Christmas in the Sticks

Just returned from a trip to see Maureen and Abe for Christmas.  They have recently bought a small holding in Freemans Reach - just on the edge of western Sydney, heading towards the Blue Mountains.  We took the train to Richmond, end of the line, and Maureen picked us up.  It was a miserable day, constant showers all morning.  Fortunately the rain stopped just before getting to Richmond and held off until we got to "the farm".

Maureen and Abe only moved into their new homestead a couple of months before and it's fair to say that it has bags of potential, but is currently a major work in progress.  The previous owners were half-way through a major expansion and renovation when they ran out of money and had to sell up.  Half the house looks like a building site but our hosts were good enough to let us stay in the only fully decorated room in the house!

It's a two acre farm with some chickens (including a very noisy rooster), some sheep, 2 alpacas, one sow (who refused to breed and is soon to be dog meat) and some rabbits.  Far too rural for me, but they seem to like it.

Christmas with Maureen and Abe

Abe had decided to cook a pork roast and roast duck, but the cooker (inherited from the previous owners) packed up just as we arrived.  So we had the cold meat salad they had prepared as a light supper for lunch instead, giving Abe the afternoon to sort out alternative cooking arrangements.  The lunch, now dinner, was well worth the wait - I love roast duck! Especially when very slow cooked!

We stayed over night and went to nearby Windsor on Boxing Day morning for a look around.  It's a cute period town that is over 200 years old (very unusual for Australia) on the banks of the Hawkesbury River (hence the name).  We had a nice wander round the town centre - it had stopped raining at last - and worked off some of the food from the day before.  Wiwat cooked Chinese Spring Rolls and Money Bags for lunch and then we came back home that afternoon.

Windsor on Boxing Day

Normally takes about 2 hours on the train, but CityRail had closed the main line heading out West for maintenance.  We ended up changing at Blacktown onto an express rail-bus to Strathfield where we picked up the train again into the city.  I suspect it was actually quicker since the bus took the M4 most of the way and there were no stops!  Well done CityRail.

Year Ending 2012

On the possibility that the Mayans were right, I thought I'd write this now, just in case the world really does end next Friday!  Still it will avoid all that last minute Christmas shopping on Saturday, so there is a bright side.

Aside from our trips to Europe and Thailand, most of this year has been pretty uneventful.  Wiwat's work trundles on in the same numb but comfortable rut, as does Paul's.  One good thing is that Paul's golden handcuffs have more or less popped off, so he no longer has to stay just for the money.  Still deciding what to do -- watch this space.

All that remains is to wish everyone a Happy Solstice, and a Merry whatever. All the best for the year ahead.

-Paul and Wiwat