The Latest Exploits of the Chissell Family

Happy 2008 folks, have you made (or broken) any new years resolutions yet?

I hope you all had a fun filled Christmas and are braced to survive the new year ahead. The family Chissell joined friends on the big day and enjoyed a traditional aussie Christmas involving swimming in the pool and prawns on the barbie. The following pictures are a snap shot of our aussie style Christmas. Absolutely nothing like Christmass in the UK.

Our charming hostess and her delicious desserts. The men are gathered round the barbie supping the amber nectar and debating if the prawns were done. It was so hilarious I filmed them instead photographing them.

Cooling down in the pool.

Splashing around at Whitewater World on the Gold Coast (The SunCorp family Christmas party).

Ringing in the New Year aussie style followed by a hair of the dog the next morning in time to celebrate again with the folks back home.

We had a wonderful family Carol Concert and Mass by candle light outside the church on Christmas Eve. We had two Nativities the first being ‘what if Jesus had been born in Oz’ featuring the younger children and then the more traditional one with the teenagers. They set up a stage inside a haulage lorry and used the ocean as a back drop. Conor and Olivia were riveted and the whole event was so relaxed and informal. They even had a real new born child playing baby Jesus, which was very courageous of the mother. And it sure beats being (literally) squashed in the church pews and hyperventilating in the stuffy heat of the church back home. Amazingly we caught Santa walking along in our garden again this year and the children rushed to bed very relieved that Santa knew they had moved down under. I will be devastated when then magic ends for the children!

The small people modelling some of their Christmas outfits. A big thank you to everyone for the wonderful and very thoughtful gifts. Thank you also for your Christmas greetings and best wishes via Huw's video recording. It really meant a lot to us and it was so great seeing you all. keep them coming folks.





Playing cricket in the backyard with our neighbours and having fun in the sun at one of our local parks.

The summer break has now finished and Conor has begun a new school year down under. Despite all the fun and excitement over the holidays he as very keen to meet his new teacher and hook up with his school friends. Olivia and Ryan will be starting playgroup next week and so the world turns etc. etc.

I will leave you folks with a final image of our latest visitor to Chez Chissell. Ryan laughs when he sees him and his friends in our garden. He is noisy like the cicadas, moves as fast as a gecko and is deadly to the touch!

Take care folks, we think about you all often and enjoy your emails immensely.

Mrs C xxx :-)