Austalian seaside holiday, January 2005

From Jan. 3rd.-10th. we went for a sea-side summer holiday. That is Mike,Helen, Jan(Yan), Sophie, Molly and myself.
The sea in question was the Southern Ocean and the place, Port Campbell on the Great Ocean Rd. As soon as we arrived the weather turned cold, wet and windy. We had a very British sea side holiday. We made sandcastles wearing jumpers etc etc. However it was a break from work for Mike.Click on photo to enlarge it.
So, it was because we had to get out and about that we all saw 3 things we’d never seen before.

1. In a National Park near Warrnambool called Tower Hill we climbed up to the rim of an extinct volcano. It wasn’t a text book round crater but we were all impressed. Sophie and Molly were more impressed with the kangaroo poo that Dad had pointed out.
2. Further west in Port Fairy, we saw a Chinese squid boat.It was festooned with multuple lights about 2 mt.above the deck. The squid fishermen go out at night and switch on the lights.
   These attract the squid food which in turn attract the squid; the fishermen scoop up the squid and Bob’s your uncle.
3. 25,000 short tailed shearwaters returning from a day’s fishing at sea,to Muttonbird Island, where we witnessed this. There are 50,000 birds but apprx half were sitting on eggs.It was quite a spectacle.

Go to www.focusonflinders.com.au for more info.They are dubbed Mutton birds because early settlers ate the fattened chicks and it tasted like mutton. A small industry in this fare exists today.

All in all this was a memorable holiday.
Love Joan

 

Uwland Christmas in Australia 2005

Hello Again

Warm/Hot December.
December just whizzed by in a flurry of end of term playgroup parties,Christmas lunches (Helen’s Alphington Community made me particularly welcome at theirs) Christmas decorating and shopping,carol sevices and carol singing. It was very peculiar going to evening carol singing in T shirts and summer gear.

The Uwland dynasty included me in their traditional Christmas-Eve Christmas dinner at Mike’s (Helen’s husband) parents’ home. Tineka and Henk met at about the time their respective parents emigrated bringing their offspring with them. Of the original parents who emigrated from Holland only Omama (greatgrandma) Tineka’s mother survives.She’s in her mid 80’s and had made the large Christmas pudding.

During the late afternoon ,Santa came to the house on a fire-engine. He brought loads of presents that were put under the tree.There was a photo session of course.
Twenty seven sat down for dinner. Henk’s and Tineka’s children,their spouses,offspring and where applicable boy/girl friends. Tables had been borrowed from the church hall and the splendid meal was a joint effort. The men cooked the various meats outside in a barbeque cum oven , the ladies did the starter and veg, Tineka made the pumpkin soup and Omama made the pudding.

When everyone was full after the main course, Henk (with little helpers ,Sophie and her cousin Lewis) distributed the presents to every one in turn round and round the room.Sometime a present turned out to be a potato. In one case, cousin Kelsey who’s about 7yr.old got a potato for “telling on Mummy”.Nobody knew what she had told but every one had a good laugh.
After pressie opening Tineka poured lashings of brandy on Omama’s pudding and along with cream and ice cream in disappeared in quick style. By this time it was dark so the flames showed to good effect.
That “many hands make light work” came true and H and T were left with a clean and tidy house ready for Christmas Day
Father Christmas came the next day. Of course.