Christmas Eve

We sadly farewelled Rick and Justin on Sunday night after a brilliant hot day at Balmoral building sand castles and wave jumping. It was so brilliant to see them again.

We had a super festive Christmas Eve, Aussie style, starting with a visit to the Sydney Fish Market. Christmas here is all about the seafood and the fish market opened at 3am on Sunday morning not closing until 6pm on Christmas Eve. There were thousands of people there carrying great boxes of fish, trays of oysters and heaving bags of prawns about. Despite the crowds (we were there at 8am) it was really well organised and fun. We picked up our 3kg salmon and headed to the water's edge for coffee and fresh pastries straight from the baker's oven. Then it was onto the famous AC Butchery to pick up the ham. The queue was out the door and down the street, and included among the crowd the Premier of New South Wales. While Rob queued, Scarlett, Florence and I zipped over to the local library to give our favourite librarian a card Scarlett had made for her, alongwith a Christmas kiss and a hug. We then went back to pick up Rob and then zoomed over to nearby Drummoyne for Christmas Eve drinks with our old neighbours and friends Dave and George and their family. Then it was home to prepare a mince pie and a glass of milk for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph...

The spirit of Christmas

We were filled with the spirit of Christmas last night when, together with Rick and Justin, we went to the brilliant Christmas At The House concert at the Sydney Opera House. The choir and orchestra of Opera Australia performed carols and other festive songs and we had songsheets to join in with the easy ones that didn't require six years' training at the Conservatorium of Music. Rick and Justin loved it but were rendered gobsmacked when the crowd seemed to respond most enthusiastically to a rendition of the Rolf Harris 'hit' song Six White Boomers (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hlSsffF2xhA) which tells the story of Santa's sleigh being pulled by six old kangaroos. Good grief. We spent the interval on the opera house deck sipping champagne and watching a cruise ship glide away into the night. Driving home at about 10.30pm, we had an encounter that convinced us of the existence of fate. We were driving along the busy motorway and as we reached a point where our two lanes met another two, we saw a young, smartly dressed bloke staggering along in the middle of the road, as drunk as a lord. It was terrifying to watch. Cars were zooming passed, blowing their horns at him and on he walked. We managed to stop on a sort of hard shoulder in the middle of the two motorways and yelled at him to climb into the back of our car, with me wrestling the kid's car seats out of the way to make room for him. He was so drunk and didn't seem to realise he was on the motorway at all, slurring something about how hard it was to get a taxi. In between repeatedly reminding him NOT to be sick in our car, we asked him where he lived and were astonished when he replied, 'Ashfield'. Of all of the hundreds of suburbs in Sydney he lived in ours, in fact only about 300 metres from our house. I found this amazing. Destiny? It makes me shudder to think that if we had driven passed a few minutes later we might have been stuck behind an ambulance scraping him off the road. Before Rob eventually woke him and poured him from our car to his door, he told us his name was Cyril and that he was 22. So that's our Christmas good deed for the season ticked off. Merry Christmas Cyril.

Countdown to Christmas part 4- the hidden room

It's December 21, Scarlett's last day at nursery for the year and it's a scorcher here. Rick and Justin arrived yesterday and are here until December 24 when they fly to NZ for Christmas with Rick's family. Despite severe jetlag, making them feel like it was 4am, they managed a couple of large gin and tonics before we headed out for pizza last night. Yesterday was also momentous for being the day Florence really starting crawling. She has a lovely fluid style and is pretty quick. No more mornings at the shops knowing she is happily sitting on the floor at home with some clothes pegs, car keys and flick knives. Before we head out to a carol concert at the Opera House with Rick and Justin, I wanted to leave you with this picture of our second loo, aka Aladdin's cave, where we have been stashing all the Christmas presents that have been arriving every day. As ever, we are very grateful but can't help wondering whether all this is really necessary for a 9-month-old baby who likes to play with straws and a 3-year-old who is more than happy making rockets out of old milk cartons. May the door never be found....or this blog page for that matter.

