'TIS THE NIGHT BEFORE XMAS
Dec 23rd, 2004, 10:36 PM
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'TIS THE NIGHT BEFORE XMAS
Already our Kiwi cousins will be " Brahms and Lzist (sp??)" but we workaholics (please note AndrewDavid that some authority or another said that we Aussies who you say live to work - or is it the other way around - anyway we are supposed to be much more productive and harder working that you lazy lot in the USA, Canada and UK, not to mention the rest of Europe) still have our noses to the grindstone even though Santa will be here in less than 6 hours.
So if the board goes quiet for a couple of days we are just packing in those holidays and getting on with out merry lives.
May you all have a wonderful Xmas - that goes for everyone on the board from Pole to Pole.
See ya when we're sober
MERRY CHRISTMAS ************
LIZ
So if the board goes quiet for a couple of days we are just packing in those holidays and getting on with out merry lives.
May you all have a wonderful Xmas - that goes for everyone on the board from Pole to Pole.
See ya when we're sober
MERRY CHRISTMAS ************
LIZ
Dec 24th, 2004, 01:43 AM
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Liz, you just read my mind! Just crept into the a/c office for brief respite from humidity after frantic last minute shopping spree in madhouse conditions and working all day. And up smart and early for 6.45am breakfasts. Anyway, I'm opening the vino - so a wonderful Christmas to everybody!
Dec 24th, 2004, 07:35 AM
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Dear Liz,
An Australian told me that
"Americans live to work and Australians work to live"
Of course living here in mananaland one appreciates that any old saw has its exceptions. Perhaps it's a reflection that we often heard that many Australians get 5 week vacations from work and many Americans only get two. Or is this just another cliche?
Regardless I wish you a very Happy Holiday Season
AndrewDavid
PS oh, and don't work too hard. I know lifting that wine glass can be heavy lifting (approx -10 C this am dog walk so enjoy your sweaty x-mas!)
An Australian told me that
"Americans live to work and Australians work to live"
Of course living here in mananaland one appreciates that any old saw has its exceptions. Perhaps it's a reflection that we often heard that many Australians get 5 week vacations from work and many Americans only get two. Or is this just another cliche?
Regardless I wish you a very Happy Holiday Season
AndrewDavid
PS oh, and don't work too hard. I know lifting that wine glass can be heavy lifting (approx -10 C this am dog walk so enjoy your sweaty x-mas!)
Dec 24th, 2004, 08:50 AM
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A very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all you wonderful folks 'down under'.
It's already Christmas morning there, as I write this, and I'm about to do some final shopping out in the freezing cold ( -15c up here in the Toronto area).
Happy travels to everyone in the New Year. Only 3 weeks left til I visit NZ!!
Yahoo!!!
It's already Christmas morning there, as I write this, and I'm about to do some final shopping out in the freezing cold ( -15c up here in the Toronto area).
Happy travels to everyone in the New Year. Only 3 weeks left til I visit NZ!!
Yahoo!!!
Dec 24th, 2004, 11:18 AM
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ITS CHRISTMAS MORNING AND BEING AN ADDICT I AM ON THE NET! ( not really as I have an Internet shop outlet too to check on )
Opened all my pressies and am very happy. Now its on with the show of making the last minute foodie touches etc.
AD: sweaty Xmas - oh no, the sun is shining its about 23 deg - Celcius, all the doors and windows are open and there is a wafting breeze through the house and a beautiful scent of my gardenias which are in full flower. If it gets higher in temp I will put on the airconditioning anyway and bring in some cut gardenias to have their sweet scent waft through the house.
We do get 4, 5 or even 6 weeks holiday a year but that doesn't mean that we don't work at 1 1/2 times the normal when we do work. Anyway if you go to Canada chances are that you will start back on a 2 weeks per year thingie.
So AD its been up at 4AM, open pressies, swept the deck, organized the cooking, will do an hour or two of tax ( bloody thing will take forever this year ) make some calls, clean the house, have an hours rest, meet the guests and have Xmas dinner around 5pm - due in part because one friend is a nursing sister who works night shift. I am back at work tomorrow ( Sunday ) to open the shop which will remain open each day for the next 3 weeks!
That is why I deserve a 6 week holiday!
You have a great Christmas out there in part-frozen Mananaland and I hope that Santa brings you all you wished for - and more.
Cheers
Liz
Opened all my pressies and am very happy. Now its on with the show of making the last minute foodie touches etc.
