Back at the wheel

It's been busy since coming back from NZ. Every year during the run up to Christmas, I imagine I'm going to be more organised than I was the previous year. That I will get it all done with time to spare. This never happens. For example, I have done no Christmas cards or letters yet. And, we still have no tree. We've always had a live one, but there is a dearth of pine trees in this area. I'm going to crack and buy a plastic one for next year.

So, what's been happening chez nous? A few Christmas parties - the neighbourhood, the garden club, the band... A few visitors, including Barb and Terry who came for dinner, plus Malise and John for lunch en route to Byron Bay. A few appointments, the skin specialist, the optometrist, the hairdresser, our new GP. Plus work, for me. But the most delightful happening was a visit from Lian.

She drove up here from Melbourne, via Canberra, solo. She was tired when she got here, I wonder why? She is off to New York again, this time for much longer than her previous two short visits. She has packed up her life in Melbourne completely and dropped things off into storage in various places. We have scored the jackpot - the cat.

Here she is, Suki, asleep in the cat castle David bought for her, which sits on top of a high bookshelf in the lounge room. From here she can survey the proceedings below and feel perfectly safe.

She is the loveliest little cat, very purry and smoochy and entertaining. She has discovered this half wall next to the stairs, from which she bats things placed there onto the steps some way below, then rushes down to chase them as they bounce from step to step. I fear for the ebony wood elephants. But they are quite heavy, so no attempts have so far been made on them.

Lian only stayed a couple of days as she was needing to get to USA in time for Thanksgiving. It was a short and sweet visit, long enough to pack and repack the suitcases, have a skinny dip in the new pool and drop off her car and cat for us to enjoy. Then we drove her to Sydney, had lunch near this startling building after David saw his neurologist, then waved her goodbye.

Back home, David has had some music performances, as always at this time of year. The Sinfonia had its annual series of concerts and he was able to play at one of them on return from NZ. And the brass band has played a few Christmassy gigs, including this one at Forster Quays.

While David was playing, I was sitting beside the road, waiting for the tow truck. Because guess what? Rover did it again. Broke down and left us stranded. Yet again. David and I both felt the straw landing on our backs. That's it. That was the last time. We have hardened our hearts. It's time to cut our losses and sell. It turned out to be a spline on the differential. Whatever that is. Anyway, fixed by our miracle working local mechanics, Garry Douglas Autos, for much less than we feared. But there is no turning back. We are breaking up with Rover.

The pool was cleaned, finished by the contractor and inspected by the council. It's officially ours and officially open.

Had a lovely visit from Greg, Kath and their four children. First children in the pool and it was beautiful to see and hear it being noisily played in. Makes me wish we could have afforded a pool for our kids when they were younger.

A quick trip to Newcastle to pick up a futon to accommodate Christmas guests. Included a stop at Hunter Botanic Gardens for coffee and cake at the cafe. No more Heatherbrae Pies for us!
 

David is shedding. Bruce The Builder (our friend and neighbour) likes a bit of shedding as well.

And here it is, the shed, under construction. See those bits sticking out at an angle? David's Folly they are to be called. They are supposed to make the shed sympatico with the house design. But your blogger dos not approve. They are likely to make the shed airborne in any kind of a breeze, is my view. Plus, well, they remind me of those bogan houses where the letterbox is a miniature of the house...

The other big news is that we have Marjory staying with us again. For how long is not clear at this stage. But it does not look like she will go back to Cairns again. Here, she is supervising while David works on the pool shed and I am planting things in the garden next to the terrace.