Countdown to Christmas part 3

V excited again this week as we now only have 8 more sleeps until the man in red hits town. A viewing of The Polar Express even had Rob and I believing in Santa, it is so fabulous. Scarlett had her friend Ella over to play on Wednesday to listen to Christmas songs and behave angelically (in this shot anyway). On Friday we met up with our friends from the UK Richard Quance and his wife Karen, who now live in Perth. They were over for the opening of the Billy Elliot musical at a theatre in the city. Rob and I went to one of the previews of it two weeks ago and took it in turns to bawl, laugh and sit gobsmacked at how much swearing the child actors have to do. Richard and Karen are friends with the executive producer of Billy Elliot the movie and she was also in Sydney for the launch. She invited Richard and Karen along to the show and the star-studded after-party, which by Sydney standards was a galaxy as actual real celebrities were there like Elton John and Toni Collette, not just the cast of Neighbours. When we all met up for dinner the next night (not Elton or Toni) they were all very hungover. This didn't stop us all enjoying another lively night on the tiles, with Rob and I finally making it home (by bus, due to a taxi shortage) at 1.30am, making this the latest night out we have had since having Scarlett. Thank God then we were able to persuade Scarlett to have a lunchtime sleep yesterday so we could all crawl into bed and catch up on some Zzzzzs. Last night we packed a picnic and alongwith Martin and Drew, James and Amelia and Kendall and his mum Audrey, we headed up to the local church for Carols by Candlelight which was brilliantly festive despite crickets chirping in the background heat during Jingle Bells.

Countdown To Christmas Part 2

We are up to 11 on our multiple advent calendars and on the whole the threat of Santa not leaving anything under the tree has proved an excellent deterrent from any bad behaviour from Scarlett. She's really into the big man in red. This week we had two big Christmas events - the Santa babies proms at the Opera House and Scarlett's pre-school Christmas party. The Baby Proms was amazing - about 100 kids in a room with a small orchestra playing lovely Christmas songs accompanied by a conductor and a singer who had all the kids up dancing. Spot Scarlett in the pink in the middle of this picture with her hands in the air like she just don't care. By total coincidence (as these concerts are on over several days, several times each day) our friends Julia and Amelia were both there too with their kids which was great and made it like a special Christmas outing for them all. At the Wattle Lane Christmas party it was clear that to pre-schoolers no Santa is a bad Santa, not even one with a crap white beard applied so badly it revealed the bloke's real gingery beard underneath. Florence in the meantime is on the move. Not crawling exactly but moving around. We put her on the floor and leave the room and when we return moments later, she's not in the same place. It's like she doesn't want anyone to see her technique until she's finessed it. Now well into her solids, and with two more teeth coming through at the bottom, she got into the festive spirit by tucking into a set of red foam reindeer antlers.

Yum. Rob and I nearly died this week when Scarlett wandered into the laundry to get something and then rushed out shouting 'Mum! Dad! Come and look what I've found!." We exchanged a glance and feared the worse. In our laundry is a second toilet that Scarlett has somehow never seen. It has always been the hiding place for all gifts and currently contains a doll's house (unwrapped) and many, many Christmas presents. We have spent the last week thinking we better be able to come up with something good and quick if she ever finds the door. Before I blurted out that Santa had had to deliver early this year, she came back holding a missing hat we had been looking for. Phew!

Finally, it all got a bit too much for Scarlett after two events this week and she gave in to utter exhaustion. You better keep your energy levels up girl, we've still got 14 days to go, which includes a dinner out and two carol concerts.

Countdown to Christmas part 1

It would be fair to say that we are all a little over-excited about Christmas in the Duthie household this year. Excited to be having our first family Christmas at home in more than 10 years, excited to be our own little family and for Flo to see her first Christmas, and excited to be hosting a lunch with some special mates. As soon as December 1 rolled around, I was ready. We have four - count 'em - advent calendars on the go, the tree is up and decorated with all our special baubles from trips around the world, we have a nativity scene set up and Christmas music playing is nonstop on the i-pod. Also Rob and I have taken to wearing foam reindeer antlers. You think I'm joking, don't you? On Saturday morning after opening all the advent calendars we went to our first Christmas party hosted by kids tv channel Nickleodeon. Scarlett got to meet one of her favourite cartoon characters, Dora The Explorer, whom she rushed and embraced like a long-lost friend as well as Spongebob Squarepants and Santa Claus. Her face was a picture when Santa walked in and she got to sit with him and have a little chat about what she wants for Christmas (a scooter it would seem- oops- no luck there darling, I'm afraid) before he gave her a present. After a great deal of dancing under a giant parachute and eating of cupcakes, we headed home to put up the tree. Scarlett and I did it while Rob and Flo slept. Poor Rob has done his back in, is in a lot of pain and can be found most days lying on the floor or bed in between appointments at the back doctor, gin in hand.

