...the most wonderful time of the year!

With Christmas fast approaching we expected to be pulling out our swimmers and lathering up in sunscreen ... but the weather had other plans ... the radiant view from our bedroom window!

Luckily we had lots of in-doorsy things on our to-do-list still to be done ... like a spot of Christmas shopping,

deciphering the Christmas tree putter-upper instructions,

and following them!

caching up on some much needed household maintenance ...

and checking the christmas presents were fault free before wrapping!

Not to mention squeezing in all those Christmas parties - Bell momentarily stunned by the news that she's about to see a real live bird-eating spider any moment! (Gymbaroo - Bell's play gym had a bug man come in with all his bugs to give the little uns a treat ... mostly though it was just an excercise for the mum's to see how well they could prevent the lids coming off the mobile homes or their occupants from being shaken to an early demise ... both of which would have been equally terrible!)

...Isobel (still shocked by the giant hairy spiders being restrained by nothing but a few millimetres of frankly inadequate plastic!) being held by Lorraine - who's Alex's Grandmamma and Alex being held by his mum Beth (he's the little laddie who shares Bell's birthday!)

And just when we thought we couldn't squeeze any more activities in we get the best one of all ... a visit from Mr and Mrs Moggy ... and here they are in person ... admiring the sights!

... and from the front! (For those who might need a refresher: Vicky is an old-time mate of Paul's ... and also got roped into being one of my bridesmaids. She was married (to Martin) about six months after we left England - in a very clever ploy to deter Paul from telling some very impressive tales on their big day! and is currently pregnant with their bubsy ... due in May - just two days before you Kimbo!)

Bell also admiring the harbour bridge view ... and her biscuit!

... which is no where near as exciting as the view from Dad's shoulders (and her drink!) ...

'The Rocks' (the area under the bridge) market ... the perfect place for some last minute Christmas shopping ideas with one or two others who also hadn't quite gotten all their presents by the-day-before-Christmas-Eve!

and now only TWO sleeps to go...!