#blog12daysxmas Day 7.

For the last post of 2010 I thought I'd use our Christmas 2010 photos. This year my brothers were going to their in-laws places so we had our family Christmas in 2 sessions.

The first was held the week before christmas at my mum's place in Pakenham. My youngest brother & my two youngest nephews were in attendance.

The little boys were in fine form. They each put an ornament on mum's tree, charmed mum's neighbours at the retirement village, and saved the village from attack by deadly cumquats.

I'm sure the village residents didn't realise that they were at risk from cumquat attack. But luckily Master 5 & Master 3 were there to remove the offending cumquats from the tree & squash them flat.

This is our 'official' 2010 family Christmas photo. It was actually taken in October when my middle brother was over from England for mum's 75th birthday.

Our second family christmas was an early breakfast on Christmas Day with my other

melbourne based brother and his family.

There were more presents to open and fun to be had. My niece got a kinect for their xbox so we all had to take our turn at the various dance based games she also scored. (the damn thing takes really embarrassing photos when one is in mid dance move may I say)

The final Christmas extravanganza was lunch at Windows on the Bay in Mordiallioc for me, my sister & my mum.

This is the view from our table.

It was a lot more impressive in real life!

So as always a fantastic family Christmas lots of fun, lots of food, and a great way to celebrate the festive season.

#blog12daysxmas Day 6.

This was probably taken for Christmas 2003 - our last Christmas Day in Sale.

One of our enduring family traditions is the reading (or reciting) of The Night Before Christmas.

As kids dad always read it to us and most of us can recite it now.

When B.L. & Mrs B.L. were living in Japan B.L actually rang home on Christmas Eve to recite it with the rest of the family.

It is a tradition he carried on with his young sons (Master 5 & Master 3). Although as Mrs B.L. is a kiwi the boys alternate between being read the original version, an Aussie Night Before Christmas, and a Kiwi Night Before Christmas.

I think, so far, they prefer the original.

This year we all recited it Christmas morning via a conference skype call between Viewbank, Elsternwick, & the UK. Miss 10 followed along with the book to make sure we didn't leave any verses out.

#blog12daysxmas Day 5.

Think this photo was Christmas 1973.

By then we'd moved to Sale - but we still made the trip to Melbourne to see the Myer windows and get our picture taken with Santa.

There was a Santa at the department store in Sale (Foard's) but the tradition was Myer melbourne so that's where we went.

I rebelled after this photo and refused to have my photo taken with Santa ever again.

There are many more Santa photos through the years but I'm not in any of them.

B.L couldn't be woken for this photo.

It is also good to see that Row has forsaken the tie for a purple jumper (formerly mine iirc) and a floral shirt.

TappingBetty seems unsure about the whole thing.

#blog12daysxmas Day 4.

Every Christmas Day, after an early Christmas lunch, we packed the car, and the roof rack, and the trailer and headed to McCrae (Section 5 of the Rosebud foreshore) where we set up camp.

For the first couple of years we camped in a big tent on a non powered site, then we graduated to big tent on a powered site, then caravan with a boys tent and a girls tent, and a storage tent.

We would stay at McCrae until the Australia Day long weekend. Once we moved to Sale dad would work at the Long Island/ Hastings office over January so he could commute daily from McCrae.

We all looked forward to the McCrae holiday. It was mainly the same people camping around us each year so we made a lot of good friends that we only saw every January at McCrae.

This was before the days of slip slop slap.

After breakfast we would head for the beach and stay there til lunchtime.

After lunch it was back to the beach until late afternoon.

Then it was queuing at the shower block for a shower (10c for a hot shower) then tea (usually a bbq - dad was evening cook at the beach).

After tea there was cricket on the 'track' - the lanes between camp sites, or for the older kids, hanging out at 'the wall' until it got dark.

If the weather was less than clement then we would walk down to Rosebud to the trampolines.

There was also a regular visit to the Rosebud carnival.

And at least one trip to the Dromana drive-in.

This photo was taken, I think, Christmas 1974/January 1975.

That's mum in the photo with the 5 of us.

#blog12daysxmas Day 3.

My youngest brother was peeved that he wasn't in the last family Christmas photo I posted so here is Christmas 1971 featuring baby B.L. (all of 3 months old).

I don't have a copy of the Christmas photo of him in the manger at his big brother's kindergarten Xmas concert.

The kinder was going to use a doll in the manger but Cam persuaded everyone that his little baby brother would be better suited to playing the role of the baby.

From what I remember B.L. was quite well behaved whilst in the manger....

Once again Row is wearing a tie in the photo...

#blog12daysxmas Day 2.

Think this photo was taken in 1970 - it was before my youngest brother was born (I think this because he isn't in the picture).

In those days we had a family christmas photo ritual - we would catch the bus into town (we lived in Doncaster in those days), check out the Myer Christmas windows, have lunch in the Waltons cafeteria, and then have our photo taken with Santa at Myer.

We were so young in this photo. (I'm the one in the yellow mini dress). Not sure why my brother was wearing a tie.

I think we are aged 10, 8, 6, and 4 in this photo.

#blog12daysxmas Day 1.

This is me opening my Christmas presents a 'few' years ago. My mum and my little sister (TappingBetty) are looking on.

I don't remember my dressing gown but in this photo it looks really cool.

In this picture I had just turned 2 (a few weeks earlier) and for my 2nd birthday I got a little sister.

It looks like I scored better better presents for Christmas that year!

Hawaii five-oh

So I recently celebrated my 'Hawaii' birthday.

I didn't go to Hawaii for it, I went to New Zealand.

Cos I was out of the country for my birthday I didn't get presents til I got home.

So yesterday my mum, my sister, & I went out for a belated celebration. (my sister's birthday is the day before mine, & I was born on my parents second wedding anniversary)

They also gave me my birthday present.

My family joined together and gave me a coffee machine.

They also gave me a photo book - photos of me through the years. It is the most awesome present - the photos brought back some amazing (& teary) memories.

They all wrote something personal in the book as well. My mum, my sister, & 2 of my 3 brothers*, all wrote something about our family life.

My niece and nephews also wrote something as well.

My 13 yr old nephew contributed a cricketing analogy (it is the cricket season after all).

My 10 yr old niece remembered a time she stayed at my house about 6 years ago - we walked to the pizza shop next door & got pizza and then we watched the animal kingdom channel (she loves animals and was rapt to be able to watch animal docos nonstop for several hours).

5 yr old nephew wrote his name and drew a picture of me, and pictures of ghost freak & echo echo (his favourite Ben 10 aliens - he often draws ghost freak, but echo echo is apparently a very special treat)

3 yr old nephew contributed a series of dots (his version of his name) and when someone else wrote Archie for him, he coloured it in rather carefully with green highlighter.

I've spent much of yesterday & most of today flicking through the photo book (and frequently having to reach for the tissues), it's just so special and such a great gift.

* 3rd brother lives overseas and is apparently emailing his contribution to be added to the book.

More Dunedin

Lanarch Castle was today's touristing highlight.

The castle was built in 1871 and has had something of a chequered history (or rather its owners have)

The Barker family purchased the castle (as a family home) in 1967 and still live there today.

Because there were cruise ships in port there were more tours than usual to the castle.

This meant I could head out on one tour and head back on another.

The castle is pretty special but the gardens are magnificent (and the views are just awesome).

There are nine different gardens which are all spectacular and all worth seeing.

This is the patterned garden.

Although the weather was still overcast (and a little drizzly) it didn't stop me from exploring the gardens thoroughly.

Once again took heaps of pictures.