To Sydney and back

We're all back from our mini-holiday safe and sound. It was really great to have everyone in the family together for the first time even if there were a few concerns about how we'd behave after being crammed together for such an extended period. I for one thought things went exceptionally well and would love for everyone to meet up more often. James, Dora and Barbara really outdid themselves as hosts which made Christmas something special.



This was the first time Alison and I had seen their classy apartment in Surry Hills so our eyes flicked rapidly around the room as we noted their tasteful furnishings, seasonal decorations and Dora's majestic grand piano perched overlooking a wonderful view of downtown Sydney all the way up to the Blue Mountains. I'll admit that I might have tried a little too hard to pass subtle hints and winks in Alison's direction as I salivated in front of Dora's new collector's edition version of Bill Watterson's complete works (the author of Calvin and Hobbes). Not long after taking our seats to admire the view and enjoy the twin air-conditioners (It was 38 degrees in Sydney that day) we were soon offered a wide assortment of snacks and dip that would preclude a gastronomical extravaganza over the next few days. Sad to say that due to time constraints we did not get the chance to venture down to the fish markets to sample my beloved sea urchin but I think we managed to make up for it in the end.



The huge turkey thankfully survived a trip in the eskie during the long drive down from Brisbane with John, Sheena and mum. The logisitics of cooking Christmas dinner in two kitchens was certainly interesting with much ferrying of fowl and produce between the apartments on the 10th and 15th floor. Stuffed turkey, ham, perfectly roasted potatoes (I challenge any child to spend time in England and not develop an unhealthy relationship with oily spuds), peas, corn, cranberry sauce and a drizzle of gravy made for a very enjoyable meal on the eve. Somehow even after all that we still managed to find room for some Christmas pudding, mudcake, white christmas, rum balls and cheese in our distended bellies. Oh gluttony.



As you can imagine we retired for the night quite satisfied if perhaps a little uncomfortable to wait patiently for Santa to drop our loot under the tree. We must have been exceptionally good this year given the unabashed display of consumerism to be found the next morning under the little tree. Remember that all this is just for eight people.



Some of the presents didn't fare too well on the sleigh ride from Brisbane to Sydney. John's was in a particularly sad state by the time it ended up in his hands.



It'd take too long to list all the loot uncovered so I'll just share what Alison and I gave each other (since we're such thoughtful partners). Here's a picture of Alison reading a little brochure I made up for our upcoming trip to the Sunshine Coast. We'll be leaving on the 6th of January to spend the weekend there for her birthday and hopefully she'll bring the sandcastle building kit I included in her present.



I got a little package of goodies from Alsie too which included Neil Gaiman's latest book "Anansi Boys" and wait for it... the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th DVD box sets of Voltron! The cool one with five lions, not the shitty other one with the cars. Now that's a blast from the past I can use to relive my childhood. The first DVD box set wasn't in stock at the time so we'll just have to wait for it to come in so that we can start watching it all.

After shredding and discarding a mountain of wrapping paper we all sat down for another exercise in overindulgence. Heaps of fresh prawns, potato and egg salad, baby cheeses with cherry tomatoes along with healthy slabs of ham and mango proved to be absolutely delightful for Christmas lunch. We wolfed all this down while praising Dora and Barbara's fine efforts in presenting the wonderful spread.


Time flew by after that with a round of Cranium (that Alison and I narrowly won). Most of us spent boxing day morning chatting over a sluggish but enjoyable game of monopoly that helped to kill the time before our trip out on the ferry to Manly. Dora and I both brought our cameras with the hope of snapping some pictures and I think we got quite a few of Harbour bridge, overcrowded beaches and the Opera house. It was a nice coincidence that both of us somehow bought the same camera (EOS 350D) around the same time on the same package deal so we had lots to discuss and compare. Alison and I decided sponsored Dora for a pro Flickr account for her graduation present so I helped set this up for her while we where there. Hope to see lots of nice pictures from you soon Dora. :)

Before we knew it, we had to be packed up to head to the airport for our flight. Still managed one last assault on the waist line with yum cha down at China town. We were lucky enough to get Sheena to join us so it was a treat to point out the different dishes to her and make suggestions on what she should try. We then said our goodbyes and were transported to the domestic terminal to conclude our visit.

Just like to thank James, Dora and Barbara for a terrific time and for welcoming us into their home. A big hug and thanks to John and Sheena for bringing all the family together. Wish every Christmas could be just like this.

Merry Christmas

Well we've just heard that mum, John and Sheena have thankfully survived the drive down to Sydney and are happily settled into the rented apartment. Alison and I will be waking up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to fly down to join everyone there so I probably won't be writing another post until we get back to Brissie on Tuesday.

