This tranquil moment was a couple of weeks ago now and I feel like it was the last time we didn’t have a ‘to do’ list a mile long! We had a fab evening with our friends from Callala Bay, he had been out fishing that day and caught a whole load of beautiful fresh Flathead for us, even cleaning, filleting and pin boning them for us to take home, thanks Nifty, they were delicious!! The next morning we headed off with the Choccy Drop to the local beach where it was just us for as far as you could see. I love early morning walks along the beach, nothing like some sand between your toes and the salt water on your skin to make you feel alive. It has been a busy couple of weeks but today I finally have a minute to sit down as I am awaiting a delivery that apparently could arrive any time between 8am and 8pm and which has to be personally signed for! This is unusual in these days of internet shopping as usually, if I am not here they just leave it on the veranda or take it to our local Post Office for me to sign for it there. Today however I am waiting for 2 sun loungers for the pool area which are a bit big for the local post office collection thus I am catching up with all my ‘inside’ jobs! What’s the betting they arrive at 7.30pm!!The pool is in and the tradies have finally left, now all that is left is to finish it all off with plants and furniture etc. Needless to say by the end of a project there is nowhere near enough left in the budget to do all you originally envisage but we are getting there slowly! Thanks to a Super Storm that dumped 4 inches of rain on us in 24 hours our new turf around the pool is now looking good and I have spent 3 days planting 200 gardenias around the perimeter of the fence where they should soften the boundary and add colour and fragrance to the mix! It was hard work, leaving me with raw weeping blisters on my palm until a knight in shining armour arrived in the form of Pat from next door with his fence post digger to dig the last 100 holes for me! I LOVE my neighbours!

The MOTH has been away in the depths of North Africa for the past week as he visited The Ivory Coast and the cocoa plantations who supply his company with all their raw products. It was a very long way to go for a week and demanded a lot of preparation with many, many vaccinations, yellow fever, rabies, hepatitis and cholera as well as a couple of weeks worth of malaria tablets. And Africa being Africa it also took tons of paperwork and expensive visas before being allowed to even set foot on African soil. As they had to refuel in Ghana a transit visa was apparently necessary and at $200+ and involving trips to and from the consulate to apply in person, they didn’t even end up getting off the plane! Crazy. It was a thoroughly unique and memorable trip despite a slightly fraught itinerary and trips literally through the jungle (no paths) in 4 wheel drives to reach the Women’s Co-op, remote villages and schools. The kids were SO happy to see them and receive the funny little gifts the boys had taken for them. As there is very little facial hair in Africa some of the kids were quite mesmerised with Wayne’s face and he had a little flock of kids around him just staring at him! White AND hairy!!!

When they arrived they were received by the Village Chief and in a little welcoming ceremony were given the gift of a live rooster, a bottle of rum and some local cava type drink that was passed around in a coconut shell to share! The rum got left behind but the poor rooster got chucked in the back of the van with all the luggage and sqwarked indignantly every time they went around a corner and a case landed on top of him! Apparently it would have been very rude not to accept it but I dread to think what ended up happening to him. Of course while the MOTH was over there playing Big White Chief I was here with the floods, 100km high winds which reduced my Jacaranda to a mere trunk – completely blowing the branches straight off. Also right on cue I had to deal with the obligatory dead chicken. I swear they wait until he drives to the airport before curling their toes up. That means we only have 2 chooks now, one of which has gone clucky and has had to be taken off the nest (where she spent all her time with her feathers all fluffed up and making little motherly clucking sounds)  and put into solitary confinement for a few days until those broody feelings disappear! We will get some more in the New Year, Wayne is talking about getting some Sussex hens. I really hope they will all get along this time….

The day before he left for Africa we drove to Wagga Wagga to celebrate his Aunty Joan’s 80th birthday. It was a 5 hour drive each way but worth it to see our extended family all under one roof. The biggest surprise for Joan was the unexpected arrival of her two brothers. They are the last of the 7 siblings and it was so lovely to see them altogether and celebrating a very special lady’s birthday. At 92 my Father in Law Col did very well and I loved seeing him chatting away to all his nieces and nephews and looking so animated. Many stories from the ‘Old Days’ were recounted and a good time was had by all.

Our local village is starting to look very festive with many of the trees wrapped in candy cane red and white and the Xmas Tree taking pride of place in the shopping centre. The shops are all participating in Xmas specials and we have the much anticipated Santa Race as the highlight of The Berry Merry Christmas on December 13th. I won’t see it this year as I will be up in Sydney collecting Lauren from her flight from Vietnam. She has finished her 3 month stint with the U.N in Bangkok and is happy to be home with her hubby and planning for their little baby. She is half way through her pregnancy now and I can’t wait to see her and her bump and spend some special Mother/Daughter time together. I have invested in some floating pool chairs with drink holders for our two pregnant girls to float around on over Xmas, if the sun ever comes out enough to get in the pool that is!! The weather has been very strange and quite cool but apparently that is all going to change any minute now!

Despite cooler temperatures my veggies are still doing their thing and we are so happy that our tomatoes are ripening and providing us with the deliciousness that only home grown ones can! At least the bugs haven’t discovered them just yet and neither have the parrots noticed my beautiful little baby apples but you can bet your bottom dollar that the minute they start ripening and sweetening up they will be all over them like a rash!

So I am going to enjoy the next few weeks in the lead up to Christmas, we will miss Tommy of course who is LOVING his time in London and getting right into the Christmassyness that they do so well over there. He has embraced his inner Brit and is enjoying the wool coats and scarves, pub lunches and log fires that come along with the winter weather and he, Max and 20 of their Aussie ex pat friends are going to have an “Orphan’s” Christmas together, no doubt with lots of celebratory food and wine and stories reminiscing about Christmas at home which is a very different affair! We will toast each other from afar and next year we will all be here together (with two very new small people joining The Cameron Clan) and Christmas will be magical once again but in a totally different way!! Merry Christmas everyone!