Christmas and New Year

So, I'm now back in China, and updating my travel journal retrospectively, and it seems a long time since Christmas especially... but I think it is worth documenting.

Arriving back from Sydney, Mum and Dad had collected the Christmas tree, which was now waiting to be decorated. Mum had laid out the decorations and was waiting for us to first install the lights and tinsel before letting the children loose on the decorations for the branches. It was a perfect tree, well proportioned and with lots of little branches for ornaments. The smell of the pine needles permeated throughout the house in the heat of summer.

One of my true joys in any visit to Melbourne, is stocking up on fruit, meat, fish and other delicacies from the fine food emporium otherwise known as Prahran Market. My family has been going to the one fruiterer there for about, oh, 30 years, Pino Narduzzo & Sons, to give him a plug, and his fruit is the best I've ever experienced, in fact to such a degree that I don't really like eating fruit when I'm not in Melbourne! Once, only a few years ago, I saw him in Surfers Paradise and invited him and his wife up to our apartment to have a drink with my parents (who are his true customers), and ever since then he keeps reminding me of how I spotted him there! The deli section of this is to be drooled over too, with counters upon counters of glorious olives, cheeses, dips, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, roasted peppers, breads, crackers, cured meats, nuts, mueslis, oils, vinegars, cakes, turkish delight and so much more. It is to me a true part of Christmas the stocking up of the pantry and fridge with nibbles and snacks to indulge in. Not to mention the oysters, smoked trout, sausages and beautiful steaks and chicken breasts in the Butchers arcade.

Didi got the idea of presents this year, and each time he saw a present he would say "A present for MEEEE??", and on Christmas morning when he woke early to find his stocking by his bed, he was excited to open the present... he opened his first one and was excited about the contents, and then wanted to go and give his other present in his stocking to his sister, and found it hard to understand that both, TWO, presents were for him!! When Jie Jie woke up a bit later, she was delighted to find that Santa had answered her wish and brought her one more toy dog!! And a load of dog accessories.

Our friends Gaby and Deano have a Christmas tradition of a champagne brunch on Christmas morning, and we were pleased to make it over there and enjoy in some champagne and a few delicious treats, while trying hard not to eat too much knowing that we had a full lunch being prepared back home!! And it was good - turkey roasted in the BBQ, ham, roast veggies, crunchy greens, gravy and cranberry sauce, followed by Christmas Pudding. We were lucky to share lots of presents with fun ones being mixed in with practical!!

The week between Christmas and New Year was quiet but busy. The kids spent a lot of time playing with their new toys, and we organised some outings as a small family, knowing that straight after New Year, Mike would be heading back to China. We went to the Melbourne Aquarium, St Kilda beach for lunch with some friends who were getting married in the new year and met their baby, swimming at the Harold Holt Memorial Pool and to the Arts Centre to see "Charlie and Lola" live in concert. All simple sounding activities, but all fabulous to do as a family.

New Years Eve was pretty quiet, and we were lucky on New Years Day to have some friends who live in New Zealand drop in for a quick visit. Fantastic to see them and see how their son has grown in a year, and lucky because they were returning to NZ and Mike back to China early on the 2nd January! Next leg of our trip over!!