Author: awmalloyadmin

We seemed to have got Christmas right this year. In years past we’ve been rushing to and fro and boxing day; our place, Rae’s grand parents, my mum – spread out over a couple of hundred kilometres. Christmas and Boxing Day have disappeared in blurs of cars, hugs, presents and then more cars. The kids got to see their presents for a few minutes before heading off and no one got any rest.

This year we did things differently. We headed up to Shepp for the weekend prior to Christmas and had dinner on the Saturday at my sister’s place. Saturday and Sunday we spent at mum’s and while she got her fill of grandchildren goodness  while we read the paper, watched a bit of telly and just relaxed.

Monday we gave the place a bit of a clean in preparation for the big day and thankfully, as we’d been organised, didn’t have any last minute dashes to the shops or last minute wrapping of presents to do. We tried to be good with presents for the kids this year, just one or two really good presents and that was it but by the time nana and friends presents were added the tree looked obscenely overloaded. Something to work on next year.

Christmas day turned out to be possibly the best we’ve had together. Zita and Rob came over in the morning for presents – Bert was especially fun to watch  as this year was his first really understanding what was going on. It’s going to be fantastic in two years when Henry and Kennedy can join in. Rae’s nana joined us later in the morning for the traditional roast lunch.

 

Even though I’m the dad I didn’t get to claim my traditional snooze, instead we all sat outside and watched Phee and Bert chase bubbles around the back yard. Later on there was a board game for Phee before leftovers for dinner. Ah, Christmas, how my waistline despises you.

Of all the odd ways to finish off Christmas day we spent it watching a horror film. Well, more of a horror mini-series. Rae had received ‘It‘ on DVD and for some reason we all thought that seemed like a good one to put on to round out the festive day. Twenty minutes in Phee was sent screaming from the room after her act of bravado was shredded by one scary clown. And to think she wants to watch Poltergeist….

Boxing Day was a perfect day weather wise. I know that people who know me won’t believe this but I spent most of it outside. The one stupid tree we have in the back yard gave me enough shade to sit reading History’s Worst Decisions and the People Who Made Them. I had my iPod and my camera with me, just lovely.

More leftovers, more relaxing and to finish the night the Doctor Who Christmas special, hot off the PC. What a perfect two days.

Family, sun, food, drink, presents, fun.

Hope your day was as good as ours.

Ho ho ho everyone.

It’s going to be a great Christmas this year, Bert is right in to Santa and I can’t wait to see his reaction tomorrow morning after the jolly fat man (ie me) has been and put presents under the tree. Phee will still be a big kid when it comes to presents and Henry and Kennedy will have no idea what’s going but happy there are lots of people to give them hugs.

Thanks for stopping by in 2007 and I hope you all have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Well, the ‘arton car park‘ is changing. Another little bit of Shepp’s history is torn away.

They’ve torn down the old parcel pick up and travellers rest rooms, apparently to expand the car park. I really have to get up to Shepp and get some photos of the older buildings that mean something to me before they all disappear.

After 16 years working in the one building (in many different jobs ranging from a dish washer to Internet geek) I moved campuses today. Space constraints in a rapidly growing department saw the programmers (who I get lumped in with) move to a completely different building – one that is as much in the middle of nowhere as you can be in the inner east.

We were moving our own computer equipment in when today’s massive storm hit. We were caught, the PC’s were safe. As were setting up we got the news that storm had wiped out the new phone system so we were without phones. Then one of my colleagues shorted out the office by turning on his PC. A few minutes later a call came through on the bosses mobile – there was  problem with one of our sub-sites. A problem that could only be fixed by accessing the programs installed on my computer. The one with no power.

I left for home, and my Christmas break, two hours later. No phones, no power, no PCs but we had scored a beer.

And they weren’t too bad.

It was a movie day today – I saw two film units in different parts of town. One was in Malvern and given the age of the houses around there it could have been shooting The Pacific. The other was in Spotswood in the church on the corner of Hudson and Williamstown Rd. There was another couple of vans a couple of blocks away, probably 2nd unit on the same production.

Keeping an eye on proceedings were a couple of police on motorbikes. Then again they may have been keeping an eye out for the two prisoners who managed to kick their way out of a prison transport van just up the road. Will be triple checking the locks tonight.

We got the bill from the solicitor for conveyancing today. Thankfully it was finalised as part of the settlement figure (although Rae let me stress a few minutes before telling me that, evil wife that she is). Seriously people – $52 for photocopying! They must use powdered gold for toner.

I’ve had two days off work and spent it with Rae and the little ones. We even managed to wangle a coffee together this afternoon at The Coat, a rare treat at the moment. Rae’s gone out to dinner with some friends, the kids are all in bed, the cats are asleep on the couch, there’s (silent) cricket on the telly, I’ve ironed my three shirts for this week and a bonus for next Wednesday, the dishes are done and I’m exercising my inner Bolshie listening to Billy Bragg.

Who could ask for more?

My little sister, who lives about 200kms away, has had a rough week so we thought we’d do something to let her know we were thinking of her. Rae thought of sending her some chocolates, but being Friday and knowing what a pain Friday dinners can be I suggested we buy her pizza for dinner and have it delivered.

We tried a couple of the local pizza places but none would accept credit card payment over the phone so we ended up ordering online with Pizza Hut. I know, I know, but it was the only way Helly was going to get the promised pizza (and garlic bread) from us. We placed the order online for delivery in Shepp and that was done.

Apparently the following conversation ensued when it was delivered.

PizzaHutGuy : “I need someone to sign for the credit card.”

Helen : “Oh, it’s my brothers, he is shouting us dinner.”

PizzaHutGuy : “Is he in there?”

Helen : “No. He’s In Melbourne.”

PizzaHutGuy – puzzled look.

Helen : “He ordered it for us on the internet.”

PizzaHutGuy : “But how can he order something on the internet for here from Melbourne?”

Helen : “How about I just sign for it?”

PizzaHut Guy : “Ah, okay.”