Christmas lights

I find it hard to believe that it is a whole week since I last posted, I don't know where the time has gone.

If you click on this photo it should enlarge. We had the Carols in the Gardens last night, with a crowd of over 2,000. The evening was a huge success with the weather doing all the right things for us, not too hot and a lovely gentle breeze blowing. The Friends sold safe-flame candles, a great invention - they have a built-in battery and a coloured flame light. One of the performers asked the children to hold their candles up high, then swoop to one side, then the other, wriggle, twist etc. The kids loved it and the sight was beautiful with all these coloured streaks of light in the dark. My daughter in law Nikki took this photo - Maggie Grey would approve all the swoopy bits! I came home absolutely exhausted and stiff and sore, but thrilled with a job well done. The Friends conducted a raffle as well as selling candles and glo-bracelets and we sold out of absolutely everything - makaing a good profit for the night.

Jock has this large soft toy 'Rabbit' which he tosses and pulls and bites at its ears and generally has a wonderful game with. He races through the house carrying the toy - and outside if he gets out without being spotted!

I washed all his bedding today and threw Rabbit in the washing machine as well. Jock was totally disgusted when the toy came out clean and sanitised - no interesting smells so he was not interested in playing with it!! No coubt that will change when we return from holidays. He goes off to the dog kennels for his holiday tomorrow morning early.

We leave tomorrow afternoon, hopefull by 3 pm, but I haven't started gathering much together yet - we have been inundated with visitors, but I love seeing them. We have two cases of mangoes to take south with us, also some bags of lychees. This has been a fantastic season for both fruits, but both crops have ripened very early. Our Walkerston family has a superb mango tree, a very old fashioned variety, but there is hardly any fruit left on it to take south - the fruit bats and the possums have had a field day.

Time to go and collect a few things before bed. Christmas wishes to all my readers, I hope all your wishes are granted. I will be able to read blogs while we are away, but doubt I will be able to post. Cheers