A good Christmas

My Christmas eve started out well with Anne arriving at my door at around 8:45.  We went to our usual haunt for breakfast, where I proudly showed my green tick.  I had calamari as usual and Anne dispatched some corm fritters with alacrity.  We then went back to my place and exhanged presents.  I gave Anne some confectionary plus several pieces of costume jewellery, including a good-sized opal brooch.  She was wearing a pretty white and gold necklace I had given her previously.  As usual, she left my place at noon.

Then in early afternoon a motorcycling lady I like turned up outside.  We had a congenial chat and I arranged to cook her a dinner some time in the New Year.  She likes simple food and that is all I can cook, anyway.

Then Jenny put a big effort for our Christmas Eve dinner, held on my verandah, starting about 6:30pm.  Present were Jenny, Joe, myself and Vladimir.  Jenny and I greatly missed the children and grandchildren we would have had with us except for the closed borders. We have had some great family Christmases in the past

Ham off the bone was the main course but Jenny provided a big range of accompaniments for it -- salad, cheeses, grapes, dip etc.  Jenny and Vlad did most of the talking. Joe was a bit depressed so said little and I am not a big talker at any time. Photos below.  

Christmas eve

My newly renovated forehead shows clearly in both photos.  Thanks to the radiation oncologists at PA hospital.  They provide a brilliant service.  For years I had on my forehead a rash that nothing could remove.  But radiation wiped it clean

My Christmas day started out with me giving my neighbour Christine some Darrel Lee as a present at around 10am

Christmas lunch was at Jenny's place on her deck.  She had gone to great trouble to make it a classic Christmas lunch.  The main feature was roast pork with crackling.  Crackling is a fine art but Jenny had got it just right. 

Jenny gave me a hamper of confectionery for my present and I gave her a variety of things, including two cutting boards and an iron trivet.  Joe got a set of induction cookware, which he had requested.

I came home about 3pm for a nap.

Being facetious at Christmas lunch

Jolly Joe at Christmas lunch

Ladies

I have had a good week with the ladies.  On Tuesday I lunched at "The Sands" at Cleveland with YB and today I lunched at Easts club with MC.  Both are conservatives and climate skeptics so that suited me well.  Dinners now planned. Both around my age.

Joe moving

Joe has started moving back into his big house at Salisbury.  His ex-wife moved out last Friday.  He will still spend most weekdays at my house

Police search for missing campers over after remains found

This episode really grieves me. For two elderly people to have found love for one another is wonderful. And their discretion in not hurting their families with knowledge of it is also praiseworthy. But it cost them their lives at the hands of a brute. Two elderly people would have been no match for him when they were attacked

https://www.9news.com.au/national/missing-campers-police-search-for-missing-campers-russell-hill-and-carol-clay-over-after-remains-found-earlier-this-week/154b815f-d3d0-4606-a71c-bb35dd97906b