family and christmas and the joys that go with it

I hope most of you are on holiday without your computers and internet and have not been too fussed or worried about my lack of communication (no SMS's and SOS's from Aunty Norma either - she must be on a beach with her feet up - Hope you are well Norms??) . Besides being busy trying to close up at office, I have been fighting battles with Telkom about the "uncapped" internet that we signed up for and the fact that we seem to run out of bandwidth every month - GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.  Nothing worse for me than thinking (and knowing) that we cannot be out of bandwidth (because we pay for the uncapped package and have been told that the "unused gigs will be carried over to the next month"), then being unable to connect and trying to re-set every setting, restore to previous dates, re-boot, unplug and re-boot again, only to be told when you eventually get through to the helpline that "you are capped".  Double GRRRRRRRRRRR.

It is all sorted out for now and as I sit here late on Monday night (and now Tuesday afternoon) after our "hot dog" and champagne office party on the 23rd, an awesome Caribbean Christmas Eve family celebration, a Christmas day lunch with our older generation and then 2 birthday parties yesterday - Lucie, my brand new sister-in-law and Carolyn vV - my sister's sister-in-law (but kind-of my family too).  Happy Birthday to twin sister Aimee as well - the first birthday that the sisters have been apart, so to make Lucie feel better we drank festive Pimm's Royale in twin quantities.  Quite something having your birthday on Boxing Day and it getting lost in the mix of Christmas and holidays and over-indulgence but these ladies were making sure that we did not forget about their special day and a great day (and night) was enjoyed by all.

Matt and his Nanna

Caribbean Amy

Garrett (as my Grandfather used to call him) the Parrett

Amy, Hayley and Nic the Pirate

Lucie and Kelly (holding her new puppy) which looks like this:-

Strange........to have paid for one could have been called an error in judgement,

then to get a second and now a third (which has replaced the second) is just a weird devotion

to a very strange breed. (Sorry Gill and Van V's but these things should not be called a dog)

This is Cody van Vlaanderen

(pretty cute, for now)

Dalene won the Talking Parrot in the Christmas game

(Yes, you are right in thinking so, Kathy bought the parrot and everyone wanted it)

Dalene and Kathy (licking her lips in anticipation for taking the title, yet again (she should be yawning))

It was a great evening.  Nic and Matt were in charge of cocktails and we drank Pina Colada's out of coconuts, we listened to music from Copacabana to Kokomore and from Red Red Wine to Redemption Songs.  The food was great, the company good and the turkey juicy.

Old pirates, yes, they rob I;

Sold I to the merchant ships,

Minutes after they took I

From the bottomless pit.

But my hand was made strong

By the hand of the Almighty.

We forward in this generation

Triumphantly.

Won't you help to sing

These songs of freedom?

'Cause all I ever have:

Redemption songs,

Redemption songs

My house is getting back to normal (thanks to a visit from Ivy this morning), the wrapping paper has been packed away until next year, the table has been "unset", the cracker toys and paper hats (that never fit) have been thrown away and the leftover Father Christmas serviettes packed away with the wrapping paper (probably only to be found on Boxing Day next year).

How many Christmas cards did you get this year?  I only have 5, 4 of which are from my new Scottish family and friends.  Thank you so much.  There is something special about receiving a Christmas card and when I started wondering why I received so few, I reminded myself that it probably had something to do with the fact that I don't send cards anymore (and haven't for at least eight years).  Every year there seem to be a few less and now this year, thanks to my new friends, I have a couple more this year.

Okay, I have you wondering.  Where is the fifth card?  I received this little bit of magic from Shelley Steyn (in Cape Town for Christmas all the way from Australia).  They came around for dinner last week, so great to see Shelley (and Colin and Candice (Gill, I see most days!!)), we had a lovely evening and as she was leaving Shelley pulls out a bag of gifts - for Amy, Kelly and myself.  A lovely watercolour of the Sidney Opera House for me, huge pencil cases for Amy and Kelly and with my gift, this card:-

I mean, really!!  The Steyn's (like the Vans and the Vincents) have a passion for these little pet rodents.  Shelley you are definitely off my Christmas card list for next year!! ;) ;)!!