Thursday, 12 December

A leisurely morning. Dianne packed away more of the produce brought home yesterday while Steve sliced the two 15-pound pieces of prime rib. They don’t need to put these in a freezer because the cold room downstairs is cold enough. Otherwise, if you want to cool something or store it cold and there’s not enough room in the fridge, it just goes out on the verandah: it won’t go above minus till at least next week, so it’s colder than a fridge out there! They now have all their food put away for the remainder of the winter, except for the occasional grocery items, of course.

Dianne and I went to Williams for a coffee while Steve rested; then home for yummy soup lunch. 

This afternoon’s adventure was going to the Christmas tree farm to chop down and bring home the tree: lots of fun, very cold out there but our clothing was pretty much enough, apart from biting wind on your face and very cold fingers and toes.

We got a lovely tree, about 6’

After you chop down the tree, you drag it back to the shed on a toboggan

 Then it gets shaken by machine to get all the snow off and pushed through a tube where they cover it with stretch netting to protect it on the way home. You have to be very careful with the branches because at this stage they’re frozen and brittle.

Coming home to the warm house, the Christmas treat was warm apple cider fresh from the organic farm – delicious! Dianne and I decorated the tree this afternoon.

     

Tonight a young Australian girl from Port Macquarie came for dinner and went with us to the show – White Christmas, the musical. Natalie has been serving with Return Ministries here for two years and will go home in March. The snow had started again by the time we left for the theatre and Steve graciously dropped us at the door. What a wonderful production, full of energy and fun! Still snowing when we came out and the drive home took over an hour, taking Natalie home on the way. There’s an ethereal beauty about driving out in the country at night in the snow (although I’m sure Steve would disagree, being the driver)!