A Geelong Christmas

While I can't say I'm terribly excited to be away from my family and friends this Christmas, I've had a pleasant holiday all the same.

I spent Christmas Eve with Simon and his parents and played with all the presents I gave to my small friend (what more could a big kid ask for). It is also a tradition to pop bon bons and party poppers. The result is a rather festive hat that I was asked (demanded) to wear. My small friend took pictures and when I asked which one I should put up on my blog I was told "that one, that one, and that one". Ah, so all of them. Very well my little cute one - here they are:

Christmas day was relaxing. I was supposed to work in the evening, but that was canceled so I had a last minute relaxing day in the park. I thought about being adventurous and taking a holiday trip, but the trains were running on a special schedule and I could just see myself ending up stranded hours from home because of a discrepancy of five minutes. I played it safe and stayed in town.

I walked down to the end of Cunningham Pier which I've been curious to do and was rewarded with a view of the parks that I've often walked through:

Cute, isn't it?

And I think I found my new "spot". I read and enjoyed a holiday beverage and snacks from a perfect vantage point to people-watch the BBQ-ers and the Ferris Wheel enthusiasts. This was my view:

Look closer: They are playing cricket. Makes me chuckle every time.

The hill was so steep my stuff kept sliding down, but it made for easy lounging.

And I made a new friend too...

It was cloudy all day, not really a good beach day, but the sun did come out for about five minutes and the temperature jumped 10 degrees. True story.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Animal Farm

It all started with taking the dog in from the heavy rain. The poor girl doesn't have any shelter in the backyard and her owners are out of town on a two-week cruise. It was impossible to look into those puppy dog eyes and leave her to the elements. Home she came.

Then, once upon a Thursday afternoon, a young rabbit mother tragically left her 3 week old babies as orphans and a simple house-sitting assignment suddenly got complicated. Simon leapt into action to make sure the little ones had a chance at survival. He called in a favor from a family friend who's sister ran a rabbit farm.

We drove over to the farm, just a short way from home. Suddenly I remembered that this is real country - look at this view! There were padlocks carved into the rolling hills as far as the eye could see and hardly a sign of town - even though this view is looking towards downtown Lara.

The sister generously took time from preparing her little girls for a birthday party to give us life saving tips. Actually, it was quite simple: At 3 weeks the bunnies should be ok, she said, since they've usually begun weening at 3-4 weeks. As long as they'd already started to eat they'd be ok. She pointed out a bush that she referred to as "lysine" (which as far as I can tell is a chemical compound with lots of health qualities) that would nourish them and give them plenty of moisture. She went to get the birthday party girls ready, and we started clipping branches.

We followed orders: "Take home a boot-full."

Back at home the babies munched happily and after a day look like they want more room to jump around. Take a look:

This morning Simon called me after checking on the other animals and announced that the other rabbit had a litter over night. He almost brought them over to keep a close eye on them, but a friend is staying at the house for the rest of the week so she'll look after them. 

Our bunnies are in a happier home for the moment - in the garage. 

But did I mention the dog is staying with us too? 

Speaking of which... someone needs a walk.