Travelling Tassie and Meandering around Melbourne

Thank God all the school holidays are over and we were once again able to get out and about on a touring course.  It seemed liked the first week of February all the NINKERS and those foot loose and fancy free began their travelling as the plain was full of people our age and everywhere we went it was all 50 plusers.  Why because its cheaper and obviously no kids. To view all of our Photos from Tassie click here

Why did we choose Tasmania?  Well Derek had never been there and me well I went in 1976 as a part of a school excursion so along time ago and we wanted to do travelling in a car, just being able to stop where ever when ever with no real plans no bookings and to explore, experience, taste and see somewhere with out being on any real schedule except we get there on one date and leave on another.  This was also to see what planning we might need to do for our Europe trip as well so a bit of practice.

So how was Tassie?  Lets say Tassie does rustic really well - everywhere you drive you see beautiful rustic old homes, sheds etc, they do views to die for really well - every corner there is a view  that you just have to get a picture of, but for me they really don't do quaint all that well.  I was really expecting to drive through towns and villages and have beautiful little cafes and restaurants that served Devonshire Teas,fresh local Tassie food (you know seafood, lamb etc) fire places, nice old furniture but in the main that wasn't to be.  We did however eat a lot of toasted ham and cheese sandwiches.

Our travelling started in Hobart the only place we had booked accommodation - and just as well as the Wooden Boat Festival was on - this was fantastic and made the Harbour come alive,  full of beautiful wooden boats of all types and a real fun and vibrant feeling - well worth being there at that time.  The weather was fantastic, clear blue skies (if you exclude the smoke from the fires on Mount Wellington that were burning that weekend) and nice and warm to take your time wandering around the water front.  I can only image the buzz that's there when the Sydney to Hobart is on.  The whole precinct was alive and it made for a fantastic start to our holiday.  We stayed in cheap and cheerful accommodation as we didn't want this holiday to break the bank (after all we have bigger and better things coming up in the near future) - Hotel Collins was within a few meters of the water front and I will say the room while just a little tired was very clean and the staff probably some of the best I have ever experienced anywhere - so nice, so friendly, so helpful and they looked like they loved their jobs - well done Hotel Collins it was a great way to spend Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon and evening.  Can highly recommend the seafood at Flippers a takeaway caravan on the water - the trevella was to die for and all of their various offerings were tasty, well cooked and served up so that taking them to the various tables around the harbour easy.

Next day was Port Arthur day - a nice drive and through some great scenery, unfortunately much of this area had been devastated in the Xmas Fires and it was heart breaking driving past miles of burnt out homes and forests, however the drive was still very pleasant with good look out points along the way (Devils Kitchen and others).  I liked Do Town - just a lot of houses who have names with the word Do in it on their letter boxes or houses - that made it fun when driving through - our favorite was Do F#ck All, it was a unique and fun town to drive through - well done Do Town.

Port Arthur itself was good and the admission prices included a boat trip and a tour - we obviously did the boat trip, but elected to just walk around at our own pace (you could spend a good day here) we ended up getting there around 11 and leaving about 2.  Me I personally loved the historic gardens which were alive with color and fragrance as you walked through.

Next day we decided we would head for the Franklin-Gordon national park area and head for Strahan - WOW a big drive through mountains over 400kms we did and most of it was not at high speed.  The views where however fantastic in a lot of places and we got to Queenstown as the Queenstown train got in (a tourist train) and the only thing really in Queenstown to do.  It did seem we did a lot driving this day and there wasn't a lot to do along the way nor was there anywhere really to stop and have taste Tassie.  We got into Strahan around 5ish and stayed at the Strahan Motel - another lovely cheap and cheerful, large room, bath, nice mini bar (which was full of Tassie delights including full bottles of Tassie wine, Tassie cheeses and other nice things) and again great and cheerful service.  We choose Strahan because when we drove into town there were several restaurants  take aways, cafes etc and lots of activity on the waterfront - unfortunately none of those where open at 6.30 when we went down to explore and dine - well only 1 and of course it was the 5 star $100 a plate type place which wasn't in our budget.  It was a shame especially given it didn't get dark until 9 pm and there where literally 50 other couples on the waterfront disappointed - the IGA did well that night for ham, bread etc.

Cradle Mountain was next on our calling list so after a few hours we arrived, it was quite cool when we got there so had legs and jackets on, but the day warmed up later in the afternoon to be quite hot - so had to get changed into shorts and T's to continue our exploring of this wonderful, picturesque  location a must see while in Tasmania.  The parks do charge a fee to enter but at the top part of Cradle Mountain there are shuttles to take you to all the major walking tracks - some go for days and others only a few hundred meters, but there is a walk for everyone as well as the convenience of a shuttle to take you from one station to the next.  They also have a nice cafe with a good selection of foods.

