1st Aussie Xmas...

Happy Christmas and a Merry New year 2 you!
We have had a wonderful Christmas and a great new year. (I know it's only 1/4 past 10, but we're home after a short party at Andy & Gail's as we're all cream crackered and want to see the new year in in our pool with a glass of something nice!)

We start with our traditional Xmas eve dinner at home, where we all enjoyed a beautiful turkey crown with all the trimmings and a sparkly Xmas pud before we made reindeer food to spread on the front lawn.

We were all to bed early, so Santa could visit, as we all know he comes here first!!!
and he DID, but I managed to get a quick photo before we opened any???
We took just our stockings to the beach for a Xmas day Barbie with Charlie, Tracey, Will and Tom, where we saw another group on the beach with a blow up tree!!! Now we've seen it all!


We then had a cracking Boxing Day with Mike, Sandra, Matt, Tom and Jen, our friends from KL!
They were here for Xmas so we HAD to have a few days together to catch up and have a few bottles of something nice!?!

Temperatures started to get higher - up towards the high 30s, so a pool party and few more bottles of something nice??? with Linda, Murray, Tiannah, Carly and Georgia.

Cricket was so bad with Aus being thrashed by South Africa that we thought we'd have a little game of our own on the fron green...
Problem was, we only had a tennis ball with a racket to use as a bat! Such is life!
Yesterday was PPs birthday, so we went to Hillary's boat harbour for lunch, a dip in the sea (as it reached 39 C!!!) and it's a nice drive anyway! We came home to a warm pool and glass of something nice!
Cheers! and a Happy New Year!
J,P,E n C xxxx

A birdie at GOLF!!!

Just had to take this pic last Sat whilst spoiling the usual walk around Mari Park Golf Course.

It'll be the only birdie I get!!!

Amazing Suzuki

And we call these 'hairdresser's cars' ???

Top Fuel Drag Racing

Wow!
I was shaken, not stirred by these wicked machines

Did you know …

… that the nitromethane-powered engines of NHRA Top Fuel dragsters produce approximately 7,000 horsepower, about 37 times that of the average street car?

… that one cylinder of the eight cylinders of a Top Fuel dragster produces 750 horsepower, equaling the entire horsepower output of a NASCAR engine?

… that an NHRA Top Fuel dragster accelerates from 0 to 100 mph in less than 0.8-seconds, almost 11 seconds quicker than it takes a production Porsche 911 Turbo to reach the same speed?

… that an NHRA Top Fuel dragster leaves the starting line with a force nearly five times that of gravity, the same force of the space shuttle when it leaves the launching pad at Cape Canaveral?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters consume between four and five gallons of fuel during a quarter-mile run, which is equivalent to between 16 and 20 gallons per mile?

… that NHRA Top Fuel dragsters can exceed 280 mph in just 660 feet?

… that from a standing start, NHRA Top Fuel dragsters accelerate faster than a jumbo jet, a fighter jet, and a Formula One race car?

… that it takes just 15/100ths of a second for all 7,000 horsepower of an NHRA Top Fuel dragster engine to reach the rear wheels?

… that it's desirable for an NHRA Top Fuel dragster to race with its front wheels inches off the ground for about the first 200 feet of the run? This ensures proper weight transfer to the rear wheels, a crucial part of a good launch and quick run.

… that the nitromethane used to power the engines of NHRA Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars costs about $16 per gallon?That's about £35.00!!! and we complain about fuel prices!

Christmas in OZ

Our first Xmas here and things are weeeeired!
We went to buy our tree last Saturday and it seemed wrong to be enjoying high 20s and brilliant sunshine whilst looking for a Christmas tree?
We're used to freezing rain and blowing a Hooley near Newton Abbott, so this was a welcome break.
The tree farm has it sussed, as they give you a trolley, saw and carpet square (for kneeling on) and off you go to find your tree. PP was brave enough to hold the saw but you can guess who did the actual hacking???
The houses around us are all in the mood with thier decs too - reminded us Courtfields in Milverton? (without the snow!)

Getting hotter

Whew - what a scorcher!!! Nearly anyway!
It reached 32 today, after a dodgy start - It nearly RAINED - The cheek of it! but as usual, it turned out nice again - Or was that a saying that George Formby used to say? Now I'm showing my age!

32 deg C was enough to start the clothes pegs melting! Well - the cheap ones we buy anyway!
The pool was LUVERLY though! Thats been THREE days running that PP has ventured in. I'd show you a photo but have yet to get 'permission' !!! So enjoy the girlies having a spot of fun - Oh and Nutty swam 10 lengths today - that's 200 metres, about 500 ft!!! for you whom are yet to go metric. You'd better get used to that before you come here as EVERYTHING is metric - you can't even buy a PINT - you ask for a 'schooner' or LARGE glass - That'll be MINE then!!!
CHEERS!
Jcp