Peaceful post-Christmas

It is always such a contrast - the hectic whirly-burly of frantic activity leading up to Christmas and then the quiet, peaceful calm post-celebration. Admittedly I shy away from the 'sales' where I understand frenzy reigns, so tend to find the city streets almost deserted. Last Christmas holidays the weeks were spent peacefully driving along the empty roads to and from Cabrini Hospital where my darling was a patient (his thumb reattached by a plastic surgeon after his circular saw accident, but his continuing fight against infection needing constant medical care). This year we are again in Melbourne, thankfully injury free, and spending our days quietly 'pottering'.


One of our regular walks is through the lovely bushland, wetlands reserve which runs along the creek close to our home. The cycle path runs through this area and was the reason we bought this particular house (see a previous post 'City living'). This morning the weather was inviting so we set off and only 2 or 3 minutes later we were in this beautiful place. If you look carefully in the above picture you can see a heron atop an old stump in part of the swampy, wet area, whereas below shows how dry the undergrowth really is.


Since our hot, smoky days we have had some rain which has made a difference to the grassy patches - and you can even see some 'green' beyond the gum tree in the following image ...


The dogs always accompany us and today was extra-special for them as a ball was found. They are quite good at sharing ...


but are so enthusiastic with the chase they return home exhausted but always wanting you to throw it again. Roger headed for some shade while Jess went straight to the water bowl.

Christmas

We left a smoky Melbourne and arrived at an even smokier cottage. I spent most of my time quietly inside and on Thursday a huge bank of smoke rolled in from the bushfires to the east of us. Visibility was greatly reduced and the cows looked quite eerie in the gloom as they came in for milking. Friday brought a change and then on the weekend the rain came. Here is the storm approaching from the south west ...




The countryside has dried off so much.

We spent a wonderfully relaxing few days away, returning on Christmas Eve. After a lovely afternoon tea with dear daughter's in-laws we had a light meal and then went into the city for the 9 Lessons and Carols at St. Paul's cathedral.


It was a beautiful service with crowds and crowds of people. I was so pleased for at Christmas a multitude of joyful worshippers singing carols is just right. After a quick look at the Myer Christmas windows - so lovely - an Australian bush nativity from a book by Mem Fox, we returned home to the final present wrapping and mulled wine by the fire.

It was a white Christmas in the hills where only a few days before hand the fires were raging. We experienced the coldest Christmas Day on record (we have had the strangest weather of late). After bagels and coffee or milo, we attended church returning to open presents, then enjoyed a late 'brunch'.

We all gathered in the evening for Christmas dinner with a couple of extra guests who kindly joined us. It was a memorable meal. I had a book on the table and encouraged all present to write about something that happened this year for which they are thankful. It is good to ponder and give thanks.

This Christmas season has been so pleasant. Maybe it was that I was better organised, or perhaps because we were away from the city during the really busy time or was it due to our Christmas dinner being in the evening allowing a more peaceful, unhurried day. I don't know but it was wonderful to be with family and friends and I climbed into bed with a contented, thankful heart.

Pre-Christmas activity

Our tree is up and decorated, and due to popular demand this time we have gone for a traditional yet streamlined approach. For years, each Christmas I would make the children decorations which were added to the tree with the expectation that when they had their own homes they would take their decorations as a collection for their own tree. In recent years our tree was looking quite 'overloaded' and even though dear daughter has hers, we still decided on a simple tree with the extra decorations placed around the house.

The baking is done with mince pies ...


shortbread ...


and gingerbread ...


as well as brownie, fruitmince slice and Christmas cake all being happily consumed. Cards and gifts have been posted and all that is left is to spend the next few days quietly at the cottage.

With all the bushfires in Victoria, it is hot and smoky and my darling took this as the sun rose this morning.


In the city we have water restrictions and lawns are dried and brown, some shrubs are struggling even with our washing water being put on them. At the cottage it is usually lush and green, only drying off in February, if at all, so it will be interesting to see how it is when we arrive tomorrow. We have tank water there and until a few years ago the tanks always seemed to be overflowing with the constant rainfall. Not so now.

Anyway the forecast is for cooler weather at Christmas. Lovely. If I don't get to write again before Monday, greetings to you all and may this Christmas be a time of blessing for you and your family.

Preparations

Christmas preparations are underway. A few days ago I made the fruit mince and I have just finished typing up our annual family newsletter - with lots of good news and celebrations this year. My darling has been away on camp and just dropped in briefly complete with bus, boys and boat on trailer.

As I looked up from the keyboard I was greeted by this.


Our dogs are not indoor dogs but they were very disappointed by the very brief, aforementioned visit, so being kind-hearted ...
This is so typical of our mother and son duo. When we travel to the cottage Roger finds a comfy spot and settles down for a sleep, Jess is constantly on the lookout and once we leave the freeway is driven crazy with delight by the country smells as she hangs as far out of the window as possible.

Anyway, back to Christmas.


Here is my bowl of freshly made fruit mince for mince pies. I make it every year, the same way. It actually starts in February when I bottle the roadside apples that we pick. I always save at least one bottle as the base for the fruit mince (I'm sure freshly stewed or a bought tin of apples would do just as well).

FRUIT MINCE

1 jar bottled apples (about 1 lb)
4 oz butter
2 lbs mixed fruit (any but include some cherries and dates)
8 oz brown sugar
grated rind and juice of a lemon
1 heaped teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 heaped teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons brandy

Mix the butter into the apple (it helps if the butter is softened or even melted slightly). Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Keep in fridge.