We had now completed the south and south west regions (all of Tasmania is broken into tourist trails which is good - we completed a few in these few days) but don't be conned, there is a lot of driving to do in Tasmania especially if you take the tourist routes and even with 6 days there were areas we didn't get to.

After leaving Cradle Mountain, we headed North through Sheffield, Railton (the home of the Topiary  Deloraine , Launceston and onto the North coastal town of George Town.  Where possible we did take the tourists drives and stop at look outs or places of interest as pointed out in the various tour brochures.

George Town was another lovely little coastal village and quite a big bigger than Strahan, we decided we had had enough of driving hundreds of kilometers each day so decided to stay here for 2 nights.  Staying at the Piers Motel we had a water front view and they also had a nice restaurant  pub etc so it was nice to be able to just walk and have a drink and feed.  We spent the next day doing the town and local areas museums (there is quite a lot in this area)  and they have quite nice beaches so guess what Derek did - yes metal detecting for half a day and didn't do too badly either.  We also did a Fairy Penguin tour that night which was so fantastic and probably a highlight for me of the trip.  Watching these little penguins waddle up the beach was so beautiful and they came right up to us (not that we were allowed to touch them, but they did walk right over our feet).  It was a great place to relax after such a hectic schedule and rejuvenate, however it too lacked any real charming and quaint restaurants serving local cuisine unfortunately, nice food, great service, everyone so friendly, but we were wanting to taste Tassie as much as see it.

After feeling a bit more relaxed we headed North West to Stanley - for our last night and I am glad it was here we were having our last night as this place really delivered on everything which was probably why it was booked out - although we did secure a fantastic studio room at the Sea View just outside of town, but with great views of the town and sea.  Stanley really has everything, great views, Nut Hill Chair Lift (a fabulous way to get up the top of Nut Hill), quaint streets full of interesting shops, some great eateries and guess what serving local food and other good tours (Seal and other type tours) so all in all a great place.  After securing our nights accommodation we were starving and headed into town for some lunch and scored - I wish I could remember the name of the cafe (but its in the main street and has fabulous views) but here they had perhaps my most favorite of dishes ever - Scallops in Pernod Sauce and served with risotto style rice for $22.50 each - not just 3 or 4 scallops but I must have had a good dozen fresh Tassie scallops in a beautiful sauce with some lovely Tassie wine - I was in heaven.  The service by the owners was impeccable and we stayed much longer than we had originally anticipated, but this was what we had hope to experience along the way.  After lunch we slowly meandered around the town which had some great shops I of course enjoyed the local providore shop that sold great Tassie foods, chocolates, fudges etc, I love these types of shops.  

With the afternoon setting in I went back to Motel while you guessed it Derek went off down the beach for some more detecting - I enjoyed sitting on my veranda with a good wine watching the world go by.  We had booked into the motels restaurant for dinner as the menu was also full of local foods.  Given neither of us had ever tried Abalone we decided to start with this - what do I say, didn't hate it, but probably wouldn't go for it again - but it was beautifully served.  We followed this with their Grim Beef Rib Fillet - superb so tender and just melted in your mouth this was what we had been looking for all holidays and Stanley didn't let us down.   Well done Stanley.

The next day we started to Devonport where we were going to board The Spirit of Tasmania for our trip back to the mainland.  Taking the scenic route from Stanley to Devonport is a fantasic drive don't take the highway as this part of the journey is lovely.  

Getting onto The Spirit of Tasmania in Devonport was sort of a let down - if you ever go ensure you take cash - their ATM only gives out $50 at a time and charges $2.50 for each transaction.   To be honest this was a big let down and quite an expensive way to get to Melbourne.  After leaving Devonport at 7pm, you head for something to eat and there is expensive and a chew and spew type cafeteria - the rooms were small and after dinner we went to bed, waking up at 4.30 so you can disembark at 6.30.  I really would not recommend this at all to anyone.

For me one of the things I love most is taking photos of the flora and Tasmania didn't disappoint with beautiful flowers everywhere The Tassie Flora Collection

We finished up our trip with 3 days in Melbourne, given we were in so early at the Motel by 7am,  our room obviously wasn't ready so we spent the morning walking Melbourne and back to our Motel in St Kilda (apparently about 10kms we walked) so a well earnt afternoon snooze was next on the agenda.  Met up with old work mates for dinner which was fantastic and got back to our motel at 3am so a big day.

