Well, I managed to decorate my cast, but unfortunately never got around to taking a picture of it. So I have drawn my dodgy example in MS Paint. I know have artistic talent people, so no comments necessary

I had a fantastic Christmas this year. I spent the morning visiting Mat’s family (one half) at his sisters place that morning, where I received a silk nighty from his mum. She wanted me to model it, but being on crutches and the sheer length of the nighty (if I bend over you can see my ass!) she was refused.

About 2pm we left and headed for Brisbane. We had a fantastic drive, no trouble at all on the highway. 1 hour of blissful driving in air conditioning – on such a hot day it was fantastic. Arriving at my sisters place, we let ourselves in to find that the weather of Antartica had moved into their living room. (You can safely say that your Air Conditioning works Amy). After 2 hours, we were joined by Amy and Pauline, Katie (my other sister), Gavin (her partner), and Ella (their baby). My mother was also lurking around with her Christas attire and coffee. I received my “present of the year” here, a George Foreman Roaster (couldn’t find a picture) & Griller. They’re the ones where the fat drips out the bottom – they are fantastic!! Thanks a million mum!!

I was also given the book “Scar Tissue” (autobiography of Anthony Keidis from Red Hot Chilli Peppers)(I will be doing a review) and a hot chocolate set from Amy and Pauline, consisting of a HUGE mug that Mat isn’t allowed to touch (ahah), powder and marshmellows.

Talk about over the moon presents!! I will be doing my review of the book shortly, but already I’ve dived head first into it.

After that we headed to Mat’s other half of the family, where drinks ensued, and a very drunken night of Euchre and card games. Funny stuff. I was using the ice crusher that I received from Dad, and making cocktails too. Well, the best that i could make out of vodka, red cordial and lemonade. I will be making them properly on New Years.

Fantastic day nonetheless, and I hope everyone else also had a good day. Merry Christmas all!

You know it’s Christmas when:

1. Wham gets more radio time than they have in the past 20 years.
2. There’s a Mariah Carey song being sung around the country, and it doesn’t annoy you to hear it.
3. If you’re in Austria, your mum makes a mountain of cookies.
4. People don’t care that there are 60 people standing outside their house staring at the funny little man in a red suit on their front lawn.
5. People suddenly find old men with fat bellys in a red suit attractive.
6. Similarly, people don’t find it repulsive to sit on old men with fat bellys in a red suit’s knee and tell him what they want.
7. Old men with fat bellys in red suits don’t mind when children stare at them.
8. The windows of Myer in Melbourne require line ups to view them.
9. Your mother starts trying to coordinate your trees at home with the latest style at Myers.
10. Red Tartan and Gold make a comeback (this is my mothers design at home – quite attractive Christmas tree actually)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

I was talking to my big Austrian friend at work today, and how I wasn’t feeling particularly Christmassy this year.

Yesterday he gave me some Austrian sweets, which I gobbled up with delight. They were amazing! Like Gingerbread with icing, but oh so different!!

He told me that when he was growing up he would know Christmas was approaching because his Mum used to start baking cookies 4 weeks beforehand (so that they would become soft again just on Christmas. Had to be right). She used to make “mountains” he said, and then because she knew that her kids would want some, she would hide them all over the house, so he used to look for them, and just gradually take a few each time. I told him that’s probably the reason for making mountains, because she had to cope with the loss of quite a few!!

He showed me pictures of the Christmas market in Vienna, and it’s just so beautiful! Imagine walking down snowy streets looking in stalls, the City Hall just in front of you with a 30 foot Christmas tree decorated with thousands of lights occupying the doorstop. Imagine as you walk these streets, you have hot wine in one hand, roasted chestnuts in your other, and snow falling on your hair.

He said that people do this for 4 weeks, Christmas is truly celebrated there. What a tradition! You can see pictures of it here (just make sure you select English for the language, otherwise you won’t have a clue what it’s about). It shows you a map of all the stalls, and if you click on a stall a picture appears to show you what was in that stall. It ranges from candles, leather and clothing, to roasted chestnuts, hot wine and sweet stalls.

It started in 1296, with only small traders allowed to run the market (because it was them who took up the gauntlet in ensuring a steady range of goods could be supplied to the people. Now there’s over 140 stalls, and more than 3 million visitors!!

Anyone want to come to Vienna with me in a couple of years?