Christmas 2007 has been HUGE!!! A fitting end to an enormous year. To all our family and friends we'd like to say thank you for sharing our most amazing year ever. Christmas, for us, has been injected with all new excitement now that we have our Snow Man on board. No wonder people keep having babies!!!
I've already posted several entries on the blog about the celebrations we've had prior to the 25th Dec. This post covers our six days out west.... and it's a long one. With lots of photos! I suspect that most people reading this will find it terribly boring, so feel free to skip it - this post is only for the most dedicated followers (I know you're still with us Nanna Jude).
I was going to call this post "Christmas at Columbine", but that title wouldn't have been entirely accurate, given that we visited three other properties (Wongala, Cooinoo & Glendower). It was an absolute whirlwind and a lot of fun.
DAY 1
We set out on the 22nd with a car that was absolutely chock-a-block. Luckily for the dogs it wasn't Christmas Eve, so Santa's sleigh was available. Unfortunately the reindeer were resting up, it wasn't hot enough for the six white boomers, and two black labs don't have quite enough dog power to pull the sleigh. So we attached the sleigh to the Vectra, Mojo and Bella jumped on board, and off we went.
The drive to Columbine is a long one and this trip took seven hours! Our perseverance was rewarded when we turned off the highway onto Gowan Green Road. Gown Green Road is the 8km dirt road that leads into Columbine and it's my favourite stretch of the journey. We always see Eastern Rosellas as we approach Columbine and this year there were heaps of them. The property looks stunning once again due to recent heavy rain. We must be good luck charms because the last three times we've been to Columbine it's rained just before we arrive.
When we arrived we were greeted by some sort of wild beast that Bop had captured on the back of his ute.
We let our two beasts loose and they promptly joined forces with their Mum. Will thought it was great fun playing with the dogs. Here he is teaching them how to stay, while he runs at full pelt right past their noses.
DAY 2
On Sunday there was a bit of time in the morning for fun and activities around the house. 
Nick tried out the new swing that Bop had tied to a tree in the garden.
And later on he joined forces with Matt, Ben and Bop to fix a few holes in the tennis court.
The main event on Day 2 was a trip to Wongala. Wongala is home to Bill and Di aBeckett (Matt's Uncle and Aunt). It was Di's 80th birthday bash and a great chance to catch up with the extended aBeckett family.
The birthday girl is pictured above with one of her grand daughters, Greta. Greta made the icing for Di's cake. Of course there was loads of fabulous food as well as a feast of musical talent, with many of Di's family putting on a concert (the audience is pictured below). We were treated to guitar, violin, trumpet, keyboard, banjo, penny whistle and vocals. It was great fun.
Above: Matt and Mum give Ben his dinner on the front veranda at Wongala.
Right: Mum and Ben in the garden at Wongala.
Below: Ben has fun with his Auntie Sal on the veranda at Wongala.
Day 3
Day 3 was Christmas Eve. Matt spent most of the day playing golf with some old mates, while Mum and I helped out with preparations for Christmas lunch.
We found an old Rolf Harris record (yes one of the vinyl ones) with the song "Six White Boomers" on it. The boys loved it! Will's pictured to the left dancing to the tunes and doing his best Boomer impersonation. Pretty good for an 18month old!
In the evening we went to Cooinoo, which is a property close to Columbine and home to the Whittles. Di Whittle is a bit of a green thumb and her garden is beautiful. It's also functional, with grape vines, vegetables and fruit trees. Di's partner, Peter gave us a tour of the vines and then we whiled the evening away with a few drinks.
Day 4: Christmas Day!
On 25th December we were visited by Santa Claus!! Santa must have heard that there were three dietitians at Columbine, because he'd really trimmed down....
Here's Santa emerging from the chimney. 
In addition to losing metres off his waist Santa seemed to have lost the ability to read. He needed to find an assistant to help him examine the "Naughty or Nice" book. 
Lucky for us, we all seemed to make it onto the "Nice" page and Santa deposited this swag of presents. 
Finally, Santa made some last minute quality assurance inspections before the present unwrapping frenzy hit.
After everything was unwrapped Nick and Will put some of the presents through their paces. Will couldn't stop running around the house with his new block set. 
And Nick gave Ben's new Dino Explorer a work out on the front lawn.
The excitement continued at Christmas lunch, when we were joined by Matt's Aunt Nell and the Allworth cousins. Of course the food was delicious, complimented beautifully by the fantastic company.
Aunt Nell had broken her wrist on the 22nd, but she didn't let that bring her Christmas vibe down. Santa had left his hat for her, just in case she needed cheering up.
Day 5: Boxing Day
On Boxing Day, we got up early and Matt helped Bop with some mustering. Bop had been given a new saddle for Christmas and he was keen to try it out. Ben wasn't quite big enough for the saddle so he decided to try riding Bop's favorite horse, Gigi, bareback. 
Ben showed absolutely no fear of Gigi, putting his hand right inside her mouth.
For lunch on Boxing day we all piled back into the car and headed off to Glendower to catch up with the Gordons (Anne's Brother and his family). I forgot to take my camera, but it was another huge event with a lot of people and a lot of food. It was great to catch up with the Gordons and we even made plans to meet in Melbourne and enter a team adventure sports event!!
Day 6
We drove home!!! Still unpacking!! Happily exhausted.
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