I just can't wait to head down to the Sydney fish market to get my sea urchin. Fresh strips of seaweed, a container of hot steamed white rice and decadent slabs of uni (sea urchin). Highly recommended if you don't have a cholestrol problem and don't mind trying out what I like to call the "fat of the sea".

For anyone reading this during the holiday period we'd just like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope Santa didn't dissapoint this year.

Tis the season to be jolly

Just floating through the pre-Christmas period at the moment. We all ended up being disgustingly prepared this year so all our parcels are wrapped and ready to be presented to their intended recipients. There are a few big ones that should prove interesting to lug down to Sydney but we'll manage somehow.

Mum is going to be driving down with Alison's parents on the 23rd while Al and I fly down to meet up with everyone on Christmas Eve itself. Can't wait for the break as I think we all deserve a mini holiday. Whispered promises of fun loot come Christmas morning doesn't hurt either. Hope Santa doesn't dissapoint.

After a little saga at the travel agent's we successfully negotiated mum's January travel plans last week. While it's not the most efficient arrangement we can certainly say that she'll have seen a fair chunk of Australia by the end of her trip. Starting on the eve of the new year, mum flies down to Sydney to catch the Indian Pacific railway down to Adelaide. From there she'll travel by the Ghan up to Alice Springs, which is right out in the middle of nowhere. If you've seen "Priscilla: Queen of the Desert" you have an idea of how long it takes to get to Alice Springs. Anyways, once there she'll travel around the area for a few days to take in the sights which obviously include Uluru (more commonly known as Ayer's Rock). After that (and this was a point of some contention in the planning stage) she'll hop back on the Ghan to travel 12 hours up to Darwin just to spend the night in a seedy motel, then reboard the next morning to trundle back down on a return trip. At least she'll get to see lots of rocks and desert. A few more trips and tours later and she'll be on a plane up from Sydney back to Brisbane to rejoin us on the 18th of January with heaps of pictures and interesting stories to share.

Beware all drivers

Muahaha! The fools have passed me and unwittingly unleashed Crasher McChua upon the gentle public. With this ugly gold card I now have free reign to visit unbridled automotive destruction on commuters everywhere. Fear me! FEAR ME!!!



At least the darn picture is on centre this time, which is a good thing as it'll have to last me five years.

Edit: I did actually play around with the idea of obfuscating my info on the card but was too lazy at the time to open up Photoshop. Still too lazy to do that but I've made an effort to use the soft focus filter on Picasa to blur most of the image while leaving my dashing mug shot intact. Enjoy!

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree

Well mum landed last night safe and sound. We got to the airport about an hour too early due to some misinterpretation of her arrival time. Thankfully we both thought to bring along our DSs so time flew by with a few rounds of Mario Kart.

On her first day here we dragged mum all around Brisbane to hunt for presents and to buy Christmas decorations. It's the first tree Alison and I have bought together so it was pretty special and the three of us had a fun time putting everything up. There was a minor set back when I managed to break the fairy lights AFTER we finished setting it up on the tree but it was all fixable.



Now we just have to start wrapping up our presents to put around the base. Hope I get lots of big boxes full of electronic goodness. :)

Ben Lee

Haven't really had a chance to sit down this week to write a quick post about the concert on Sunday. Turned up close to eight when the gates were supposed to open and there was a queue running around the block. By the time we got through the door most of the choice spots with seats were already taken so we just planted ourselves in the growing throng of moshers in front of the stage and set in for a long wait.

I have to say that I really don't care much for these swiss cheese concerts with never ending intermissions. We paced around for more than half an hour waiting for the first act to start. He was some solo guitarist that we'd never heard of that seemed ok even though everyone in the crowd talked over his set. Only good thing I can remember about him is that he played a nice looking Maton.

The second band was a lot better and it's a shame I couldn't catch their name. Superb rhythm section with really funky bass lines. At least these guys played with volume so that got the audience moving right.



Finally after what seemed like forever, Ben and the band came on at about 10:30 and rocked the house down. At first I was worried that they seemed to be rehashing their set from the Missy Higgins concert but a few anecdotes and change in pace brought a huge grin to my face. Ben swapped between a Taylor and a Gibson through his songs. Really worn down looking guitars but darn they sounded good plugged in.

Lovely night. Shame we had to leave a little early as Alison wasn't feeling too well but we certainly got our money's worth. Al tells me that U2 are coming to play in Brissie in March so that might be our next concert on the horizon.

Oh and Mum's landing tomorrow!!! Guess we'd better clean up the place before she comes.