I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas

My apologies for not posting before the day, to wish you all a very happy Christmas.  So now all I can say is that I hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends, celebrating this special occasion.

I have been absent from the blog for a while.  Family events have kept my darling husband Peter and myself rather busy lately.  It was thought for a while that our oldest daughter might have a brain tumour but we thank the gracious Lord that this is not the case.  However it did involve us along with our long-suffering son Nathan driving out to her home in the country to look after her two boys for a few days while she in turn drove the 6 hours to the coast to our good friend's house to stay with her and go to the appointment the next day (another 2 hour's drive).  A painful electrical test of every nerve in her body that determined that the problem is indeed confined to her leg.  So there is a diagnosis but no explanation of the cause.  Even a whole raft of blood tests have failed to find a cause.  But at least they have ruled out a lot of unpleasant possibilities!

My mother has also been in hospital twice  lately, with life-threatening conditions and is very frail.  We took Christmas dinner to the nursing home to her this year.  I reserved a large room there that has a stove, oven etc, and we took all her favourite Christmas foods.  One of the nurses helped my brother bring Mum along with her oxygen tank down to the room and Mum enjoyed having so many members of the family there: my brother Terry and his two sons; Peter and myself and our son Nathan, daughter Kylie and her two boys Cameron (11) and Luke (7).  Our younger daughter Kirsten is away camping with her family at the moment but visited Mum when she came down for an early Christmas celebration a couple of weeks ago, along with her four: James (12), Grace (11), Chelsea (7) and Michael (4).  Camping when 30+  weeks pregnant would not have been my idea of fun but Kirstie takes it in her stride!

I was very fortunate mini-wise this year and received the furnishing kits for 'Choices', one of the kits I have from Suzanne & Andrew.  So it will be great fun to put it all together: the house and all the furniture.

But the greatest blessing of course was spending time with family.  And today (Boxing Day here in Aus) we are having a picnic with some dear friends.  It is a 3-generation friendship now, because our daughters are still good friends and in turn our daughters' sons are as well.

So I wish you and yours much happiness, whether you celebrate Christmas or not.  And I pray for you all that 2014 will bring health, laughter, friendship and happiness too.

And now to pass on a Christmas giggle.  You've probably received this as an email, it does do the rounds.  But it always gets a laugh from me:

Merry Christmas To My Female Friends If I were ol' Santa, you know what Id'd do I'd dump silly gifts that are given to you And deliver some things just inside your front door Things you have lost, but treasure before. I'd give you back all your maidenly vigour And to along with it, a neat, tiny figure. Then restore the old colour that once graced your hair Before rinses and bleaches took residence there. I'd bring back the shape with which you were gifted So things now suspended need not be uplifted. I'd draw in your tummy and smooth down your back Till you'd be a dream in those tight-fitting slacks. I'd remove all your wrinkles and leave only one chin So you wouldn't spend hours rubbing grease on your skin. You'd never have flashes or queer dizzy spells, And you wouldn't hear noises like ringing of bells. No sore aching feet and no corns on your toes, No searching for spectacles when they're right on your nose. Not a shot would you take in your arm, hip or fanny,  From a doctor who thinks you're a nervous old granny. You'd never have a headache, so no pills would you take. And no heating pad needed since your muscles won't ache. Yes, if I were Santa, you'd never look stupid, You'd be a cute little chick with the romance of a cupid. I'd give a lift to your heart when those wolves start to whistle, And the joys of your heart would be as light as a thistle. But alas! I'm not Santa.  I'm simply just me, The matronest of matrons you ever did see. I wish I could tell you all the symptoms I've got, But I'm due at my doctor's for an oestrogen shot. Even though we've grown older, this wish is sincere, Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year.