4th week of Advent and CHRISTMAS!!!

Sunday is quite a mild morning..
We enjoy breakie together then make preparations for visitors...Kimberley, Jamie and girls Emma and Georgie plus Jaimie's mum Pam and partner Robin. They are travelling down from up near Launceston to visit us...so exciting.
John helps Alex set up his awning and vege stall then I do a bit of vege shopping .
Our visitors arrive at about 11ish and we have a wonderful time catching up over morning tea..

 

We decide to take them up to Wattle Grove and have a walk around.. Delightful to be able to show them our place. A really wonderful visit enjoyed by all.

We tidy up then have a snooze when we get home...
I do some shopping in preparation for the next few days...we have a cuppa then head out for a walk ...the golf course circuit. Its surprisingly warm  having probably reached the predicted 29 degrees by now..We really should have brought water to drink.

 

 

 

Tom has a climb of a few trees along the way..but drags his heels a bit on the home run...thirsty and tired...
A big drink of water and a shower help him recover.
We have a simple pasta meal and I make a start on the Russian Beetroot Salad for Christmas eve...
After dinner Hannah and I take a walk back up to the golf course as I think my face cream fell out of my pocket as we lay on the grass watching Tom climb trees... Its a very pleasant temperature outside now and we have a lovely walk and talk....(and I find my cream too)..
We light our Advent candle and marvel at the sight of the scene filled with all manner of minerals, plants, animals and people.
After a quiet cuppa on the back step enjoying the evening light and breezes....Hannah and I enjoy a cuppa watching the Christmas episode of Downton Abbey...

Christmas Eve...is a grey morning but pleasant out.. I set up books on the table again and re-arrange the window...opening the doors at 8.30am ..
There are orders to do and emails to respond to...and I am busy all morning.
John presses a tincture and gets on with other work.
Tom and Hannah do Christmas things...writing cards and making salads, doing some shopping. They go down to Community garden to help Laura and Liz move the chooks..(in the rain).
Tom drops off Christmas cards to businesses around town...good fun.
We have a stream of customers (many of them locals) throughout the day...buying last minute Christmas gifts...books, creams , soft toys etc...
Rob (from the post office) comes down with flowers and a box filled with Lisa's Christmas cake to thanks us for our business this year....really lovely.

While Hannah and I get coffee from Lotus...John has an elderly lady in who wants an unsigned copy of Matthew Evans' book. She has just seen him working in the butcher and hopes to get him to sign the book. We don't have any unsigned copies...but John goes up to ask Matthew if he'd mind coming down to personally inscribe the book for her. He graciously agrees and makes the lady's day...(a very kind, generous response given he has been working flat out since early hours preparing food for the 'Taste" Food festival in Hobart from Dec 28-Jan 3.)
Things quieten off about 3pm..and the rain looks threatening again...Lets hope it clears again by tonight.
There is a last minute run of Christmas shoppers before we close up..
We enjoy our Christmas eve salad early so Hannah ,Tom and I can go to 6pm Christmas Eve Mass.

The church is full and there is a delightful Nativity play for the gospel..
Tom ducks out early so John can get him up to the Oval in readiness for the Christmas Pageant.
The evening cools off but the rain stays away...
The parade is wonderful... Tom is very pleased to be in the lead float with the Port Cygnet Scouts.. John even walks in the parade behind the scouts!! Lots of fun...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The floats all end up in the carpark and we stand on the hill watching the fun and listening to the Jazz band on one of the floats (Tom runs about with his friends)

We head home when the parade moves off...its getting cold out anyway..
After a cuppa and some Susi Chocolate cake..we open the traditional present of choice from under the tree...
We prepare the Advent scene for the overnight arrival of the Christmas Angel and the Christ child...
Tom goes to bed with John not far behind. Hannah and I see out the Carols by Candelight on tele...then off to bed.

Christmas morning...HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL...Tom is up at 6am to show us the beautiful mineral that was left in his sack by the Christkindli.

He makes a cup of tea for me and one for Hannah...then its up and into the presents....a fun morning..
Breakie...more pressies and family phone calls and its not even 9.30 yet!!
Very special to have Hannah with us this year...