Other friends joined us at the motel for Saturday and Sunday and we had a great couple of days touring St Kilda and Port Melbourne, drinking, dining and generally just having a great time.

Would I be going back to Tasmania in the near future, probably not, but generally it was quite a good holiday I would give it 3 smiles overall.

Celebs, cruising and cyclones

Its been an exciting 2 weeks in the NINKER house.  After finding those guns on the beach Blog on Gun Find, we were for a few days inundated by media - radio interviews, news interviews , news papers couldn't seem to get enough, then generally people calling to chat about this unusual detecting find from all over Australia and even some relatives OS saw it , which seemed a little strange to us - obviously no news that week. Here is one of the many articles on the find . The GC Bullies Article   It was all very exciting although it would have been better if we had found a gold nugget.  That filled in though a few exhausting days of being celebs.

 

I was also asked to be a guest blogger on Open Forum Bloggers which added a little more excitement to the week here is the feature for all those who missed it Guest Blog.

 

After all that excitement we decided now that the fridge in the boat was fixed, it was time to head out and get away from it all, especially given the main school holiday period was finished and the waterways were a little quieter.  We headed out on the Saturday and returned on Thursday as we began to feel the weather changing as Cyclone Oswald started to make it move down the coast of Queensland.  We had a great week out, the weather was peeeeeeeeeeeerfect -water was peeeeeeeeeeeerfect and I was able to sit and watch the tennis while sitting on the back of the boat so with wine in hand, sea at my feet, tennis on the TV and Derek off finding riches ($6) life was pretty good. When the weather is great one of the things I particularly love are the sunsets but of course being able to jump off the back of the boat and swim in cool clean waters is one of the best things about the boating life.

 

It was just as well we headed back on Thursday because by Friday morning our seaways and coast had begun to change as Cyclone Oswald got closer and while they were no longer calling it a cyclone, it was a close to it as you could get.  Of course our heart goes out to all those people who where so badly affected by this event, it was once again heart breaking to see what the weather was serving up.  For the full weeks photos click here

 

While we were not overly affected, living on the water always makes you nervous especially high winds, combined with high tides and then 600mls of rain on the mountain above you is a combination for some heart in mouth syndrome.  We were extremely lucky though and other than getting more water frontage than we normally have, somehow the Gold Coast got off lightly once again.

 

 

Yesterday Derek was desperate to get to the beaches after such wild weather as his is apparently the best time to find things on the beach.  Our beaches certainly took a battering and that foam and bubbles where still in abundance.  The humidity was 100% over the last few days causing the GC to have a blanket of fog that looked like it was raining and cold, but in fact was soooooo hot.  It was sad to see the beaches in such a state, only a few weeks ago I took some photos of a perfect GC beach and now they look far from that.  The surf was still big and looking quite dangerous.

 

Here are a few comparisons in a few week

 

A few weeks ago

Yesterday 

Booked a trip to Tasmania yesterday for next week (2 weeks in Tassie and Melbourne) and also finally booked our flights to the UK from May to August - looking forward to that trip just over 2 full months of driving around the UK will be heaps of fun.

 

Rifling through the sand dunes

Wow what a day today.  As you all know we have taken up doing metal detecting since D1 gave Derek one for Christmas.  While so far we will not be rich with our few small finds of $10 here and $10 there, but today showed us what other things you can find on our beaches.

With the boat is still out of action we did decide for the last few days to take a picnic, go to the beach and at least try our luck.

Yesterday we went to the Tweed and had quite good luck there, but today we decided to stay a little closer to home.  The day was perfect for the beach so we headed to Runaway Bay area - Shearwater Park - its a nice little beach area where Derek could detect until his heart was content and I could help until I got bored and then I could swim, sun bake and read.

Not long into our journey this morning and the detector started going ballistic, and Derek started digging.  Soon it look like he was digging his way to China but the detector kept going off and over quite a large area so carefully he dug around the area.

All of a sudden, there was something in sight and not all too pretty - a blanket with a rifle barrel sticking out, we carefully continued the journey to pull the blanket out of the dunes and found not 1 but 2 rifles.  What to do??? 

Call the police and report it, which is obviously what we did - and soon they were there and unraveling the  rifles from their blanky. They also asked him to use the detector around the area to see if there was antyhing else around.

Exciting stuff - certainly added some adventure to our day, and while this obviously doesn't provide us with any wealth it was exciting and shows just what is buried under the sand you walk on. 

