Sunday 15 December 2013

CHRISTMAS AT MY HOUSE

My Lemax Village expanded again this year with the Kringle's Bakery.

 My beautiful Christmas tree sporting its 5 sets of lights.  I haven't fitted all my ornaments on this year.  It's getting a little too crowded.
 The aqua mercury glass candleholders are new this year.  They are going on my Christmas dining table with a matching sparkly aqua tablecloth and serviettes.  I have silver strings of beads to put down the table as well.  My snow jar is new.  I have sat a little wooden sled and a bird and pinecone into some magic fake snow.  It belongs to Charlotte.  It's a white powder and you add water and it blows up to about 10 times the size.  It gradually dries out and returns to powder and can be reused.
 Our fire place had another alteration this year.  We cut a fire box in the bottom and I have filled it with garland and lights.
 My beautiful garlands.  My fabric holly garland I made.  Wheat straw 'popcorn' I bought secondhand, and wooden 'cranberries'.
My front door and potted holly tree.

A TRIP TO THE CITY
On 30th November my niece Minnie, 3rd from the left, had a concert at a venue at King's Cross to promote her CD she's producing next year.  She invited the whole family.  The Chipperfields all went.  Our own grandchildren were a little to young to make an evening trip into the city.   L to R Jami, Julie, Minnie, Kerrie, Kirrilly, Jeff and Shelley

Daryl, Amy and Trav getting refreshments at the Bar

The lounge area of the bar where the children were given paper and pencils to entertain themselves.  The bowl of plastic fruit were just part of the eclectic decorations.  The walls of the bar were filled with book shelves holding all manor of books.

After the concert we bought pide and pizza and ate them in Hyde Park.

The beautiful Sheraton of the Park Hotel bedecked in its Christmas lights.

A small Christmas tree in Hyde Park.

St. Mary's Cathedral at sunset.

Jeff looking at part of the David Jones Christmas windows depeicting 175 years of trading.  This window shoes the Toy Department of the Store.

This window depicts the Staff Choir singing from the staircase.  Mum took us into the city a few times to hear the David Jones Choir sing Christmas Carols.  It was very nostalgic for me to see this display.

Saturday 30 November 2013

LILLLIAN AND HUNG'S WEDDING - 24TH NOVEMBER 2013
Lill and hung's wedding was at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church at Hunters Hill.  It was a gorgeous old sandstone church with a magnificent view up the Harbour. and surrounded by beautiful old sandstone houses.

The music was provided by Jasmine Strings and they played all my favourite pieces.  The music warmed my heart and brought tears to my eyes.
Jaimeson was so intrigued with the players, especially when the fellow on the left was making music by plucking the strings with his thumb.  He smiled at Jaimeson.
 I am disappointed with my photos.  It was so hard to fight the photographers for a place to view the wedding.  Just look at the different photographic devices.
Charlotte and Will lit candles for Lill and Hung.
Jaimeson was a page boy with Sebastian, a friend of Lill's from schooldays child .
 Will did a reading.
 Lill's bridesmaids represented aspects of her life.  Her school days, uni days, work life and friends.  Their beautiful dresses had beaded tops and chiffon skirts.  Each bodice a little different for each girl.  Hung had two friends as best men and 3 of his brothers as groomsmen.  A real multicultural wedding with the Priest being Phillipino.  Hung is Vietnamese and Lill Chinese of course.
 Lill's Grandma, Mum and Dad.
The extended Lam family.
 St. Peter's Chanel  -  Hunters Hill.
 Hung's Auntie and cousins from Vietnam wearing traditional dress.  So pretty.
 The reception at Curzon Hall at Epping.  It was so lovely with beautiful grounds as well.
 Natalie, Vincent's (Will's brother) girlfriend.
The table centre pieces were beautiful.
 Charlotte and Will.  Flynn was a perfect baby for the whole of the day.  And Jaimeson was so good all day from the Tea Ceremony at 10am, the wedding at 1.30pm and the reception at 6pm till we left for home at 11pm with just a 10 minute nap in the car between venues.
 The magnificent flowers on the bridal table.
 The two Lion Dancers.  Actually there are three people who make up each Lion.  Jaimeson was a little afraid of them and I had to show him that they were operated by people inside them.
 Jaimeson and Sebastian making their GRAND ENTRANCE at the reception.
 Will sister Marg and her boyfriend Scott.  Marg was one of the bridesmaids.
The cake!!!