***

This morning I decided to make some plum jam. It is early for me to do this as I usually make it from the plums picked by the roadside near our cottage - and they always ripen later than in the city. However we do have some little plums, that I have always ignored, right in the backyard of our city home. After watching the birds eating them, and the dogs licking away at the fallen ones, I decided to try one. They don't have as much flavour as the wild ones but I thought if I added some cherries it may help. I made half the amount of my normal batch and here is the (unlabeled) end product ...

City living

  
When my darling first started working in the city he commuted from the country town where we had been happily living for a number of years. We had bought an old cottage with lots of character, including a fireplace in the bedroom (one of my dreams), beautiful views and a place where I thought our grandchildren would be visiting us. Not so. After two years of him commuting/staying in the city several nights a week and our charming son having to board, we knew it was far from ideal - we would all have to move.

Melbourne was not familiar to us, so initially we started looking at homes close to his workplace. In the area, houses were put up for auction with the estate agent giving a price guide rather than being for sale with an advertised asking price. It was a new system for us and we did not like it all. Houses regularly went for $100.000's more than the guide and 'dummy bidding' was common. It was all too uncertain and often appeared dishonest.

We found out that a certain distance from the CBD some homes were offered for 'private sale' rather than auction. So we went to a small agency which had three available, we viewed them one afternoon (never having been to the suburb before) and chose the one near the cycle path so my darling could ride to work. Done.

As it turned out it was another 3 1/2 years before we moved in but what a pleasant surprise once we did. We have easy access to most places, public transport is close, much parkland is nearby and of course ... the cycle path. All wonderful, but not being a city girl I have to continually remind myself of all the blessings as I often feel like a round peg in a square hole and that this was not my natural environment - I need fresh air, lots of space and chooks!

We are very privileged to have our little country cottage and so I had the idea of telling myself that I 'lived' in the country and just worked in the city during the week. Hmmmmmm .....

We have been in this house for 5 years now. The children are older, contented and a joy to be around, dear daughter and her prince live nearby and now with their precious babe due who would want to move? Well, we started investigating. My darling obliged by joining me to looked at other areas, other houses ... thinking, pondering ... and do you know, none of them had all the benefits of where we are now! I think it was a case of "you don't know what you've got till it's gone" but fortunately we didn't have to wait until we lost it.

I now come home and enter the front door with a smile on my face, it is good to be here. In the morning I look into our lounge and think "how nice". Our home is tiny (really!) by today's standards but I appreciate the smallness, the coziness of it which encourages us all to be together and to communicate. By those same standards we have a large block of land and have plans to add to the vegetables and fruit we already grow by putting in an orchard, we have plenty of room for Roger and Jess and although I would love to have chooks again I can happily live without them.

No, I still don't think of myself as a city girl, but I am getting used to life here and really don't want to move. Also I believe it is a good training ground for my future life in the eternal city "as we're marching upwards to Zion, the beautiful city of God!"

PS. Above is a view above the opposite rooftops - there is beauty in the city.
PPS. Judge Judy from the tribunal (see previous post from early November) rejected the planned 3 storey plus 2 storey dwellings a developer had proposed - HOORAY!!!

Advent

I have been viewing a number of calendars via the www so decided to write about ours. We started using Advent calendars when the children were young (and had little self control when a lot of chocolate hung temptingly in their room!) and we were living in England. When we returned to Australia these calendars were not easy to find so I decided to make one for each family member and fill them with a variety of things every year. Yesterday, being the first Sunday in Advent, the sermon was about joy which fits in well with my advent calendar. Mine was actually the last one I made and I used part of an old tablecloth (hence the stains which show up very clearly in images!).

While photographing mine I noticed this one ... was it one of the children's? No it was my darling's!

Judging by the crumpled foil, he is at least enjoying it.

I wondered how the others were faring ...

Above is our delightful son's and this ...

is the charming one's (he is away at present so shall have a feast upon his return).

Now that dear daughter is married she hangs hers in her own home but I still fill it and put two of everything in each pocket for her and her prince. I guess next year she will be filling one for her own precious babe. Family traditions are a wonderful thing.

Weekend away

The weekend in Canberra with dear daughter was full of 'catching up', mostly with relatives but also friends. Grandma and Grandpa met us at the airport and it was quite hot when we arrived (33°C), so we spent the afternoon relatively quietly (dear daughter had a nap). It was that evening and the next day that the social times occurred and it was lovely to gather with so many. Dear daughter hadn't been to Canberra since Grandma and Grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary last year and although most were at the wedding it is hard to spend lengthy times with all guests at such celebrations. My sister-in-law has a new home and it is perfect for family gatherings so a dozen relatives met at R's for dinner on Saturday. Lovely. Dear daughter also spent much time with her special cousin who is the same age, Grandpa thought they were "just like sisters" (neither of them has a sister).

One surprise this visit was dear daughter recognising a classmate, from her schooldays in country Victoria, at Grandma and Grandpa's church on Sunday morning. I agreed it certainly looked like him, but couldn't possibly be ... but it was. It can be a small world. It reminded me of when my darling and I 'bumped into' friends from the same Victorian country town at Hampton Court Palace this past English summer. How does this happen? How many do we miss if we pass by just a few minutes earlier? Are we somehow drawn to meet up by a type of 'familiarity magnet'?

The flight back was a little bumpy and the poor babe was active - probably quite disoriented with the 'fair-ground' ride. Flying is definitely not one of my favourite activities and I have planned for all my future long distance journeys to be by ship. The Melbourne-Canberra flight is short (less than an hour) and compared with the hours and hours of driving it is much preferred when on a short visit.

My darling coped well while I was away, the cost of groceries took his breath away though ... maybe this should become a regular activity!