stuff from the others could be at the first two. (Depending on your level of bother, general cleverness and depression-era mentality. And people really shouldn't put rubbish in op-shops. Just throw it out. Ask Neville) Can't be bothered explaining my continuum any less cryptically. (It's an hour to next year and I feel like I should have gone to bed before. Looks like I might actually stay up and see it in this year.)

So, as I was saying. The tip. We were there so long (an hour?) and there was no shade except under the car and in some blackberry bushes, so I got very sunburnt. I had a hat on so my face didn't. This morning in church people kept commenting and I must have said 20 times 'yes i'm sunburnt, it wasn't intentional' and when they asked how i would reply 'i was in the middle of nowhere and there was no shade, except under the car in the gravel, or in a blackberry bush' and my mum wondered why i was so evasive to everyone until i told her i was at the tip. I couldn't be bothered explaining 20 times that I was at the tip, cos i would have had to explain being at the tip to most of them as well. A bit too much on a sunday morning at church. And i was singing up the front too. Except for the sunburn, I probably didn't look like i'd been at the tip. (Did i tor??? ;) )

Pete is watching some old dick tracy mystery movie.

Some of my little green tomatoes, when I got home from holidays, had been blown off their plants by the wind and were lying around the vegie patch, and one had gone so far that it was lying way on top of a pumpkin-vine-leaf, and i only saw it when I stood up.

I think this post is far too long and if i forgot anything it sure can wait.