Xmas and New Year 2012

There is a song that goes "what a difference a day makes......:, well we would like to take some poetic license and just say what a difference a year makes!! We have had a wonderful Christmas and New Year Year with our true family and friends, away from the prejudices and agendas of last Xmas, just simply having a great time. It has been a wonderful few weeks.

Katrina & Malik.

We arrived at Shellharbour, and had a fantastic week organising the Xmas festivities. On Xmas morning we arrived at Bev & Fred's house, to start the day rolling. We met Katrina's fiance Malik for the first time, and instantly knew we would get on famously. Cocktails were arranged, Mojitos were the cocktail of the day, and the celebrations began. Fred & John immediately started on glazing the ham, and getting the chook in the oven. This was closely followed by a beautiful Rib Roast of beef, Fred's famous potato bake, Bev's crunchy Vietnamese salad, and a seasoning loaf courtesy of Carolyn. What a feast!! The cork was out of the Moet, the Xmas crackers that Katrina had made were cracked, and the celebrations were underway.

The Xmas group at Bev and Fred's.

We knew we would get on with Malik, when we were told of his wicked sense of humour. He is a gifted artist and had promised to do a painting for Bev. Imagine the look on Bev & Fred's faces when the wrapping was removed to reveal an explicit nude painting of a blue  headless man, really well endowed, just leaping off the canvas!! The silence was deafening, as Bev & Fred were trying to work out where to hang this extraordinary gift from their future son in  law, when he announced he was only kidding, and produced the beautiful paintings he had actually prepared for Xmas. It was laughs all round, and "blue boy" sat in pride of place for the remainder of the celebrations.

Bev & Fred

Xmas Cheer

The afternoon called for games so we wouldn't all need a nap. Malik failed the test and napped anyway. The rest of us played Katrina's new game, Uno Stacko. What a blast. We whiled away the hours. The evening came, and some how we managed to saddle up for more food, followed by an evening of Chevy Chase as he destroyed Xmas and most of his neighbourhood for the 10th time. Followed by Home Alone, it was time for bed. A great day had come to an end.

The Anderson clan Xmas 2012.

Next day it was off to John's brother Ian's home at Picnic Point, for the annual Anderson get together. It is a great tradition, and this year was no exception. Ian & Lynette went to a lot of trouble, and the day was a huge success. Sister Jenny wasn't herself, still suffering the effects of those horrible migraines. She will be spending a good amount of time in the New Year, following up with doctors, getting to the bottom of her troubles. The whole clan was there. How much has everyone grown up. It seems so strange seeing Simon and Daniel sharing a beer. It seems like only yesterday they were sharing a bicycle!! The one thing for sure, there is always tons to eat, and constant laughter. In the background, the new generations are still watching the Boxing Day Test on the TV, and relaying the scores to us oldies. Some things never change. My dear departed Uncle Bob summed it up best at an Anderson family reunion, when he declared "the Anderson's are a big mob, and there isn't a dud amongst them!!" Good one Uncle Bob!! 

As with all great days, they come to an end. We headed back to Shellharbour, full of wonderful memories. We have had a fantastic Xmas. Thanks to all that helped make it so special.

From Shellharbour, we headed across to our other "home" at Camden, to spend New Year with Cheryl and Chris. Manager' Darren & Karryn give us the usual warm welcome, and we are soon settled into our usual site. Cheryl & Chris have wasted no time in getting organised, and that afternoon we are off to the movies for the first of the after Xmas blockbusters. First it is Les Miserables. We love the music from this wonderful play, and are very impressed by the way it has made it onto the big screen. We leave thoroughly depressed, so can only assume the movie is a success!! Next day we do it all again. This time it is The Hobbit. Being someone who loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I have to say I was disappointed. It seemed to lack the reality and drama of the trilogy. I found it quite corny. The kids in the row behind were quite traumatised, and we were only in 2D!! But still, that is just my opinion.

The rest of the week was spent around Cheryl & Chris' pool, just being lazy, and being fed from what seems an endless supply of food and drink that seems to multiply in Cheryl's fridge, as if by magic. She leaves Gandolf for dead!!

New Year's Eve 2012 with
Cheryl & Chris.

New Year's eve was relatively quiet. Dinner down in Camden at Mr.Tang's Chinese Restaurant. We were joined by Cheryl's brother Gary and his wife Pam. We all walked home, and were thankful, as on the way back, the booze bus was working overtime on the road into Camden. We had a great feed, washed down by some lovely cold beverages, and then headed back to Cheryl's for celebration drinks to await the televised Fireworks presentation. We all looked the part, as Cheryl had bought New Year hats for the boys and funny New Year glasses for the girls. We saw in the New Year in style, and Carolyn & I waddled back to the caravan around 1.30am.

The remainder of the week flew by. A game of golf at Moore Park with Keith for John. I even bettered my handicap for the first time in a year, which was nice a surprise. A day out with Robyn was on the cards for Carolyn, which we followed up with dinner with Nancy & Keith. We arrived home exhausted, and declared Thursday a rest day!

A final catch up with mum for lunch, and it was time to hitch up and head north for Coffs Harbour, and a really exciting start to the New Year.