Boxing Day 2010

It's 06:30:


I'm not usually up this early on a Sunday morning but the cacophony of snores and whistles from The Little Worker would have rivaled the noises from an actively breeding seal colony. No way to get back to sleep.


Usual hectic day yesterday which started quietly enough. As usual, the family were generous in the present-giving: another camera bag [I think this now makes four]. They have changed as my cameras have changed and extra equipment gets added. It's taken a long time and a continual re-evaluation process but I think this one will suffice for a while. 
One amusing moment... I unwrapped the two sets of DVDs of the BBC's adaptation of John Le Carré's Tinker, Tailor.. and Smiley's People. We'd had previous versions on video but they were always poor quality [home recorded from broadcasts] and after over 20 years the tape quality was now dubious. So in early November I saw that the BBC were selling multi-region versions. I organised the purchase, the DVDs duly arrived and then disappeared. Lo! they re-appeared as I unwrapped the packets - I was in mid-thank-you to The Little Worker when I remembered I'd bought them anyway. A senior moment.


After the presents I had plenty to do. Saturday is my normal washing day anyway and on top of the usual home work, this year in place of my usual herb and garlic breads I had offered to provide fresh Vietnamese spring rolls as the family meal entrée. That will teach me a lesson: it took ages to prepare the fillings and then took a long time for daughter HK and I to assemble the parcels. Fortunately the end result worked well. Even the picky father-in-law had one and finished it. As usual there were mountains of food - we could have managed two sittings of the Feeding of the 5 000. At the end of the meal the distribution of the presents and to finish the evening a performance by the youngest family member, Hannah, which kept us all entertained for ages.


A good day for which I'm grateful once again.


As for today.. I'm off for a quiet breakfast while everyone else is in bed and then if the Melbourne weather is helpful later on The Boxing day Test Match.. Go the Poms!.. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!