Lovely card from Tom...

John Tom and Hannah make a start on assembling the Intelliscope that John has bought for Tom (and himself).

I enjoy a look through the beautifully illustrated 1894 copy of Pride and  Prejudice John has given me...along with two very detailed fashion history books..

 

 

We have a non-traditional Christmas lunch of quince glazed lamb, baked locally grown kipfler potatoes and baby carrots and beans in almond mustard dressing..followed by Raspberry trifle...Yummy.

After lunch we each read aloud a short Christmas themed story/poem..lovely.
Then its snooze time..
Hannah and I have a walk down towards the Sailing Club while the boys read..

Then its back to Telescope assembling...and I do a bit of sewing.

We have a casual dinner  and Tom enjoys looking at the moon and finding stars...
I'm glad to head to bed by 9.30 and leave the others to their astronomical observing...

Boxing day is a grey but mild morning..
John makes a Copper ointment ready for us to fill and pack first thing tomorrow for a big order to go to Taiwan.
We potter about doing a few chores etc then head to Hobart about 10ish.
We do a walk along Salamanca Place then along the dock enjoying looking at the Sydney to Hobart preparations.. We have a second breakfast at T42 degrees on Elizabeth Pier..thinking we will just have time to get Hannah to the airport....then she gets a text to say her flight is delayed 90 minutes..
So we have more time up our sleeve...We walk over to look at the latest Sea Shepherd vessel docked in Hobart.

 

 

 

 

 

The boys have a short look in Hobart Books while Hannah and I do a girl shop..then we drive to 7 mile beach near the airport and enjoy a lovely walk and play for about an hour.

 

 

 

 

We drop Hannah off at the airport...BYE NARNIE!!.... and make our way home.
We have a quiet evening together..

Thursday and John is up early re-arranging book shelves and building new ones in our storage rooms. He hope to have all our stored books in alphabetical order so it is easier to find requested books...a BIG job. I enjoy my morning walk..
We get a production line going to close label and box the Copper ointment...over 200 tubes.

The John gets Tom to help make a Rose Cream..

 

The boys go to get a large International Post box so we can pack the Taiwan order 200 creams..
We get a couple of other orders done...then Tom and I head into town to do a few jobs and have a look at the lego sales!! Tom has some Christmas money to spend. We do the rounds of all the lego shops but don't find what Tom is looking for...oh well another time!
Home again and we have dinner and enjoy another instalment of "The Northern Lights"..the latest book. Tom has a lego play, John sorts more book shelves and I have a quiet read before bed.

Friday and its lovely out even though overcast.
We have another 2 creams to fill and package Aurum/Rose/Lavender and Rose Day...but first there are some orders to attend to.
Its a full morning. We have a couple of tourists through but its generally pretty quiet.
The afternoon is spent sorting more books and with customers...a nice combo.
After work we drive in to Hobart to see 'Wild Oats' the winner of Sydney to Hobart race...(Tom also back tracks to Myer to buy a lego set he saw there yesterday)
We have dinner at the 'Taste' Festival then walk along Constitution Dock to admire Wild Oats and Ragamuffin....while we are there we see Lahana sailing up the Derwent to the finish line..we watch her arrival into dock...very exciting!!

To gets up close to his favourite yacht..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then back to 'Taste' for dessert of berry plate and icecream....delish..
Glad to head home and to bed...

Saturday is a grey start. We do a few chores...then John gets stuck into book sorting again while I do some sewing( My dress for the wedding is almost finished). Tom has been up since 6.30...building his new lego...(Thanks Sandra!! One happy chappy)

 

 

I take Tom to Finn's birthday party at 10.30...he will enjoy a few hours of boy fun..playing with wooden swords and building a bush shelter...A couple of friends from school will be there too
It's a productive day for John and I...
The afternoon is spent pottering about ..We  have early dinner then watch part one of Lord of the Rings....Really enjoyable...Tom thanks you Libby and Chris for the DVD set!!
Its a lovely peaceful evening...