Merry Christmas everyone!

Hope you are all well and had a great festive day. How is the snow? All we hear on the news is how you are all suffering and not being able to drive cars on roads, or trains through tunnels. Can something else exciting happen apart from snow please? Thank you.

So, I have now become of age to the ripe old age of 22. Yes Cat, even numbers again, hooray! Left the Blue Mountains (after doing exciting things like going on a train and cooking Skippy steaks on the BBQ I mentioned in the video. Medium-rare Skippy steak. Tastes like deer. You can get Skippy mince too!) and back to Sydney for a few days. Met up with Phoebe, another distant relative! Spent the day trying to find her lost cat, 'miow'ing down alleyways. That sort of thing. Ohh and had a nice coffee (yes, I drink coffee now, how civilised!) and new book (yes, I read too, crazy times).

Headed to Canberra for Birthday and Christmas celebrations with K. She taught me all there is to know about Thai cooking on my birthday, and we have eaten approximately 3kilos of prawns and lots of amazing food. The space between ending one meal, and mentioning the next, became very little indeed! Went to the National Carillion for some festive carols on Christmas Eve. Church bells playing 'Silent Night' with out of tune note on the 'night' and the ringing on of previous chords delighting the ear of the listener. We made it through two tunes we recognised, and about fourteen we didn't. Still, good going. Also dog sitting for K's friend, Jennifer. A lovely retired greyhound named Connie. Who has found that moving my shoes around the house and sleeping on my bed is great fun. Hmm.

Christmas Day was spent with our adopted family. Come to Australia they said. It'll be sunny Christmas they said. It consisted of sitting indoors. Raining outside. Lots of turkey, roasties, ham, and tones of food and champagne! Normal British Christmas then! We still trecked outside to play badminton in the rain, which delighted the dog who enjoyed eating the racquets and the shuttle cock. Joy.

Bye bye to K and off to Sydney this afternoon to meet Mick and Emily tonight and start our adventures up the coast again! Staying in Sydney till after New Year festivities. I'll take them to oooh ahhh at the Opera house and bridge at some point! And we have a camper van to try and live out of and drive around. Wish us luck! I did get a road atlas as a present though, so lost we won't get!

Merry Christmas all, and have a great New Year.

Enjoy!

Nick xx