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Saw Richard Cooper, put up a sail cloth, Marion and Jordan came down for Christmas and we chaparoned at the YSA convention. 

  

The Walshes

Marion I am not sure the Walshes (Campbell, Irra and kids), were in the Ward before you left, but we had them over for family home evening this week. The idea was for the children to help decorate the tree. I got the big tin box out of the shed and had it ready to go. When it came time to get the tree out I opened the box and no tree, I had thrown it out a couple of years before. I told them to wait a minute and I got my saw from the garage and cut off a branch from one of our trees and we used that. It wasn't pretty but it did the job.

Vernice went out for dinner with Janet and Debbie on Tuesday, I dropped her off on the way to the chapel for missionary splits. It was just the missionaries and I there and just before we were to head out Vern called and said that the Morrison's had just turned up at the restaurant and they had Richard Cooper with them. I hadn't seen him since school so the Elders told me to go back and they would do the visits on their own. It was good to catch up with him, Janet and Debbie.

Saturday I finished putting up a shade cloth along the side of the garage so we could park the car there with protection from the sun, sap and frost in the winter.

It has been a busy week for your Vernice with all the end of year concerts and gigs she has been out almost every night. She is also organising a Stake activity before the first Stake Conference next year. It will be a Polynesian show which will be big if the last one a few years ago is anything to go by. The dramas have already started and I am sure will continue however you mum will handle them as she always does.

Mr Rainbow

We had our Ward Christmas party on the fourteenth, there is always a good turn out to those. Ellen, Dylan, Carmen and Austin sang a couple of songs and were very good. I even sang a song with the High Priests that wasn't too bad.

Carmen spoke at church the next day and did a good job and looked beautiful doing it. We then spent the afternoon watching the 2006 home movies, they are always good for a laugh and Marion watched from the iPad. In the evening we went to the First President Christmas fireside and then staying to watch Magnus set apart for his mission.

We had dinner with the Dudfields, Tempanys and Walshes on Wednesday the eighteenth at the Moskito Bar. It was good to have the gang back together Elder Dudfield has some great stories about his travels amongst the members in the Pacific and I just laugh at everything Brother Tempany says.
Thursday was temple baptisms and it is just Austin and I since Carmen is too old now. Austin is good company, he always has some funny comment to make and is always hungry.

New Car and new hair

Friday the twentieth was a very eventful day, Marion came down from Canberra on the Bus Mum and Austin got up early to meet her at the Southern Cross station, Dylan bought himself a black Volkswagen Golf, Carmen got her hair dyed purple (really purple) and Austin, Carmen and I went to the Reservoir RSL for dinner and watch Irene and Mum put on their Christmas show. Dylan came there with his new car and took Austin and Carmen to Matthew Hilbert's welcome home party.

Saturday the twentieth was a great day for me, everyone else was going all over the place shopping and other nonsense but I stayed home and built a shade wall for the car at the back. I almost got away with staying at home the whole day but I had to go and pick up Carmen from her work at Subway.

I have the Christmas and New Years weeks off work. I love being on holidays it’s the best. I have been doing jobs around the house, the second best thing I like doing is using my power drill. Christmas Eve the family went up to Craigieburn and sang carols to the Magbigor family. Rebecca flew to NSW to be with her family and left her car with us. I moved it around the back and gave it a wash, I couldn't help myself.

Christmas Day

Jordan flew down from Canberra to join Marion and spend Christmas with us. We also had Norelle Parker stay since she has been working down here looking after her cousin’s children. It was nice to be home for Christmas after two years away. Everyone enjoyed their presents. Dylan and I flew our helicopters and shot the Nerf guns. We spoke to Calvin in Vanuatu and he spoke Bislama to Jordan and we couldn’t understand a word of it. The Elders came over later for dinner. On Boxing Day everyone went off shopping and came back with heaps of stuff, and Dylan bought a new suit, he loves his suits. They also went a few times to the Movies.

Ellen running the YSA Convention

Saturday they all went down to Melbourne University for the YSA convention. Our Stake had the responsibility of registration and a lot of that work fell on Ellen's shoulders. She does such a good job with these types of things and runs a tight ship. When I went there to drop some stuff off the leaders couldn’t say enough good things about her. That leaves Austin at home with us for the next few days, poor kid. He spoke again today at church and just used dot points, and did a great job (just a couple of points).

Sugarloaf Reservoir

The last day of the year was a beautiful sunny day so I went for a drive out to the Sugarloaf Reservoir and went for a walk. I went around the base of Mt Graham then followed the fence line over the summit on the way back. An echidna came out on the track and I had a close look, what strange looking things.


Vern and I had been asked a while back to chaperone at the convention and they gave us the New Year’s morning shift. We got there just before midnight and heard the city fireworks go off, it sounded like world war three. After the dance finished at one there were a bunch that stayed up all night so Vern and did the rounds. We know lots of the YSA and it was good to catch up and also see our children in a different environment.  There wasn’t too much trouble and headed home after eight.