A Merry Christmas from Australia

[Andrew_Smith]

G'day and Merry Christmas to all on the forum.

My wife Donna and my beautiful daughter Jacquie wish all forum members and their families a very Merry Christmas (in Au. it is now 1 AM Dec 25.)

May it be a safe and Holy Christmas for all of you and your families.

On a lighter note, I receive an email earlier this evening from the Australian Defence Department, advising that the HMAS Newcastle had picked up several small dots followed by a larger one, on their early air warning radar screen, moving slowly, north of East Timor, 500 Km from the ship, heading in a southerly direction towards Australia.

When they attempted to contact the object all they received was a hearty laugh and the jingling of bells."

Chief of the navy Vice Admiral David Shackleton is delighted to annouce that "Santa Clause is definately headed south for Australia."

Good on the Australian Navy for releasing this as a official press release.

Merry Christmas,
Andrew.

Andrew,
MERRY CHRISTMAS MY BROTHER!
VBR,
Jim

[cam]

>My wife Donna and my beautiful daughter
>Jacquie wish all forum members and their
>families a very Merry Christmas (in Au.
>it is now 1 AM Dec 25.)

You too Andrew, was just going to say your up late. I just got off the phone with my mother. I rang her thinking it was midday in Australia on Xmas Day, but mucked it up by 12 hours. It was midnight!!!!!! roflmgo(doh). Mum was gracious and spoke with me on the phone for an hour during the middle of the night.

This will be my second Xmas away from sunny Australian shores and my second without a BBQ Xmas lunch. Hopefully this year it will be a white christmas. Haven't had one of those yet, looks like the Mid West got snow, see if New Jersey does. It is -2 C at the moment (10:46 AM, 24 Dec 99 ) so outlook is good. brrrrrr..........shiver, shiver.

Boxing Day is the day homesickness hits, the United States is missing a Boxing Day Test Match and a Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Other than that the US is a pretty nice place over the Xmas break

Happy Xmas Folks.




cam

[stephen]

Merry Christmas to all our friends Down Under. Hey, Cam... if you like New Jersey you'll really love the United States. (Sorry. You're so close to New York that it doesn't count).

LIGHTHORSEMEN FOREVER!

"And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins." Matt 1:21

[Darryl]

Merry Christmas to all!!!!

Cam,

-2C???? Unnatural!!!! 09.30 25/12 here and it is already 29C. We are on our way to 35/36. A good old fashioned Aussie Christmas.

regards to all

Darryl

[cam]

>-2C???? Unnatural!!!! 09.30 25/12 here and
>it is already 29C. We are on our way to 35/36.
>A good old fashioned Aussie Christmas.

Too right it is unnatural. I love the smell of heating tar in the morning, you know it is going to be a good day. Have only smelt that once here.

Think the reason I liked Phoenix was you got to smell melting tar. Down in the Phoenix - Sonora Desert area the marrow in your bones doesnt require anti-freeze.

No snow thus far, but fingers crossed.





cam

[Darryl]

Hi Cam,

Hope you got your white Christmas.
2355 now and still 30C in my little 'office'.
Don't know about melting tar but the ice in my Scotch is suffering badly. Any one know where I can get some more ice at this time of night?

regards

Darryl

I just came back from our annual Boxing Day outing to Lake Wivenhoe, about an hour out of Brisbane, with some friends. Got seriously sunburned, had a barbeque with sausages, steak and prawns. Played cricket, went out on the lake despite the 'no boating' signs. How Australian is that? Stereotypically so. But that's what we did.

And on top of all that, we saw three koalas (seriously).

Great fun, in some ways I enjoy it better than the traditional Christas I had in Europe a couple of years ago, when there was little else to do except drink Bier und Branntwein - not that that was altogether bad, of course

But the sunburn I could do without.

Regards,

Simon