VIDEO REFLECTIONS - Christmas Eve at Hayman Island

As we approach the completion of our trip, we've become rather sentimental about the (almost) one year that has passed. I thought I might share some of our "Video Reflections" with you...


This one was taken at Uncle Bruce's version of Hayman Island - his backyard pool!

CAMPSITE # 37 - Oh Christmas Tree...

Somehow, just like last year and the years proceeding, Christmas Day just manages to fly on by until it gets to a point where you sit back at the end of the day and realise... the sun set over three and a half hours ago and now you're just left with a giant tree to dismantle, fun new presents to play with and a whole lot of leftovers.

We were both so chuffed to feel so welcomed and comfortable this whole week. And we played all of the traditional Christmas roles as well.. making us both feel right at home...

We erected & decorated the Christmas Tree.
Aunty Cheryl placing the angel on top.

Something tells me Uncle Bruce & his hedge trimmer weren't so keen on the decorations...

I was screaming like a school girl with excitement... an actual real life kitchen to cook in!!

We spent many lazy afternoons around the pool (aka Hayman Island), drinking beers and soaking in the sunshine...

We lined up, alongside the rest of Canberra, at 7am Xmas Eve morning to buy some giant prawns...

And on the BIG day... we enjoyed a champagne breakfast in the sunshine.
Please excuse the tasteless Collingwood hats.

Opening the presents & eating all of the yummy food was of course the boring part.

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And then, more relaxing around the pool

We even went to the church for the Christmas Eve midnight mass / session / sermon thingo (very technical terminology on my part). Considering it had been exactly twelve months since I last set foot inside a church, nothing had changed. The Christmas crowd that go to the Christmas Eve service are always a funny bunch. None of us ever know any of the actual hymns but when it gets to the likes of Silent Night & Joy to the World the place is practically erupting. I'm surprised I wasn't a pile of ash, up in flames as soon as I walked through the front door considering I struggle to recall the Lords Prayer even after having it drilled into me for twelve years thanks to my super Christian education. I still think it's a lovely tradition to go, I enjoy it mainly to listen to the choir and soak in the atmosphere and it really makes it feel like Christmas. I couldn't help but be amused by the crowd surrounding us, desperately trying to hide their yawning and pretending like they could keep up with the choir. I was particularly amused by the teenage girl two rows in front who was holding her order of service in her right hand and was trying to hide the fact that she was texting with her left hand. At least I knew I was safe, if anyone was going up in flames... she would most certainly be higher on the list than I.

Now that we find ourselves at the end of our one week of 'normal life', we're having to say goodbye. Not just to my very hospitable & accommodating Uncle & Aunty but also to their little luxuries that we've been spoiled enough to have access to over the last week. We must now say goodbye to flushing toilets, hot running water & a real bed and return to squeezing our lives into 10 (or so) square metres by combining our living room, bedroom, kitchen & of course our major form of transportation all into one.

In reflection, I smile at the week just passed. I'm so glad we came and that we were welcomed with open arms. I truly hope Uncle Bruce & Aunty Cheryl can meet up with us somewhere along the trip.. but perhaps I'll suggest that a little further down the track as they could well be very excited to see the tail end of us.

From Canberra, we plan on jetsetting our way down to Melbourne to collect two friends from the airport. Because of this, we have had to do some major renovations to the setup in the Troopie. Tom and I have refurbished the shelving unit and have rolled the backseats down to transform it into a passenger vehicle.

Of course, Charlie deserves a Christmas present too. We scrubbed him and polished him on the outside and Tom gave him a great vacuum inside. We must remember this moment as it won't happen very often - Charlie is spick & span... the cleanest he's been in probably 21 years... lucky little fella.

Would you believe, I think we're both really itching to get back out there and continue the journey. Nothing against Uncool Bruce's company of course but we're now so used to being on the road that I don't think we know how to sit still in one place for so long. And the most exciting part is after Canberra, we leave ACT & NSW behind us and begin our exciting new adventure in a whole new state - Victoria. Victoria, being the home of Melbourne, where we'll spend New Years Eve and where we'll have friends to play with. I think we've exhausted quite a lot of NSW & ACT and we're ready to move on. Move over the blue NSW section in our Camps 5 book (which is looking particularly tattered) and hello Victoria's grey section (soon to be looking particularly tattered).

Two Turtle Doves...

One more sleep until it's the happiest day of the year and I can't wait.

The Christmas Tree has been decorated to the nines with each piece of tinsel and ornament strategically placed. All of the presents are resting under the tree, neatly wrapped in their sparkling colours awaiting their unveiling first thing tomorrow morning. I'm yet to conduct the annual audit of the presents under the tree but no doubt my name is on the majority.

I've been very busy in the kitchen. The Christmas Cake has been baked.. even though the frosted icing was harder work than baking the actual cake!! It's now setting in the fridge, and will be decorated this eve in preparation for its gala event after lunch tomorrow.

