Merry Christmas Eve from Family Lee!

It’s been raining all day, but we’ve felt right at home (in a Northern Hemisphere kinda way!) and had a great day of baking and singing with our neighbours. Dan and I have just finished the final wrap up and are leaving little signs of Father Christmas. Just posting a quick one before heading back to Sing Star fun with hubbie over another beer! Bucks Fizz all the way for breakfast!

Last night we took the girls to see the lights on homes around our area, and it was gorgeous to see so many other folk out and about with little ones wrapped in blankets. It was a beautiful day of sunshine yesterday, such a change from today. The sunset was spectacular and both the girls were fast asleep in the car by the time we crept home at 9.30pm! Thankfully they didn’t wake till around 9am this morning!

Meanwhile, ‘Chicken’ Grandma and Grandad have absolutely spoilt the girls this Christmas (but they say they’d be worse if we were living in the UK, so they always make up for it at Christmas!) and sent some money to get a few toys for the garden… well Dan’s spent Monday and Tuesday night erecting a swing set and climbing frame (and Mum jokingly said on the phone, ‘So I guess there won’t be any more erections tonight after all that handi-work in the garden!’ – ha, ha, ho, ho!) and the girls have loved watching the whole process!

On a sadder note, our thoughts have been with Mum and Dad, and the whole family, over the past week or so as our dear Uncle Ken passed away suddenly in a car accident and our hearts go out to all his dearly beloved family. He was a wonderful, fun-loving man. His wife and him were child-hood sweethearts and had three beautiful girls, who have grown into the most amazing women. Between them they have had eight children, the youngest is only eight week’s old. The last time we saw him was in 2007, at Sophie’s Christening in England, and he had the children in raptures over his ‘toy’. He always wrote wonderful e-mails to us about his much loved family and his zest for life was always so strong. He will be so dearly missed and it is so hard to believe he has passed on to heaven so soon, when he had so much more living ahead of him. Our hearts are deeply with his family this Christmas and journeying into the New Year. Christmas is often such a bitter-sweet time, as it is when we think of those we miss, near and far.

Leaving you now with a little video clip of our fun Christmas Eve ‘avo with our wonderful neighbours – it was such a delight to have them round and bring in the festive cheer with them. Dan got the BBQ smoking, despite the rain, and I’d cooked up my favourite Florentines earlier in the day (with my little helpers!). The girls had a ball preparing for Father Christmas and putting on a little singing and dancing show for us all (even Dan and I got in on the act! – you’ll have to watch the clip now!).

And meanwhile, in the garden, new life is everywhere, from tomatoes and pea-pods to Monarch butterfly caterpillars munching happily through the Swan Plants in plump delight!