After all our fun, and the police leaving with the finds, next minute the Gold Coast Bulletin arrives so the day was full of adventure. 

Check out all our photos Photos of our rifle find

Check out the Videos Video 1 of our find, Video 2

Remember riches come not from gold, but from the moments of your life that bring you pleasure

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

As the mercury continues to rise around Australia hitting the high 30's and into the 40's we are all feeling perhaps a little more lethargic than normal.  It seems its difficult to really go anywhere to escape from the heat unless you are in air conditioning.  Even the beach is too hot on days like this!  Earlier in the week however the beach was perfect.  As I looked around this week it seemed everything was so clear - water, skies, glass etc and everywhere I went you could see reflections of the world in these things.  

Me well I love this weather and it seems like too many years since we have had a summer of hot days, full of  unlimited sunshine, blue skies and somewhat predicable weather (no storms brewing, no consistent rain falling) to me this is the summer I grew up with - of course we didn't have air conditioned homes and cars back then and most didn't even have a pool, we made do with hoses, sprinklers and cold showers in those days.

We have felt like we haven't done all that much this week, until yesterday when someone said - so what have you 2 been up to and then we started to prattle off the various things we have done - although most were either day or half day adventures we did seem to do a lot including some nice Nanna Naps in the air con as the heat zaps away your energy.

We had our last visit from our new found relatives from Texas and we all went out on the boat - which was a lot of fun, the boys (8 and 10) especially enjoyed being Captains for a while, but it was a nice day out and it was sad to see them go.  They were though especially kind and said, hey we have a house in England which isn't used if you want to use that for travelling - THANK YOU VERY MUCH!  We have our home listed on Home Exchange and while we have had some fantastic offers they were not at times or places we specially wanted to go to or when we wanted to go, also now the D2 has moved back home it does make the home exchange more difficult, so this is a perfect solution for us ..... we had really wanted to do a driving trip around UK this year and to be able to take our time and explore.  We are now able to do this - YAY!

So with that the next day we were off to the book shop to get some Lonely Planet Guides and travel agents to get brochures  to begin establishing where to go, what to see etc.  I have really enjoyed plotting this journey this week and with the heat dragging you indoors, this is been a good project to focus on.  

We went Antiquing at the Gold Coast Antique Fair at Jupitures which was really fun, it was good to look at all of the stands and their various items and what is valuable and what isn't, so a good indoor activity in the heat.  Amazing the things you remember from your childhood that are now quite valuable.

We couldn't really go out in the boat - a) because the fridge is still being repaired - grrrrr and its not great to go under ice for more than a day and b) have you seen the jelly fish around the Broadwater this week - its like a sea of Jellies, apparently though this is a good sign of a healthy waterway. News on the Jelly Fish Invasion

The finds from Currumbin

One of the finds at Burleigh

One of the Photos I took at Currumbin

A few days were spent on Currumbin and Burleigh beaches earlier in the week when the weather was peeeerfect doing detecting - and this week we actually found some real treasures yes $10 (we will be rich in no time) and some other bits and pieces.  Derek was like the beach Piped Piper as all the kids followed him around.  Of course I helped a bit, but have learnt to take a chair, book , camera and sit on the beach while he goes off for hours.  It was a great week for surfing at the beach and I must admit I spent quite a lot of time on these days walking the beach and going for a swim - very relaxing, very uplifting on these hot days.

The bone needed to be picked up and chewed

A trip to Buderium to visit Dereks Uncle and Aunty who were house sitting up there - Dereks Uncle Derek is a very good cook so we knew a good lunch would be had and we were not disappointed - another great meal Derek Senior thank you.  Derek Senior is in the Australian version of Come Dine with Me which airs this week on the food channel for anyone who has Foxtel. Article on Derek Seniors Come Dine with Me episode this week

My favorite photo of us this week

Another few days having lunch with my Mum and then the girls rounded off a week of family catch up and some new adventures. As well as lots of swimming and sitting in our theater with air condition blasting, wrapped up in donnas filled in the rest of the week.

The week after Christmas - HAPPY 2013!

The week after Christmas always seems to go so fast and you tend to look back and wonder what happened to it.The Week After Christmas Album

I suppose after clean up and catch up from Christmas there goes a few days.  We didn't seem to stop though  and I am sure one of these days we will have a lazy day - so far they have been few and far between even though.

