Christmas Eve saw us at a barbeque hosted by friends of Johann and Stretc
h. The setting was a rather fine house with gardens sweeping down to the Parramatta River shortly before it flows into Sydney Harbour. With the sun setting over the river as small craft plied their way up and down stream it was a different Christmas Eve than the ones we normally spend in Eskbank. The house was ideally situated to observe river traffic and our hostess regaled us with tales of high tragedy on the river as ferries wiped out pleasure craft usually being driven by drunken revellers. The highlight of their year came when, in the wee small hours, they were woken by a police helicopter hovering outside their bedroom window on the lookout for a car 
full of ram-raiders who had abandoned their vehicle nearby and started swimming. We don’t get that in Eskbank!
Then back home in time to finalise stocking filling for the morning.
Christmas Day did not go as planned. The champagne breakfast by the harbour had to be given a miss – we were rather late getting organised and by the time we got the picnic packed the sun was too high in the sky and the temperature was uncomfortably hot. Instead we had a buffet on the deck.
Young Anatalia was the star of the show. At three months of age she turned up looking rather gorgeous in a Santa's Little Helper outfit and managed to get through the whole day without crying. This was particularly surprising as at one point Steven took her into the spa for a swim where even the water pistols failed to faze her (although you wouldn’t think
so from the photograph). Mind you, this was not her first experience of total immersion in water as we took her to the swimming pool earlier in the week where she seemed to enjoy getting wet. Unfortunately the staff prevented me from taking photographs in case I had paedophile tendencies – I jest not!
After a Christmas Dinner, cooked primarily by me, of smoked salmon, prawns, roast beef with roast potatoes etc – we set up a video link with Jon, Lisa, Harvey and Oliver back in Scotland. Whilst Christmas Day was almost over in Australia, in Scotland it was just beginning and they were having all the family round for Christmas Dinner where Jon was cooking - smoked salmon, prawns, roast beef with roast potatoes etc – an almost identical menu – the main difference being here it was served at 30C whereas there it was –6C.
Today, Boxing Day, was a big sporting occasion in Australia
with the start of the Ashes Test match in Melbourne (where Australia were skittled out for 98 in the first innings) and the start of the Sydney to Hobart Race. We went to South Head to join the crowds watch the start of the race as the fleet of over 80 yachts left Sydney Harbour and set sail for Tasmania. The sight of these multi-million dollar boats sailing past and jockeying for position accompanied by a flotilla of small boats and at least 8 helicopters was quite breathtaking and the photos really do not do justice to the drama of the occasion. The first to round the headland and enter the open sea was “Wild Oats XI”, the race favourite which has 
already won the race four or five times although last year had to settle for second place.
h. The setting was a rather fine house with gardens sweeping down to the Parramatta River shortly before it flows into Sydney Harbour. With the sun setting over the river as small craft plied their way up and down stream it was a different Christmas Eve than the ones we normally spend in Eskbank. The house was ideally situated to observe river traffic and our hostess regaled us with tales of high tragedy on the river as ferries wiped out pleasure craft usually being driven by drunken revellers. The highlight of their year came when, in the wee small hours, they were woken by a police helicopter hovering outside their bedroom window on the lookout for a car 
full of ram-raiders who had abandoned their vehicle nearby and started swimming. We don’t get that in Eskbank!Then back home in time to finalise stocking filling for the morning.
Christmas Day did not go as planned. The champagne breakfast by the harbour had to be given a miss – we were rather late getting organised and by the time we got the picnic packed the sun was too high in the sky and the temperature was uncomfortably hot. Instead we had a buffet on the deck.
Young Anatalia was the star of the show. At three months of age she turned up looking rather gorgeous in a Santa's Little Helper outfit and managed to get through the whole day without crying. This was particularly surprising as at one point Steven took her into the spa for a swim where even the water pistols failed to faze her (although you wouldn’t think
so from the photograph). Mind you, this was not her first experience of total immersion in water as we took her to the swimming pool earlier in the week where she seemed to enjoy getting wet. Unfortunately the staff prevented me from taking photographs in case I had paedophile tendencies – I jest not!After a Christmas Dinner, cooked primarily by me, of smoked salmon, prawns, roast beef with roast potatoes etc – we set up a video link with Jon, Lisa, Harvey and Oliver back in Scotland. Whilst Christmas Day was almost over in Australia, in Scotland it was just beginning and they were having all the family round for Christmas Dinner where Jon was cooking - smoked salmon, prawns, roast beef with roast potatoes etc – an almost identical menu – the main difference being here it was served at 30C whereas there it was –6C.
Today, Boxing Day, was a big sporting occasion in Australia
with the start of the Ashes Test match in Melbourne (where Australia were skittled out for 98 in the first innings) and the start of the Sydney to Hobart Race. We went to South Head to join the crowds watch the start of the race as the fleet of over 80 yachts left Sydney Harbour and set sail for Tasmania. The sight of these multi-million dollar boats sailing past and jockeying for position accompanied by a flotilla of small boats and at least 8 helicopters was quite breathtaking and the photos really do not do justice to the drama of the occasion. The first to round the headland and enter the open sea was “Wild Oats XI”, the race favourite which has 
already won the race four or five times although last year had to settle for second place.I note as I post this blog that this is the 100th posting since I set the blog up well over a year ago. I must admit that I am as surprised as anyone that I have managed to keep it going so long.
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