Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Christmas/New Year period

It’s a time to year that we like to spend with family and friends and this year was no different. With our kids’ finishing school earlier than most, we headed off to the Umina Caravan Park for a few days with friends. It was only a 4-day getaway but with all the kids playing so well the parents found time to relax and unwind.

Returning home I was fortunate to have a week off with the kids. We did a few activities together which included the movies and a day’s caching. As Christmas day approached, family from afar arrived to celebrate the festive period with us, this included Aj who was with us this year for Christmas.

A disappointment this year was the fact that I’d drawn the short straw at work and had to be “On-call” for Christmas and Boxing Day. As it turned out the standby was very quiet but the threat of that possible call dampens the enthusiasm to celebrate a little.

Christmas Morning was filled with excitement as the kids (the big ones as well) were thrilled to see what Santa had left them. I think everyone was happy with what they received. Lunch was a typical Aussie feast with plenty of ham, chicken, beef and salads, topped off with lashings of desserts. The afternoon saw some family leave while the rest us had the usual Christmas day nap.

The period between Christmas and New Year was quite except for the juggling of kids as Leonie and I worked the few days in between.

Our New Year’s celebrations were very much a family thing, we headed into Wollongong to watch the fireworks display over the Wollongong harbour before heading over to Chris and Belinda’s where amongst friends we celebrated the beginning of 2012. New Year’s Day started slowly but we had big plans, the kids were so excited because we were heading off on our first overnight hike. With everyone carrying a pack we drove up to the Royal national Park for our walk into “North Era” beach. Unfortunately everyone else seemed to have the same idea and the park was shut to all visitors. After some quick thinking we changed our plans to do some car camping down at Carrington Falls.

In the first week of 2012 my parents came down for a holiday with us, which was very nice. The kids, who don’t see much of their grandparents love having them around and are always doting over them. We finished off the festive season with a few days camping at Bendeela, in Kangaroo Valley. While the weather wasn’t too good, it didn’t stop us enjoying some time paddling on the river, riding bikes and relaxing with friends.

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