Detective Derek

I have now officially been a NINKER for 3 months now and I really can't believe how fast that time has whizzed past ... weeks disappearing is quite usual now for me.  To be honest I can't really remember what we did on what days, but we went to St Tropez Cafe at Sanctuary Cove for lunch one day (can't remember now which day that was which is always good ), we headed down to Main Beach a few mornings for some detecting with Dereks new toy - and the beaches where beautiful, its so good to just walk along the beach on beautiful days (full of negative ions - did you know that? Negative ions are more prominently found at the beach and waterfall areas and they are fantastic for your skin and well being - must be why we feel so good) did we find anything??????  A good question - yes it definitely works and if you count 100 bottle tops  6 tent pegs and some sinkers - well yes we did - so far not the riches we were hoping for lol, but it is a fun past time and good exercise walking, bending down and sifting through sand (the tops of my legs are getting a very good work out).

How beautiful do the beaches look!

We headed out on the boat for 3 days as well, it was pretty choppy and windy the first day but we stuck it out and found a lovely cove to pull into where there were not hordes of people and we had a nice small part of beach to ourselves.  The waters were warm and I got to have my first jump off the back of the boat for the season - very refreshing.

As always the time flies by on the boat as we read, fish, go out on the tender, do a bit of sun baking etc.  We headed to Paradise Point for New Years Eve for the night which was really enjoyable, lying up on the pointy end as I like to call it, sleeping bags, wine and of course Teddy curled up - lots of activities on the waterways, parties over at Sovereign Island and just as the sun was setting a pod of Dolphins even decided to come past to say Happy New Year - they did a few tricks which we all enjoyed - and it seemed quite special.  We saw 2012 in at Paradise Point last year as well but on land and it was raining and we had promised ourselves that this year we would be on a boat - how fast that year went when we looked back on it and started to think of all the things we had done in 2012 - it will definitely go down as a year of change for us.

The 3 C's of life: choices, chances and changes ~ You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change..Happy 2013

Not sure what the woman behind is harping on about

Happy New Year

Have fun, we are out on the boat and.have.been for a few days now, enjoying a Gold Coast NY.

A NINKERING Noel

So there is nothing like arriving home 1 week before Christmas after having just spent 3 weeks being waited on hand and foot, not having to lift a finger, doing nothing .... but get up and walk to a meal to bring you back into the reality of life.

We had not prepared anything prior to going, and there really wasn't anything to buy as pressies on the cruise or destinations we went to ..... so we were totally unprepared.

Arriving home though the girls had decided to ensure we did not forget Christmas ( I do think they thought we might say, we are going away for Christmas)  and had put all the decorations up - it was lovely to walk into your home and have all your decorations up (thank god for Facebook), apparently they looked at last years photos to ensure everything was in the right place.

For those who don't know, the only souvenirs I collect in my travels are Christmas Decorations (Derek, well he likes T Shirts), and I am very particular on where these go.  Over the years I have collected 100's of these from all parts of the world and I love to get them out of their packets (receipts etc still intact) , to remind me of all the wonderful memories of places we have been, people we have been with at the time etc and as a family we tend to reminisce of the stories of what we did in that place, talk about the people we were with at the time etc.. Its a good thing to collect as who wants a house full of this stuff all year, but Santa on a Gondola, or Frosty the Snowman holding the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the 3 Wise Men (bought in Bethlehem) etc are so lovely at Christmas and most people who come over during the Christmas period are keen to see the latest in the collection.  This year we were able to secure a new Christmas Stocking from Raffles in  Singapore, a bell from Brunei (if the place doesn't have real Christmas decorations I get a bell - every Country, City and Town seems to have these) and I Climbed the Harbour Bridge Bauble. 

So arriving home with just over a week before Christmas, 2 suit cases full of dirty clothes, a house decorated, but in need of a real clean and nothing prepared, we were for the first time in 3 months under the hammer to preform and on a deadline.  The only deadlines or dates we have had to remember for 3 months were airport times .... so this was a bit of kick in the guts and being as relaxed as what we have been at first seemed a bit daunting.

