Back in Adeladie for Christmas Aussie Style
Trip Start
Jun 14, 2008
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Trip End
Jun 20, 2009
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Adelaide,
Australia
Thursday, January 8, 2009
First up was Kim's birthday. A big troop of us went along to the " Moon-lit Cinema" to see The Commitments. The Moon-lit cinema is a groovy outdoor cinema in the Botanic gardens which shows classic and indie movies everday during the summer. You can bring a picknick and a bottle or two of wine and have a jolly good time of it enjoying a flick. We were extra delighted that the Commitments were being shown and were put to good use translating the Dublinese to the often bemused locals.
After a day or two of chilling on Mr. Couch catching up on Dexter we had the next big shindig which was Rhiannan and Javier's wedding. Tess and the gang had transformed their cool back garden into a marital paradise. They had rented tables and chairs , a massive fridge for booze and had built a marriage canopy at the end of the garden for the ceremony. It was a fantastic ceremony with gorgeous food, champagne and speeches before the dancing took over.
The next couple of days we spent getting ready for crimbo. Myself and Murph had decided to make Kim and Ben a painting which we decided to base on the colours of the landscape and the Aboricinol art we had seen on our journey in Australia so far. We bought some paints and 3 canvasses to create a triptic. So on the run up to christmas day we busied ourselves with bying pressies and painting and wrapping.
On chrismas morning we awoke to find that santa had indeed been ( the empty glass of milk and half eaten cookies the give away ).
outside the moonlight cinema
Ben, Kim, myself and Lyds took it in turns to open our pressies. All were delighted with santa's work and there was even cards and a box from Ireland containing goodies such as a trifle, Barry's tea and Fig-Rolls. We went for christmas lunch to the Botanic gardens with Kim's family. They do this every year as do many families in the city. It's a cool way to spend the day even if it was very different to what we're used to back home. Playing croquet and eating salads in the sun are not the norm in Ireland. Not to worry, we made sure to gulp down many a glass of mimosa and a smattering of trifle to remind us of the old country. Christmas night we went to a party in Tess' place. Basically all the gang here meet up on christmas night whenever the family affairs are over. At this stage mind I would have been content with a bit of left over turkey sambo, a couch and something like the Marks Brothers on the box in front of the fire. It was a great day but felt very perculiar as a christmas. No stuffing, ham or turkey. The sun splittin the skies and outdoor caroussing is all good and well but I reckon we'll be glad of a bit of traitional festivities back in Hibernia.On St. Stephens day, or Boxing day as twas known here, we spent the day up at Kim's parents place. Kim's father's gang gets together on this day and everyone brings a meal to the occasion. Ther was beautiful food and great wine a plenty. The international cricket series is on the box and later the Wee comes out and many a game of drunken tennis were played by all. We got a wee bit sozzeled so decided to spend the night. The next day the gang from Ireland began to arrive over. With Dee and Catherine the first to arrive followed the next day by our old new Zealand alli Quirkey.
We all headed up to the german town of Handorf which is about 40 k. from Adelaide and is where many German settlers have stayed down through the years. Thus it retains the look of an old german town were you can chow down on snitzels and slosh back a few steins.
The next day or two were taken up with mass preparation and intense mathimatical equation for our cruise up the Murray river. To the uninitiated, judging by the amount of supplies being stocked it would have seemed that the Spannish Armada were to reform ala Take That and take on the world again. Yet those in the know have a keen understanding that a modern and sophisticated group such as ours have fundamental needs when faced with 7 days on the water without hope of another garage, offie or even the ubiquitous Spar. Christmas was over and we were about to begin our new year's celebrations.
