Christmas Lists

The nearest it gets to Christmas, the longer my list of things to do seems to grow. Life gets muddled. I’ve been gradually addressing my Christmas cards, overseas ones first. Halfway through the list I forgot to cross the names off, and my helpful husband posted the already addressed cards. Now some people will be getting two because I can’t remember where I stopped on the list.

Since I last wrote I attended an awards luncheon for the West Australian Society of Women Writers. It’s always fun to get together with other writers, and the luncheon was no exception. The Christmassy lunch was expertly cooked and served by a team of young hospitality students, who are offered hands-on cooking experience at an aged pensioners centre, which is an early part of their training as chefs. News items about teenagers are often sad or detrimental to young people as a whole, so it’s good to be reminded that most young folk are decent, hard working citizens that their parents can be proud of. They just never get into the papers. The students at the Roy Edinger centre in Perth are no exception.

At the moment I’m preparing for my departure from Western Australia for England the day after boxing day. Finding warm clothes to wear is a problem, especially as I’m going from one extreme to the other. This visit is to celebrate my mothers 100th birthday, otherwise I wouldn’t be going to a cold climate in January. My mother (photograph above) was the middle child of a family of twelve siblings, the daughter of a fisherman. What an achievement to reach a century in age, imagine the changes that have taken place in that time. She is well looked after by my sister Daphne and her husband Edgar.

The tree is up, the lights are on. I may or may not blog again until after I’m back from my trip. It depends on how long my list, and I want to put some mileage on the book I’ve just started to write. Before Christmas I have a family party for 22, plus a luncheon for five for an English based writer friend who’s doing the reverse trip to mine (we cross paths for one day). So in case I don’t blog until January. A HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR TO ALL!!