Christmas 2010

I want to share with you one of the best Christmas days I've had in a long time.

As you know Christmas was to be spent on T.I. - a long way from home, family and friends - but it would have been a good day. Any "orphans" were invited to Robyn's place for breakfast and then later in the day Siobhan was hosting her annual orphan's day lunch. We would not have been alone :-)

But Rob's broken leg put paid to that and on Christmas Day we found ourselves in Cairns en route to Brisbane. And I was determined to make it a special day, wherever we were, because I felt so blessed that Rob and I were together and that he was well. So to that end I bought all the gifts that had been sent from home with me to open on the day. And I am so glad I did :-)

Rob woke me on Christmas morning with a ho-ho-ho and a cup of hotel instant coffee - delicious because it was made with love. I had put the presents out the night before, and after coffee we sat on the bed to open them. It was fun - lots of little gifts thrown in with the bigger ones. And fortunately Rob's gift from me arrived  at the last minute - luckily I checked at the post office before I left.

After a light breakfast in our room we went for a walk along the esplanade in the rain. It was drizzly rain, yet quite a few other people were also out walking, probably before the big lunch time feast.

Drizzly rain on Christmas morning. The structure in the foreground is the roof of a wedding chapel.

Lunch - where to go? what to eat? after all this is Christmas Day. Well - here's the thing - the view from our hotel balcony was pretty nice (see above)  and Rob had gone shopping the day before for a few essentials - so why go anywhere? We had it all there.

Our Christmas feast! Cheese, salami, olives, chocolates and wine - all food groups were covered :-)

Merry Christmas Rob :-)

I have never enjoyed a Christmas lunch as much as I did on that day. It was perfect in it's simplicity and satisfaction.

After the obligatory Christmas day nap, we both felt a tad peckish, so we borrowed an umbrella from hotel reception and strolled along the esplanade to the Pier. There we found the Mecca Bar and a cosy little alcove just for us .

Our romantic alcove at the Mecca Bar

We enjoyed a delicious pizza with real sardines, olives, roasted capsicum and tomatoes and topped with rocquet - exquisite! It was light, tasty and very satisfying. A stroll to the gelato bar for dessert and back to the hotel to watch a  movie - Miss Potter with Rene Zellweiger.

And so ended Christmas Day 2010. During the day we both received calls from our kids. And that's the best part - talking to your loved ones so far away, hearing their voices so clearly and happy, having them tell you that they're thinking of you and missing you.

Don't get me wrong - I love Christmas Day with the family - the fun, food, companionship. But this year - the year when (to quote my brother Anthony) nothing went according to script - I was still able to enjoy such a day. And I was blessed to be in a very beautiful part of the country with a very beautiful man ...... and he with a very beautiful woman (right Rob?) :-)

Life is good.