Boxing Day-the way it was for me at least....

Christmas day.....I started cooking early in the morning after my 1 hour brisk walk, apart from a couple of die hard exercisers like myself, the roads were empty and had no-one else walking, jogging or cycling. I cooked hash browns, sausages, bacon, pineapple, grilled tomato, rice and croissants for 6 people. It was nice to do. I came home and watched a couple of movies and then at lunch went out to meet my Mum, her daughter, my step sister, her husband and a cousin. It had been decided that to make it easier for the cooks in the family that we would allow a Christmas day off for them also, which would allow us to go to a suburban club for a full buffet lunch. What a complete mistake that was. It was a series of lines, which I hate, a line to get in, a line for entrees, for mains and for dessert. The mains line I was in for almost an hour before I got a mains. NEVER again. It would not have been so bad if the food was great, but alas I should have known. I ate the bare minimum and was happy I did. The reason for this complaint does not stem from the cost of the meal, it does not stem from the desire to offend anyone or be critical of the food, though it was found wanting in my opinion - found wanting in the healthy options of food choices. I say this because I have worked hard to lose 23 kg over the last several months and the choices whilst plentiful were found wanting. It was an experience I do not wish to repeat again, because I felt the organisational set-up was a shambles. Rightly or wrongly. Next time I choose a Christmas day buffet, I will choose a hotel like the Sebel or Ramada, not because it costs more and not because some of you think I am posh, but because it seats less people, it is better organised, I do not have to line up to get in and to get every plate or dish and there is bigger spaces between the chairs for seating, THAT is why I made this comment.

NB.(I have altered the name of the club and added some words in this post for clarity, as people have obviously taken one little thing about the comparitively poor service I saw, and created a class struggle out of something that was never there...strange that nobody spoke or commented on the sadness and hurt I feel for those who lost their lives {down lower in this post} no-one thought to comment on anything else here like the connection and humanity I felt from the film Noel either. It only reinforces to me that Simon and Garfunkel were correct and their meaning still stands today. "a Man still hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest"....even if it provides a clearer picture of the person, their intent or motives.) If people don't like my comments, if people don't like my motives or people don't like my intent, don't visit here! it's that simple. If you don't like what a TV station is showing...change the channel! Get a life! this is my blog and I use this as a vehicle to express what I feel, and the second anonymous comment of the reactions posted in the comments section leave me scratching my head and asking the question; what the? Clearly anonymous 2, you did not read the note on the picture of the food you commented on. It was NOT from the aforementioned suburban club, it was from a wedding reception I took a few weeks earlier at a very affordable place. And as for offending lots of people, life is not a journey devoid of offence, but just remember that YOU took offence where none was given or even slightly inferred. You totally did not understand the intent from my heart, and therefore you took offence because it is simpler for you to do that rather than rationally try to understand where I was coming from. I do not mind that you posted a negative comment, I mind that you posted a comment and passed judgement on me without wanting to understand me.

There used to be a caterer I would always buy Christmas dinner from. I could pick up roast lamb, roast chicken and ham, together with caterers trays of pasta salad, potato salad, fruit salad and macaroni. I used his facility which was very reasonable. You ordered in November and paid in advance then he gave you a three hour window on Christmas day to collect your food fresh and it was scrumptious. He sold the business a year or so ago and the new owners don't offer that service, which I miss.

After that it was a series of movies which I gladly vegged out to watch. One of the films I again watched was written and driected by Chaz Palminteri called simply Noel. He even played a bit part in the film as well. It is a great Christmas and a great 'life' affirming film. It is a film about the things that unite us all. I commend it to you if you are in the mood to feel the things that connect us all. I slept at around 8pm and woke up today at 5:30am. Almost 10 hours sleep! I feel much better for it.

After a series of car headaches and costly adjustments over the last few days, I was greeted by yet another mishap, someone on Christmas eve had thrown a rock at my windscreen and smashed the window in the corner. So tomorrow I have to try and see if I can get that injected instead of getting it replaced. Another $500 would not suit me at all presently. Oh well, there are people much worse off than me. My thoughts were with the parents of the little girl in Perth whose daughter was playing in the car and had fallen asleep and in the extreme heat expired. No charges have or will be laid it was said and my heart goes out to them. Not only for this, but for every Christmas of their lives will it be forever tainted with sadness. I have a brother who is a policeman there in Perth and his call centre got the call. It is a sad, sad situation. Then there is also the case when a man playing cricket with his family was interupted by a group of teenagers who picked up his cricket bat and hit him over the head, killing the father almost instantly. There was also a 15 month old child who drowned in a backyard swimming pool in Kenthurst. The death toll nationally on the roads went to 17 as well tonight. Christmas for many families will never be the same.

Well, that's me today. I have been able to get a number of tasks done and am in the middle of quite a few other things I have to do over the next few days and wanted to take a moment to say how I spent Christmas and Boxing days. Love being around my little bloke Denzel, he is a great kid. He is a comedian!

As a former newsreader Brian Henderson from channel TCN 9 in Sydney used to sign off from the news each night, he would simply say; The way it is, wednesday boxing day 2007, goodnight......