The Crossley Christmas is usually a big affair starting early on Christmas Eve and this year was not going to be an exception ..... so first things first. For the full album A Crossley Christmas Dec 12

The remains of the day - I hope you had a great Christmas

Washing - and outsource the ironing (tick)

Cleaning, house inside and out (tick)

Scroll through the cook books (about 40) to find the right things for this year (yes I like to change each year, explore new themes that meet with the traditional) which takes considerable time to write all potential items down, the book they are in, the page number and then cull from there, make shopping lists, make to do lists (to be honest I haven't had a to do list for 3 months and I haven't missed it, but its the only way to get everything done)

Shop, Shop, Shop and yes Shop again and ooh ya , more shopping

After many hours of trolling through cook books the menu was decided with some 30 receipts from 9 cook books and this did not include the basics such as Pork, Turkey, Ham, and general Christmas Yummies (White Christmas, Fruit Mince Pies, Xmas cake etc).  Shopping lists prepared and itemised into the days they would be bought, and receipts itemised on the days they would be made - but given I hate shopping Christmas Eve, everything had to finished being purchased by Saturday and cooking (some 36 real hours started Friday).

Yummie Corner

So what was on the menu you ask - well here is a taste of it

Xmas Eve Morning

Ham and Eggs for Brekky

Yummie Corner (we have a corner of the house we designate to yummies for all occasions, Christmas, Birthdays, Easter even Halloween) stage 2 - as we had some family over on the weekend so that was Stage 1.

Peach and Lemon Iced Tea (home made)

Xmas Eve Lunch - for 6 Tapas

Salmon Pinwheels

Zucchini Fajitas

Crab Tarts

Crab Stuff Tomatoes

Roast Pumpkin Dip

Basil and Cashew Pesto

Lamb Meat Balls and Taziki

Chirizo Empandas

Thai Fish Cakes

Home made marinated Fetta

Assortment of breads with assortments of oils for dipping  

Ginger Fizz (blended pineapple and lime juice mixed with Ginger beer and Mint very refreshing)

Top up Yummie Corner - Round 3

Xmas Eve Dinner Hot and very Traditional - for 8 (enough to be left over for Christmas and Boxing Day)

Roasted in the PM and immediately carved and served

Roast Pork 

Road Beef  with Yorkshire Puds

Cracking the Bon Bon & I won

Roast Apricot Seasoned Chicken 

Roast Stuffed Turkey 

Previously Made and Heated on the night

Sweet Potato Crumble

Roast Vegetable Pie

Glazed Onions with Roasted Capsicum

Garlic Sauteed Mushrooms 

Mashed Potato

Sauces (Apple, Cranberry, Horseradish)

Gravy

Assortment of wines and champagne

Plumb Pudding, Chocolate and Caramel Pudding - Custards, Cream - Hot

Xmas Day Morning

Yummie corner round 4 (all too full for any further breakfast)

Lunch for 9

All meats from Xmas Eve cold, plus ham - so platters of cold meats

Vietnamese Pork Salad

Noodle Salad

Tomato, Feta and Red Onion Salad

Bacon, Egg and Potato Salad

Heated up leftover from Christmas Eve

Maple Syrup Nectarines

Mango Mess

Chocolate Date Filo

Tiramasu 

Fruit Platters

Christmas Day 2nd Family and Left over others (another 4 people) - cold deserts from lunch, and more drinks

Boxing Day - all left overs

So as you can see no mean cook, preparation and cleaning up feat!  All was beautiful, with a good array of different tastes for each meal.

The Crazy Crossley Girls 

Overall though it was a good day and very enjoyable.  It was great to have fantastic weather as it seems like many years since it was a perfect Christmas Day, where you could sit inside in the air conditioning  but outside as well without it raining or being boiling but still hot enough to enjoy a swim in the pm to let all the food settle down.

What did I enjoy most about this Christmas was not working, Derek not working more so  we were able to enjoy doing these preparation things together with no time limits and no phones and emails going - even if I was off prior to Christmas I would have to do all of these things by myself as Derek never stopped the week before Christmas so it was great to have him around to help clean up, wash up and do taste testing.  As I mentioned in a previous blog I am loving cooking again and being able to take the time to do everything properly by the receipt - everything turned out perfectly as I prepared one thing at a time - very very relaxing and enjoyable.The other great thing was while some of us started early on Christmas Eve, Danni (Daughter 2 and Derek always worked up to at least 5pm on Christmas Eve - and even Danni got this Christmas Eve off so everyone was home on Christmas Eve morning so we had 2 great full days together which was fantastic).

As always though as much as I love Christmas I personally can't wait to get my house back to my house less decorations,pressies lying around everywhere etc so all signs of these things were down and put away again for another year by 2pm.

Finished that and headed off to try Dereks latest toy he got for Christmas - a metal detector (we have to make money somehow lol)  and  off we went to get out of the house after nearly 6 days inside cleaning and cooking - what did we find? - will let you know next blog.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and if you are like me you are looking forward to a new and exciting year with 2013!  Stay safe.

jac