holidaychristmasnow

A lot of happiness and relaxation around here, I'm glad to report.

We had nine wonderful days on Kangaroo Island, staying at a remote spot called Cape Forbin, with a beach and river down the bottom of the hill all to ourselves. Magic. Although a little scary at the beach when I felt Charlie was drifting too far out on his surf mat, and I started screeching and threw off my dress and plunged in after him, but when I got out to him he said "are you alright?" so I guess he was okay.

Here's a snapshot-ish list, some of which goes with the pics and some does not:

•  we caught loads of marron (freshwater crayfish), and ate delicious 'marron-ara' pasta and pizza
• we caught a number of blue-throated wrasse, which are easy to catch but not great to eat, but we ate them anyway
• we were caught in an incredible downpour ("those dark clouds are coming in rather fast") and had to slosh our way up the very steep hill back to the house, through rivulets of kangaroo poo washing down
• we actually lit the wood stove, in late December, to get clothes and shoes dry
• the water on KI is more crystally-clear than you can possibly imagine
• Clem has started drawing pictures that look like things
• the vegetation that grows in some amazingly exposed, windswept places is remarkable
• Remarkable Rocks really are, even though we've seen them several times before
• the camera was accidentally on a setting that deliberately underexposes photos for at least half the trip, and I didn't figure it out until we got home and I read the manual, so a lot of the photos are not as good as they should have been, sad face
• we got home on Christmas Eve and left carrot and apple out for the reindeer
• Clem's new giant Beanie Kid (his one request) takes up half his bed
• my brother asked his girlfriend to marry him on Christmas morning, via a written proposal on the Kindle he gave her, and she said yes, and we are all thrilled, especially my mum, who has been bugging him about it, since they are living together and having a baby already, teehee
• Andy is spending a large amount of time gazing lovingly into a jar of San Francisco sourdough starter, which he is tending like (more than?) a baby
• our chicken babies, at four weeks, were well looked after by relatives and neighbours, and are looking decidedly teenaged and growing some very pretty feathers
• our cat had some choice words for us after she was fetched home from the cattery
• I really hope the sourdough works, I'm surprised he hasn't given it a name yet.

Happy days, and more to come. This time of year really feels like catching our breath from the entire rest of the year. Aahhh.

- Jane x