AD: sweaty Xmas - oh no, the sun is shining its about 23 deg - Celcius, all the doors and windows are open and there is a wafting breeze through the house and a beautiful scent of my gardenias which are in full flower. If it gets higher in temp I will put on the airconditioning anyway and bring in some cut gardenias to have their sweet scent waft through the house.
We do get 4, 5 or even 6 weeks holiday a year but that doesn't mean that we don't work at 1 1/2 times the normal when we do work. Anyway if you go to Canada chances are that you will start back on a 2 weeks per year thingie.
So AD its been up at 4AM, open pressies, swept the deck, organized the cooking, will do an hour or two of tax ( bloody thing will take forever this year ) make some calls, clean the house, have an hours rest, meet the guests and have Xmas dinner around 5pm - due in part because one friend is a nursing sister who works night shift. I am back at work tomorrow ( Sunday ) to open the shop which will remain open each day for the next 3 weeks!
That is why I deserve a 6 week holiday!
You have a great Christmas out there in part-frozen Mananaland and I hope that Santa brings you all you wished for - and more.
Cheers
Liz
Dec 24th, 2004, 01:01 PM
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Checking in before attacking the kitchen, and it may (or may not) rain in Canberra today. Happy Christmas everybody!
A/D, 4 weeks' annual leave has been standard here since the '70s but of couyrse there are exceptions like teachers, firemen and best of all academics. Also there are more creative pay schemes that allow workers to exchange money for leave. On the other hand many people work in casual/temporary employment and so get no stipulated leave at all.
I expect this will change as expected demographic changes move us back to a situation in which there are more jobs than employable people to fill them.
German, French etc. workers have it better than us.
A/D, 4 weeks' annual leave has been standard here since the '70s but of couyrse there are exceptions like teachers, firemen and best of all academics. Also there are more creative pay schemes that allow workers to exchange money for leave. On the other hand many people work in casual/temporary employment and so get no stipulated leave at all.
I expect this will change as expected demographic changes move us back to a situation in which there are more jobs than employable people to fill them.
German, French etc. workers have it better than us.
Dec 24th, 2004, 07:39 PM
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It's almost Christmas - another 1/2 hour to go. The stockings are hung, the tree is trimmed and we've all been fully and overly fed!
We've exchanged our gifts among family members and will wait to see what St Nick will bring tomorrow - it's been my husband's family practice and we've carried it on since we've had children.
I think many of us get this special little hope in our hearts on Christmas Eve and wish that peace and goodwill would happen. It's a hope that continues to grow as we know of all these young men and women in Iraq away from their families and loved ones at this time - and wishing they could be home. I wish each of them well and to come home healthy and unscathed.
To all of you I wish a happy holiday and a healthy new year. God bless.
We've exchanged our gifts among family members and will wait to see what St Nick will bring tomorrow - it's been my husband's family practice and we've carried it on since we've had children.
I think many of us get this special little hope in our hearts on Christmas Eve and wish that peace and goodwill would happen. It's a hope that continues to grow as we know of all these young men and women in Iraq away from their families and loved ones at this time - and wishing they could be home. I wish each of them well and to come home healthy and unscathed.
To all of you I wish a happy holiday and a healthy new year. God bless.
Dec 24th, 2004, 09:04 PM
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What a great post from so many of Fodor's nicest people!
It's now Christmas afternoon in Sydney, and our guests have gone home, and at our house we're feeling both full and full of goodwill.... so, what better way to end the celebrations than by sharing a few minutes with my friends at Fodors? I really have to say to you all -- that's every single one in this post plus about sixty more -- that you really did make a difference to my Christmas this year. Guess what I kept talking about to the twelve people who shared Christmas lunch with us? Who'd ever have thought that an internet travel forum would wind up being the "star of the show" at a Christmas party?
It's now Christmas afternoon in Sydney, and our guests have gone home, and at our house we're feeling both full and full of goodwill.... so, what better way to end the celebrations than by sharing a few minutes with my friends at Fodors? I really have to say to you all -- that's every single one in this post plus about sixty more -- that you really did make a difference to my Christmas this year. Guess what I kept talking about to the twelve people who shared Christmas lunch with us? Who'd ever have thought that an internet travel forum would wind up being the "star of the show" at a Christmas party?
