Tues, 25th Dec, 2018 10 Mile Outcamp, Tarmoola Station, 60km north of Leonora, WA (Christmas Day with Kym & Glen)

Got up early to video chat with the boys and Mum and Dad but no one answered. Eventually I got Jess and she and Jon were still at home opening their presents. Daniel rang once he got to Mum’s so we then rang back once Jon had arrived. Had a lovely chat with our boys, Jess and Fran, Mum and Dad and Greg, Tracy, Matt, Tim and Katelin too. It is nice being able to see them all as we chatted. Miss them all so much but love our life together in the van.

Rang Brian’s phone this time for a video chat with Terry, Erica, Brian, Jodie & Bryan, Stephanie, Sam and David, Amanda, Bradley, Ben and Ella. Looks like they are all having a great time at Woodgate. The old table tennis table had died so Terry brought down the pool table from Bundy and after moving one of the support posts they are all having fun playing pool. David brought up his table tennis table which can go over the pool table so the table tennis competitions can continue – a true Woodgate tradition.

8am 30 degrees, clear sky and gusty warm wind. We played Skipbo after breakfast – I had a win for change, 2 games to 1.

Took our Christmas selfies – Steve said we were having a Christmas with a rusty Holden (Chev) ute, just like the Aussie Jingle Bells song.

Had a cuppa then packed up the food and drinks and headed down to the main homestead for Christmas lunch with Kym and Glen. It is starting to get hot now so we are pleased to be inside with the air conditioner going and we don’t have to share our lunch with any flies.

Had a great time and so much food – Kym made a Dutch dish, Kotel Skotel, which was delicious. Enjoyed our bubbly and stone fruit and of course yummy rum balls, rocky road and white Christmas. I bought cheap bon bons with terrible jokes and little stickers to put on the very big hats but we felt festive with them on.

We chatted about gold prospecting as Glen bought himself a better detector then we taught them to play Sequence and had 4 games, 2 wins for the girls and 2 for the boys – will have the decider another time.

We were so full we didn’t get to have the fruit cake I made and the icecream Kym made so we packed some up to take home. Kym had also made us homemade Baileys, corn relish, pasta sauce and carmel sauce to go with the icecream and she gave us a tub of the Polish dish as she had made far too much. Headed home at 6pm with dark clouds coming from the west with wispy fingers trying to drop some rain on us.

Got home as the wind picked up from the storm front but we only got a very light sprinkle of rain. Had a little bit of leftover chicken and wombok salad for dinner as we were both still very full.

9pm still 38 degrees in the van but there is a strong southerly wind blowing which makes it bearable.

10.30pm down to 36 degrees but the breeze is still nice so all good.