Thursday 28 November 2013

 Lillian and Hung's Tea Ceremony

Jeff and I felt very privileged to be invited to Will's sister's Tea Ceremony on the morning of her marriage to Hung Mai.
The five bridesmaids and Lill were watching the arrival of Hung and his groomsmen from the balcony of the Lam's house.  Lill is traditionally wearing a red dress  but very much in the modern style!!  The girls were just wearing Kimonos so as not to give away their bridesmaid dresses for later on.
 The guests, Hung's Vietnamese family, and friends arrived bearing traditional gifts of fruit and alcohol.  They had to wait outside until invited in.
 Lill and her bridesmaids were already made up and had their hair done ready for the wedding ceremony which would begin at 1.30pm.  The hairdresser arrived at 4am to make sure the 6 girls and the mother-of-the-bride would be all ready by 10am when the Tea Ceremony was to begin.
 Will twin cousins were responsible for setting 'challenges' for the boys to do before they would be allowed to enter.  Here they are performing a dance which they were copying from a lap top which one of the twins was holding up for them to watch.  They played a couple more games and then were allowed to enter the house followed by all the guests.
 Will and baby Flynn just 4 1/2 weeks old.  He was just perfect on the day, and so was Jaimeson, despite it being such a long day of festivites.
 Lill, Hung and his Dad.
 Jaimeson dressed in his special page boy clothes.  The other little page boy was the same age, dressed the same.  They looked like twins and were so cute.  Auntie Lill had bought their outfits.
 Hung and Lill had to kneel to serve tea to the family.
Here they are serving tea to Lill's Mum, Cindy and her grandmother.
Charlotte and Will were also served tea.
 The tea cups and some of the gifts the guests brought.
Just half an hour after the tea ceremony had finished Jaimeson and Jeff had the lego out on the lounge room floor!

Monday 18 November 2013

SOME RECENT HAPPENINGS AT OUR HOUSE
 Last school holidays Felicity and the children came to stay and we had a swim and fish and chips on Bulli Beach.  Cooper and Sienna had a wonderful time playing in only about 2 feet of water in the baby pool.  Most of the pool was full of sand wash in there by the waves.  The council needed to come with a mini scoop and dig it out ready for the swimming season.
 Felicity by our pool watching Papa and Cooper and Sienna refresh their pool confidence from last year. 
 We had some lovely meals and a nice relaxing time.
 Then Alicia arrived with Xander and Venice for a couple of days too.  Venice was just thinking about becoming mobile with her crawling.  The toy she is playing with is left over from my own babies.
Jeff got out his train set for the children.  He set it up on the garage floor, nicely positioned so her could still drive the car into the garage and not run over any pieces.  The children all enjoyed having a 'turn' at switching the points and running the train.
 We don't often get  Pink and Grey Gallahs in our bird feeder.
My new ducks I bought recently.  They just float around the pool looking very real.  I love them!!











 Felicity, Jeff and I took Cooper, Sienna and Xander to the movies at Warrawong to see Planes.  It was Sienna and Xander's first movie in a big theatre and they all loved it.  So did we adults.  Felicity bought these big buckets of popcorn to share.  The kids loved those too.
After the movie we had lunch in the food court and did a little bit of shopping.   Felicity stayed about three nights and Alicia stayed about three nights with just one or two nights overlapping.
 We took Alicia, Xander and Venice to North Wollongong beach for a paddle and a play in the sand.  I enjoyed digging in the sand with Xander.



 The bushfire smoke from the fires along the Picton Road, Wilton, and Buxton.  Looking west.
 Looking north towards Brokers Nose.
Looking East out to sea.