The run up to Christmas was exciting, we had very kindly been invited to spend it with Sue & Pete and anyone who knows me will release just how much of a child I am when it comes to Christmas, so everyone had to suffer. On Christmas Eve I had the wonderful task of decorating the table ready for Christmas lunch, I had a great time. Adam volunteered to help with the food preparation, he did an awesome job with cooking, the house smelt amazing. On Christmas eve night Sue, Pete, Adam and I all sat down to pizza and to watch Christmas carols live from Melbourne.
Christmas Morning was lovely, we both woke up to a small stocking which “Santa Sue” had left for us, filled with gold chocolate coins, candy canes and a few Australian souvenirs. We all started getting ready and then family started to arrive, the food was cooking and the drinks where flowing. All the girls had cocktails and photos with them. Lunch was served and it was out of this world yummy! For starters we had duck breast with black pepper strawberries on a bed of rocket leaves. For main we had roast turkey, roast pork, roasted veggies and a home-made apricot and pistachio stuffing with home-made cranberry sauce. Pudding was Christmas pudding with brandy cream. It was fit for a king!
After lunch we sat down to open the presents around the tree. We were both very lucky to have so many gifts under the tree. Jo and Brayden’s 3 children where so good handing them out and waiting their turn for their gifts. Adam and I received a huge survival pack from Sue and Pete which contained everything we could need for the rest of our road trip and to remember Australia. After the presents where all opened Adam decided to join the children outside with a friendly game of soaking each other with water pistols. We can safely say that we have never had the opportunity to do this on Christmas Day back in the UK! On Boxing Day we were invited to Brayden’s family get together at his brother’s house which involved a lot more drinking and eating yummy food. The boys all sat outside and watched the Ashes, whilst the girls all sat inside and drank Champers.
The week after we were invited back to stay at Jo and Brayden’s, they took us out to see the Big Rocking Horse. We climbed to the top and got a few pics, there is a little animal park also so we all had a little walk around feeding some of the animals. Then it was back to the Leckies house for an afternoon of playing on the Slip and Slide, and drinking! The children had a trampoline from Santa for Christmas, so as you can imagine once the children where all tucked up in bed the adults let loose.
Before we knew it New Years Eve had approached. I spent the day helping Jo make an amazing cocktail drink for the girls. We needed to buy an eskey to hold it all in (eskey = ice box). The night was a great success, we had duck wrapped pancakes and dim sims to eat. We saw 2011 in with great people! It was perfect. For New Years day we all went to the beach and met up with some of Brayden’s family and had the tradition of chicken and chips on the sand. Adam and Brayden went body boarding whilst Jo, Sue and I sat watching them (the water looked freezing!) . Later on in the week we went and visited some friends who emigrated over to Australia from Walsall; Ade, Kerry, Tom and Katy (Adam’s mate Ash’s sister and family). We all had a great day, a BBQ was prepared and there was splashing in the pool. It was so nice seeing them we had at great laugh with Tom who kept us entertained all day long. Before we left Sue and Pete to carry on our travels, Sue treated us to a trip along the river Murray with Uncle Richard and Maddi.
We headed to the Barossa Valley, went wine tasting at Jacobs Creek and had a yummy wine and cheese evening back in Bill. After the Barrossa we arrived at Wilpena Pound, a natural rock basin which looks like a giant crater. We spent a couple of days here going for a steep walk up to the look out point, this was hard work in 37 degrees temps! Our next stop was to Coober Pedy, the Opal capital of Australia. I had the time of my life here doing something called ‘Noodling’. Noodling is the process of sifting through piles and piles of slag (rocks and dirt left from mining) looking for fragments of Opal. I found some as well! We were able to do this noodling for free as earlier we had gone on a mine tour which showed us how mining happens and we was even allowed to use some of the equipment down there, it was really interesting. (I have decided that I want to be a gem miner!).
Next was the drive north out of South Australia and on to Alice Springs.
