First Thing Christmas Morning

You couldn't possibly have a more different day to last year. We have had rain, thunder and storms overnight. I am wearing my winter dressing gown. I am definitely not intending to have my morning cup of tea in the garden! It's still cloudy and dark and wet (not night time dark, but cloud and gloomy weather dark). The Christmas tree lights are twinkling - although the solar fairy lights outside have gone out.

The run up to Christmas has been festive and, mostly, sunny. 

Our friend Sandy is over from Perth for Christmas so we met with her and a mutual friend of hers and Lindsey's at a Japanese All-You-Can-Eat place in Sunbury on Thursday evening. You have 90 minutes and can have pretty much whatever food you want for $40 per person. Drinks are extra. Sandy is vegan and she had plenty of food to choose from.

We closed the surgery early on Friday, and I took the opportunity to go to La Manna on my way home. I haven't been for a while and enjoyed my wander around. They had lots of festive food and plants. Lindsey had asked me to get a large box of cherries - so I did. 2kg for $99. Expensive, I know, but the cherries are large and luscious and the cherry harvest this year has been badly affected by the dry spring and (so far) wet summer. Cherries are in high demand, low supply, and very expensive this year. I also bought a lemon green poinsettia for Stella to give to the staff at the care home. Not as expensive!

We must make sure we eat every one of the cherries!

Several of us met at The Shared Table in Buninyong on Saturday lunchtime. Simon and his family, because they can't come today. Lindsey, Ian and me. Freyja and Simon. But not Stella who had taken to her bed, not feeling well. This was a worry. Stella never misses the opportunity of a trip out and absolutely never misses the chance of lunch in a fancy restaurant. The Shared Table is pretty fancy. She was feeling better when Simon called in to see her after lunch and seemed ok when I checked in later in the afternoon.

And that was the start of our Christmas Party, which is spread out over several days this year, with smaller gatherings on Saturday, today and tomorrow. And, I suppose, last night.

Lindsey and I were at Wilson's Fruit and Vegetables shortly after they opened at 7am yesterday. We had done the supermarket by 7:45 or so. We went out to Kmart and Bunnings and then went home to unpack the car and have a cup of tea (Lindsey, at her place) and coffee (me, at mine). Then we headed back out to Dan Murphy's for wine and stuff and finally to the mushroom farm for a fruit platter and some bits and pieces.

Stella had declared herself well enough to join us for the planned Christmas activities, so I picked her up mid-afternoon and took her up to Hill House. She still isn't feeling all that well but definitely wasn't going to miss out. Wendy joined us for dinner at Hill House, then she and  I came down to my place.

I had made up the spare bed, ready for visitors. These were not the visitors I had in mind!

They were eventually persuaded that the intended visitor was Wendy and not them!

Santa has been to my place:

And the rain has returned with vigour. There are storms and heavy rain across the whole Eastern Seaboard. I do not think there will be much outdoor Christmas activity today. Or tomorrow, come to that. I wonder where my favourite Christmas jumper is.