Tom & Uncle Bruce have worked their little hearts out in the yard. I love how everyone gets their lawns mowed, pools cleaned & homes immaculate just to enjoy it in pristine condition for that special day. I don't think I've heard so many pieces of outdoor machinery being used in one day than in this neighbourhood... they've been working non stop!!

Tom and I have rummaged through the cupboards of the Troopie in search of our most respectable pieces of clothing (free from the stench of either smoke or fish) for a Christmas eve dinner this evening followed by a visit to the church for a midnight Christmas Eve ceremony.... I better get my vocal chords in tune (if they even know how!!). 

The weather this afternoon was absolutely perfect, what better way to celebrate Christmas Eve than to drink beers under the sun around the pool (also referred to as Hayman Island). It's quite rare for Canberra to actually experience NICE weather particularly over the Christmas period. The sun must have decided to make its way down further south this year as it certainly isn't shining back in Queensland!!! Na na ne nar nar!!

We're both really looking forward to a special day tomorrow. And we'll be thinking of our close family and friends that we won't be able to spend it with. I hope you all have a truly memorable day .

Crank those Christmas Carols on the stereo - cheesy the better!
Forget the diet regime and pig out until you feel so sick from overeating you need to lie down on the carpet of the lounge room floor.
And, most importantly, just remember... it is your duty as a festivities participant to ensure that you always have a glass of your drink of choice in hand at all times throughout the day. (Afternoon siestas excused). 

Yippeeeeeee

THE QUESTIONAIRE

Tom and I thought it would be a nice idea to write out a few questions about the trip so far and then sit down separately and write out our answers. In a few months time, we'll tackle the same questions again and see how they compare...

 What’s the best experience you’ve had so far on the trip?

TOM : The day of walking to get to the top of Kosciusko, a very easy walk really but lots of fun and a great spot of exercise in the great outdoors. 

AMY : Working on my tan!! All of those hours spent lying on the beach under the sun, I feel relaxed just thinking about it.

What’s the one thing you miss the most about your “old life”?

TOM :  MONEY!!! No not really, I miss seeing all of our friends regularly. That’s one of the hardest things about being on the road, feeling like you’re missing out and missing friends.

AMY : Having my family and friends just a short drive away.

 What’s the one thing you miss the least about your “old life”?

TOM : Being rung up late in the afternoon to be told you are needed out on site the next day for two weeks.

AMY : Well duh! That’s easy, working!!

 What’s the one thing you love the most about being on the road?

TOM : The fact that everything that happens while we are on the trip is a product of our input and how we deal with the situations we are faced with, when we have a really good day it is so rewarding to know that our choices have led to it. When we have a bad day, for whatever reason, we can sit back and look at what we did wrong or work out how we are going to tackle the situation to make sure tomorrow is another cracker!

1.  
 AMY : Freedom!! Doing whatever we want to every single day.

In retrospect, what would you have done differently about how you’re setup?

TOM : I would have booked the Troopy in to have a new head gasket fitted while we were both still on a steady income!

AMY : I would have made the shelving unit 2 inches shorter so then we could sit up & not slouch. 

One thing you wish you brought with you but didn’t?

TOM : My brother gave me a small coffee percolator for Christmas two years ago and I left it behind as I thought it would be good to lay off the coffee. In retrospect I think that a good coffee every now and again would be a real treat and I wish I still had Bill’s gift with me.

AMY : 16 bottles of Absolut Vanilla Vodka.

If you could chose one person in the whole world to join you on the trip for one week, who would you choose?

TOM : My Dad

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 AMY : As I don’t believe in favouritism, I would chose my two nephews as they are both so small two of them would make up for one big person. LOL no doubt after one week, we’d be pretty keen to hand them back ;)

If you were sat in a fine dining restaurant with everything in the world on the menu, what would you choose?

TOM : Mum’s chicken and spinach lasagne, sweet potato and a lovely fresh salad straight from the garden with some English new potatoes. Mum would also have to be there to make it so of course I would ask the chef to join me for dinner.

AMY : A fresh seafood platter including mud crabs, Moreton Bay Bugs, prawns, oysters, mussels, lobster, calamari, the lot!!

If you could have any drink in the world right now, what would you have?

TOM : a bottle of Don as I’ve never had it before and would be keen to see what all the fuss is about without having to part with the hard earned 

AMY : A Lychee caprioska in a two litre cocktail glass.

If you were given $100 of ‘free money’, which you couldn’t spend on the trip, what would you spend it on?

TOM : I would treat Amy to have a full head of foils and a hair cut (I have no idea of course how much all of that would come to but that’s what I would put it toward anyway).

AMY : I’d get my hair done.

FOOTAGE : WHAT IS A REST AREA IN AUSTRALIA?