Merry Christmas everybody!

Santa has definitely been here, although I’m fairly sure the scratching noises on the roof last night were possum related……………..So, that means he’s on his way to you now!

We went next door at 9.30am this morning for a champagne breakfast. We were both a little apprehensive, but as it turned out for no reason whatsoever! Lots of people turned up, many of them from the local bowling club! We had a really great time, champagne, BBQ food and fruit and lovely company – Alex, Liz, Amanda, Cam, Marty, Nanna and Gramps (who weren’t actually, but that’s a whole other story), Bob, Mick and Gay to name a few, and all the others for whom the mists of champagne had their names instantly misplaced or forgotten……. We stayed until just after 1pm, when we left so that we didn’t disturb the rest of their family Christmas day. However, we were also fairly blottoed by then!!

The NZ life-form known as “”Cat”” came to see us shortly after we got back home – we had to walk all the way, must have been at least 25m! This time we found out that Cat has got vocal chords too – either it was trying to communicate it’s distaste at us being drunk so early in the day, or, more likely, it might have been upset at not being invited along! Luckily, we had bought in a little treat. Needless to say, the treat (Turkey lumps in gravy) almost disappeared faster off the plate faster than I put it on!

Having said previously that NZ is ahead of the UK in a lot of ways, and in others thankfully 20-30 years in what a lot of people consider to be the past, Christmas Day TV (albeit seen through the bottom of a glass) was great and very similar in feeling to the UK. We watched “”Sound of Music””, “”Mary Poppins”” and then “”Happy Feet”” and “”Phantom of the Opera””- a bit different to the girlie DVD-fest we watched last year like “”Predator””, “”Terminator”” and such (although we did also watch “”Wall-ee”” to be fair).

One thing that a lot of ex-pats over here seem to complain about missing is the BBC and it’s lack of adverts. Personally, we don’t think it’s that bad. However, today we have watched 4 films on two or three channels and apart from the odd break to advertise programmes/films being shown later on, not ONE advert!! TV channels around the world take note!! What a refreshing Christmas Day’s viewing!

We both wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and hope that your day is a wonderful one too!!