Sunday, 25 December 2011

Christmas Dinner

After a full day on the beach, we had Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. Thank you Jane. The turkey and everything. It was a very festive event complete with microbrewery brew and mango moonshine. It was delicious and complete with borscht and perogies and hungry man stew, polish traditions. Courtesy of Seb. An evening followed of Wii. Also, enjoy our Christmas shirts. They don't have ugly Christmas sweater parties here, so tacky singlets it is. Made with love

I am dreaming of a white Christmas

Well, Christmas was a bit different this year in 30 degree heat and no snow. However, I did manage to cope and celebrate in a truly Australian fashion, celebrate Christmas. Chad and I started by exchanging gifts under our Christmas tree on the balcony before setting off on an adventure to the Gold Coast for some prime Australian sun. We made it to Surfer's Paradise, where unfortunately there was no swimming due to a large ocean storm and 6 meter swells. Not sure if you can make that out in the pictures. They are huge swells. It was a beautiful day. I was the sunscreen Nazi with sunscreen but Chad and Chris chose to ignore that and ended up a little crisp. I built some sandcastles and Chad destroyed my sandman. I guess I shouldn't complain!!! So pictures for you to enjoy. :) notice the candy canes on the beach

Friday, 23 December 2011

Christmas Circus

This city really is booming with fun things to do around the holiday time. Great for the tourist in me!! The circus was full of some great acts, cirque de soleil type tumbling. It started with the local training place. All and all pretty good. Then there was a brother and sister act, followed by the Pitt family circus and a famous Australian circus performer. Wrapping up the night was the Perch Creek Family Jug Band.

Christmas Activities

So the big department store here is Myers. They have a big Christmas parade and pantomime. Very fun and festive. The parade was very cute, especially as they read Australian Night before Christmas and sing Australian Christmas carols. The pantomime was quite cute and talked all about the magic of Christmas. The bad guys were trying to steal it but were thwarted by the elf squad. The Christmas angel even made an appearance.
The presents were dancing, the marching band was looking pretty hot in their Santa hats and of course, there was a BBQ, which I have learned is true Australian Christmas style. Guess, we best get to the beach for Christmas.

Microbrewery

Last weekend was the adventure at the microbrewery. One of Chad's friends has previously brewed the beer, with hopes of it tasting like Sleeman's honey brown. Not being a beer drinker, I am told that it did. We went to the brewery and got to bottle the beer. Saw the whole process. Some pictures of the experience for you!!!

Monday, 19 December 2011

Australian Jingle Bells

AUSTRALIAN JINGLE BELLS


Dashing through the bush,
in a rusty Holden Ute,
Kicking up the dust,
esky in the boot,
Kelpie by my side,
singing Christmas songs,
It's Summer time and I am in
my singlet, shorts and thongs

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut !,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

Engine's getting hot;
we dodge the kangaroos,
The swaggie climbs aboard,
he is welcome too.
All the family's there,
sitting by the pool,
Christmas Day the Aussie way,
by the barbecue.

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

Come the afternoon,
Grandpa has a doze,
The kids and Uncle Bruce,
are swimming in their clothes.
The time comes 'round to go,
we take the family snap,
Pack the car and all shoot through,
before the washing up.

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute

Saturday, 17 December 2011

An Adventure to Sunshine Coast

So, Dad, (mom, you will really appreciate this), turns out cars really do catch on fire. We were not even 50 cars back on the drive up to the Sunshine Coast when an accident took place, resulting in a semi being on fire. They were conducting emergency repairs on the way home to the road.
We did make it to the Sunshine coast for a wonderfully gorgeous day in the sun.
Also, we realized how Santa got to the land down under.

Angels on Queen's Street and 1988 Expo

So, there are daily Christmas happenings. A picture of some angels singing carols. Notice the poor little boy. Had to leave the stage when a poor fly wouldn't leave him alone.
Some pictures from part of what was built for world expo 1988.

Commissariat Stores Building

Okay, so turns out that I like to do lots of educational things. I went to the commissariat stores building on Friday. It was built by convicts and finished in 1829. They didn't try convicts in Brisbane back then, they were sentenced in Sydney. Lesser convicts were here. It's the oldest standing building in Brisbane. That and the majority of the windmill. The windmill was used to crush the corn to essentially make the corn mush that their diet consisted of. A prisoner's punishment could consist of having to walk the 'treadmill' that was attached. There wasn't always enough wind to run it. I went on a tour and had the pleasure of having a lovely old man named Malcom. Going on tours in the middle of the week is beneficial because you tend to be the only one and as a result, you get all the good stories. I learned of the murder that happened as the convicts built the wall. There were 20 of them chained together. Long story short, the last guy came around and dragged the others to the first guy and put his pick axe through the other guy's head. Also, there was a ghost sighting of Captain Logan. Seen all the way up the river. The floor is gridded as they did an archeological dig there. When it was originally built, the floor matched the walls. The beams were originally cut by axe by the convicts.