Mantra on Salt - our holiday Part 2

After four nights with the Duthies we picked up our hire car and drove south for an hour or so to the little village of Kingscliff, just over the border back in New South Wales, affecting an hour time change. Kingscliff is made up of a strip of shops and cafes, a couple of campgrounds and a glorious long surf beach. We stayed 2 kms south in a new $1 billion resort called Salt Beach. It comprises a new 'village' with a few shops, cafes and a green, two big hotels, lots of new spectacular beach front homes all built behind a long, long surf beach. We checked into our lovely two bed suite and then headed for the lagoon pool. We managed to entice Scarlett from its turquoise waters and waterfalls three times, once for an afternoon stroll along the beach, once when a deadly brown snake started swimming too and everyone legged it until he slithered away into the undergrowth and to rent bikes with kid's seats to ride along the bike path behind the beach. When that path ran out we took the bikes down to the empty beach and rode for ages along the wet sand. It was absolutely brilliant fun. (The thing I never get about Australian beaches is why they are so frequently entirely empty of people.) It was so relaxing, as Scarlett could be left pretty much on her own in the shallows of the pool, and Flo is happy with a small piece of paper and a clothes peg these days, Rob managed a snooze on his lounger by the pool and I sunbathed for ages without being bothered. We ate out both nights, once at the wonderful Fins restaurant, winner of a chef's hat in the Good Food Guide awards and at a pizza place, Flo sleeping perfectly in her pram and Scarlett on her best behaviour. Great fun.

Where Else But Queensland ? Our holiday Part 1

Last Thursday we dragged a very excited Scarlett out of nursery school early so we could jump in a taxi to the airport to fly to Queensland to see the Duthies of Brisbane. Scarlett was sooooo excited about the prospect of a taxi ride, never mind the plane, you'd think we didn't have a car. She spent most of the day before rearranging furniture to resemble her version of a plane with seats for her and Flo. It was refreshing to see nature (or was it nurture?) take over when Scarlett instinctively popped the airline sick bag on her head once on board, something Rob and I have amused ourselves with for years. As always, a visit to Craig and Lynda's is all about lots of laughing, talking, drinking and eating. We hardly ever even leave their house, why would we? They have a beer fridge and a pool. Scarlett would leave the pool for necessary breaks such as eating and sleeping, but pretty much stayed in there the rest of the time. We managed a break to vote in our new prime minister on Saturday and a visit to a local winery in the afternoon. A winery in Queensland? I know, that's what I said. Scarlett followed Nicole and Ryan everywhere during the brief moments she wasn't in the pool, insisting that they sit with her at all meal times and car trips, and Florence had her first laundry tub bath, something Scarlett didn't want to miss out on either. The weather was perfect, the company peerless and Florence slept like the perfect Gina Ford baby despite the hour time difference.

Parrrrrrtttteeeeeee!!!

Yesterday Rob proved that turning 44 doesn't stop you from having a good time. We had about 30 people over yesterday afternoon/evening/night for a birthday party that began in about 30 degree heat. We filled the paddling pool, put up extra beach umbrellas and made sure there was plenty of beer and wine on ice to keep everyone's fluids up. Rob got loads of great gifts and we feasted on baked salmon, roast lamb, rosemary, thyme and garlic potatoes and bocconcini salad, finished off with banana birthday cake. As guests came and went we drank and ate and drank, while the kids went crazy in the garden. Everyone was gone by 11pm and then Rob stayed up until 1am clearing up, I mean partying hard. Happy Birthday darling.

Birthday boy

Yesterday Robert Hamish Duthie turned 44. I know, that's what I said. He doesn't look a day over 43. Rob was on nights the night before so dragged himself home desperate for bed, but knowing he'd never get passed Miss Scarlett who wanted to hand over gifts and repeatedly spill the beans about the various cakes I'd made as surprises. I also had a surprise planned for lunch which I couldn't mention to her at all for fear she'd spill. Rob's presents included a large glass paperweight with a giant tarantula inside - something he has always said he'd like - plus a book of photos I made of him and the girls in the style of one of our favourite children's books called My Dad. Oh yes, there were tears. Rob finally made it into bed at 8am, only to be woken by me 3 hours later as we were heading off out to a special birthday lunch. With Scarlett in nursery for the day, Rob, Florence and I headed to the north shore to an amazing spot in Mosman. The old barracks and gunnery that once stood here has all been converted into a visitors centre, workshops and a restaurant that must have one of the best views of Sydney harbour. The Tearoom Gunners Barracks is a stunning 19th century sandstone building built into the side of the cliff over looking the harbour but hidden from sight when you are on the top of the hill. Nearby are the cannons once used to protect Sydney Harbour facing out to the heads. On the verandah, where we enjoyed a magnificent lunch, the view was quite spectacular. As was the vision of Ms Sarah-Kate Lynch, my next surprise. SK was in Sydney for the weekend with her sisters but took time away from them to surprise Rob. We had a really great catch up and laugh as always and SK finally got to meet her God-daughter Florence. In the afternoon, we picked Scarlett up early from nursery ready for our family birthday dinner at our local Italian. On the walk there, with the birthday cupcakes I had made secreted in my bag, Scarlett repeatedly asked "where are those cupcakes you made for Dad, Mum?' I sense we are not yet at the point where we can reveal where the Ark of the Covenant is kept. Poor old Rob was shattered by the time we got to Napoli in Bocca so after a swift pasta dinner, finished with my cupcakes - presented by our waiter with candles blazing - we hit the pavement for home and an early night. Today is Rob's party. More later.