Dec 24th, 2004, 09:31 PM
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Christmas Day is almost over, and like others I am full of food, family and festivities and worn out with it all. Tomorrow is my favourite day of the year.....Boxing Day. A lazy day of leftovers, Sydney to Hobart, Cricket and snoring on the sofa. Four beautiful days off, then back to work on Wednesday.
All the best to everyone, and happy travels in 2005.
All the best to everyone, and happy travels in 2005.
Dec 25th, 2004, 12:06 AM
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Woke up to glorious and much needed rain - good soaking stuff. Temp didn't exceed 29C all day, cool for Cairns at this time of year. Lunch at friends who live at beach, only slightly marred by their labrador making off with a rather expensive turkey buffe. Never mind, couldn't fit another mouthful in anyway. Sun came out after lunch - long walk on beach with dogs. Most appreciated present of the day was from my daughter and boyfriend - a new mini surfboard for our black poodle, Bob.
Dec 25th, 2004, 01:36 AM
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Anyone who's owned a Labrador will tell you that their goofy exterior conceals plain old rat cunning when food is the issue.
Christmas night here and we're just starting to wake up, I think. We've just had an extended phone call with our two two daughters in China (second Christmas now without them), who reported that they're visiting friends in Anshan, where the temperature today hovered around -20C. In fact they passed on a traveller's horror story par excellence: there was no heating at the hotel they stayed at last night, and to add insult to injury they tried to charge them a late checkout fee, "tried" being the operative word.
Merry Christmas, then, to all.
- Neil
Christmas night here and we're just starting to wake up, I think. We've just had an extended phone call with our two two daughters in China (second Christmas now without them), who reported that they're visiting friends in Anshan, where the temperature today hovered around -20C. In fact they passed on a traveller's horror story par excellence: there was no heating at the hotel they stayed at last night, and to add insult to injury they tried to charge them a late checkout fee, "tried" being the operative word.
Merry Christmas, then, to all.
- Neil
Dec 26th, 2004, 03:33 AM
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Well it's Boxing day now, I have just turned on my notebook after a few days rest (eating drinking and not being able to move off the sofa..lol)and I have discovered that christmas has already gone. I cast my eager mind back to last Christmas day when we strolled up the beach of Moreton Island beautiful clear warm sea water rolling over my sunburnt feet and we thought we were in heaven. This year was just a little different, we even had a little snow on Christmas day, which doesn't happen here in Cardiff's coast too often. The bookies have lost a fortune (hahahahaha) and I had some glorious presents from family and friends. For the first time ever we went to the local pub for an hour at midday and sat infront of the fabulous ancient log fire, and the land lord bought us a drink for a change ;-)
Well I have to consider now that perhaps there is a flip side to heaven and it is really what you make of the special time and not necessarily where you might be.
Happy new year to you all
I hope the Fireworks in Sydney are as glorious as they were last year.
May your god bless you
Mucky
Well I have to consider now that perhaps there is a flip side to heaven and it is really what you make of the special time and not necessarily where you might be.
Happy new year to you all
I hope the Fireworks in Sydney are as glorious as they were last year.
May your god bless you
Mucky
Dec 27th, 2004, 07:49 AM
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Happy Holidays everyone!
There's a bit of snow on the ground here in Philly and a windy, chilly day for us. Wind chill of 5 degrees F. Someday I'll learn to convert temps
My fiance was upset that New Orleans had a White Christmas and we did not, the bit of snow waited until Dec 26th.
I'm drooling over the 6 weeks of vacation time. Oh what trips I could plan!! I get 3 weeks and that's considered good. Taking 4 weeks to come to your side of the world (which isn't nearly enough!!) is considered really, REALLY extravagent here!
There's a bit of snow on the ground here in Philly and a windy, chilly day for us. Wind chill of 5 degrees F. Someday I'll learn to convert temps
My fiance was upset that New Orleans had a White Christmas and we did not, the bit of snow waited until Dec 26th.
I'm drooling over the 6 weeks of vacation time. Oh what trips I could plan!! I get 3 weeks and that's considered good. Taking 4 weeks to come to your side of the world (which isn't nearly enough!!) is considered really, REALLY extravagent here!
Dec 27th, 2004, 11:44 AM
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pb_and_j, I've got a nifty Excel file that converts temps both ways easily - drop me a line if you want a copy.
New Orleans had a white Christmas ... and in 6 months' time it'll be like a sauna. Talk about extremes.
New Orleans had a white Christmas ... and in 6 months' time it'll be like a sauna. Talk about extremes.
