Hi amigos peregrinos and relies
First let us wish you:
Happy New Year!
Maisie and Mike
December as always is a mad month of rushing to and from shops and partying. Ours was a little different as it started off with a bang one morning when someone threw a stone at our van, so a new glass had to be obtained for the rear door if we were going to use it over the December holiday period! As the van's insurance paid for it, it wasn't so bad.
We planned to go to Denmark WA. for Christmas to see our son John and family, then come back for New Year.
This meant we would miss Alex's 18th birthday but would celebrate it with her on the New Year party at Tricia and John's. Meanwhile on my walks I noticed the unreliable weather was helping the wild flowers
Uslot enjoyed singing for the old folk one afternoon - this is us lot poshed up for the event.
Also we joined Jo Simon and family for a nice evening of carol singing in the park near Jo's
On the 19th December we set off south for Denmark (WA) using the little Holden Barina. A pleasant 5 hour drive and we soon joined John, Silvia and the children at a party with friends in the park by the river.
This park in the daytime is a great place to take the grandchildren.
Emil and I walked
down the next day to town and passed the local roo mob and took photos
on the way back. This crowd of locals often come to the house to eat the
clover that grows there. I kept telling them,
"Do not to eat the 4 leaf ones!"
.
I also escaped one day to walk on my own at the beach and took some nice photos. It was a little too rough for me to swim.
Back home presents were piling up under the tree and as I had found lots of 4 leaf clovers in the garden I mounted some and we hung them on the tree for luck! On Christmas day some could be seen in the flower vases too!
One day Emil and I went for a walk by the river where he made me walk the wet tightrope (well across the small dam wall which the river runs over) with no boots on!
That’s a fly net on my hat, there were a few about!
Meanwhile at home, Maya and Benjamin helped Maisie decorate the Christmas cake!
More climbing, these children are never the right way up!!!!
Another day we took them to a beach called Elephant rock, here the tired out poor old granddad dammed a small stream that runs onto the beach. Benjamin was a big help !!!! it was always he that let the water out!! Chuckle
Back home music is made by young and all! We took down the little squeeze box and soon Maya and Emil were playing it, Benjamin and John had a go too.
Silvia made more Christmas cookies while
Granddad tried to keep up with friends on the net!!!
Christmas Eve
The path is an old rail line that used to cart out the timber!
The big Christmas dinner, was on Christmas Eve as Silvia likes to keep some of the more German Christmas traditions that she was brought up with! We were joined by Annabel, a friend of John and Silvia's as we went outside on the patio for Champagne with cheese and biscuits and dips, followed by king prawns and scallops cooked on the (BBQ) and salad. Yummy cheeses.
We then retired
indoors for the big main meal of the turkey and trimmings.
Not much left chuckle! Maisie was seen to join the revellers on the ukulele .
We
then sat around the Christmas tree, while Emil recited to us (his other
grand parents were now on Skype watching too) He told a long Christmas
story he has memorised!
Then its Presents from under the tree
Just in case we were still hungry, we now had the Christmas pudding as its flamed with brandy, also fruit salad, mince pies, Christmas cake, and cookies until we are almost fit to burst!
John gave a tune on
the old pump organ that has stayed in our family for some while, we
remember it played the wedding march at my daughter Jo's wedding some
years ago!
Christmas day was
much quieter. The children, with a little help from granddad and their dad played
with toys, assembled models and painted them.
Meanwhile Benjamin got as
much fun being a huge Jack-in-the-box using the cardboard box that had
enclosed Emil's huge tool box!
Emil kindly went to his room
while he tried to get the first notes out of his new Trumpet!
Did I say
a quiet day!
Come
evening we went to Lights Beach to swim. Yes even Maisie and I got
wet!!!!
The sun was going down as we left this magic spot.
Magic! Look at Benjamin the young pilgrim! 
Boxing day
Boxing day Silvia's sister Edith and her two children, Simon and Aden, called in. The oldest, Simon, plays the flute and the trumpet so John, Emil and Simon did a bit of jamming that you can hear on Maisie's blog
and yes Emil plays on the fiddle too.
In the afternoon, Maisie, Emil and I walked to the local Gnomes' forest!
Before we came back home from Denmark (WA) I gave Emil some help oil paining. This is his first attempt that I think is great, all done with a pallet knife. " Oh dear another painter in the family" Chuckle
New year's Eve +
Alex's 18th birthday
a Spanish theme party!!!!!
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| Maisie, John and Tricia |
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| Don Pancho John in the new Bathroom chuckle! |
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| John the chef |
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| Alex |
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| Lizzie |
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| Alex cutting the cake |
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| Alex's friend John |
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| Arthur |
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| Judy |
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| John H |
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| Simon |
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| Jo |
This guy Miguel the photographer from the north of Spain got so drunk there wasn't many good photos,
he couldn't play his castanets either
You can see video clips of lots of the Christmas fun on Maisie's blog
Enjoy!
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