It's a beautiful day

Once Scarlett had finished her chores for the day - train them young I say, we set out for uber groovy cafe Deusexmachina to meet our mate Jo with her son Zebadee. Zeb , and his dad Mark, are motorbike nuts, so this place is perfect as you can buy coffee, have breakfast and get a vintage bike all at the same time. Later we were thrilled to finally get news from our great friends Julia and Richard that their baby had been born - a girl hurrah. Beautiful Tess caused us to feel a little shiver of joy and recognition when we held her tiny body and remarked, not for the first time, how small babies are and how we couldn't believe our two were ever that small etc, when in fact they were both born smaller. With the sun shining again and Rob's night shifts over for the week, we decamped to the north shore, to Cremorne, to see our top mates Jacqui and Mark (she of the recent 40th birthday celebrations). Cremorne is known for its pretty spectacular uninterrupted views across the harbour to the bridge and Opera house, which we enjoyed looking at as the sun dropped lower in the sky and we ate fresh bread and brie, water melon and sipped chardonnay.

Rainy days

Though still lovely and warm, we have been enjoying a week of storms and very changeable weather. Shorts and sundresses are put on and then just as we are about to leave the house it pours with rain. We change into long trousers and cardis and then the sun comes out. We decide to go to the pool and on the way there, there is a huge thunderstorm and we end up in the mall instead. The first day it makes a change from all the constant sunshine. The second day it's slightly less fun to be indoors again and a trip to the hairdressers for Scarlett fills the morning. The third day it's a relief if it happens to be one of Scarlett's nursery days, so someone else can come up with indoors amusements for the day. By the fourth day, Scarlett develops a love for bandannas and we are making spaceships out of an old milk carton, yoghurt pots, the middle of a kitchen roll, a length of foil and several bottle tops and stickers. By the fifth day we are actually encouraging Scarlett to put on a dance show for us and are amazed, and slightly appalled, to discover Michael Flatley appears to be her inspiration. Today we are amusing ourselves taking photos of each other, ourselves, a spaceship and a dance show.

Be afraid

Looks innocent enough, doesn't it? Just a simple pop-up beach tent. What a great idea- and only $20. It pops open straight from the convenient shoulder bag, then you just fill the side pockets with sand to keep it from blowing away and voila - a perfect shady spot for your day at the beach. Everyone's having a lovely day. The sun is shining, the azure waves are lapping gently on the shore, the kids are playing in the water, then stopping to rest for lunch in the shade of the tent. Deer come and feed from your hands. It's a perfect day. Then it's time to pack up to go home. What did the tent instructions say again?. Oh, that's right, simply fold the tent at its widest point, then twist. The tent will naturally turn back into a small circular shape ready to slot straight back into the shoulder bag. Lovely. Off you go then, Rob. Haven't quite managed it? Have another go. That's right, and twist. Here, let me try. It was easy as pie in the shop. Mmm, it doesn't want to twist does it? Where are the instructions again? The instructions! Where are the instructions? What do you mean they're in the car?! Not much use in the car are they, when we're on the beach! I'm not shouting at you. It would just be useful to have the instructions here. There's no need to snatch! You don't have to get so cross. That's not the widest point, what are you doing? You'll break it. Rob, that's not the right way. Give it to me. Christ!. Scarlett, please move away while we're doing this. Look, now Florence has woken up. Will you just go over there and play with the ball please. Rob, there's no point shouting. Shouting at it isn't going to get it into the bag, is it? There's something wrong with it. This is rubbish. Absolutely useless. I'd suggest taking it back to the shop, but it's too big to get in the car unless it's back in the bag. Oh that's right, throw it on the ground. Brilliant idea. Why don't you stamp on it too, while you're about it. I was joking - will you please stop stamping on it! It'll never go back in the bag now. I want a divorce.

If anyone else would like to have a go, you'll find our brand new, used only once, pop-up beach tent next to the bins at the northern end of Balmoral beach. Help yourself.