Proud to Be Aussie and a Daggy Christmas

Yes it's a proud day to be Australian today for sure.  In their infinite scroogy wisdom our Defence people decided to allow our diggers serving overseas two cans of beer on Christmas Day.  And charging them five dollars a pop for them!  Not only is that really mean and unAustralian, did they really think that a) it wouldn't get out and b) that there wouldn't be an uproar.  Breweries and publicans came out of the woodwork pledging to send slabs up there, outraged that our brave men and women couldn't even be shouted a beer or two on Christmas day away from their homes and families.  Non Australians probably won't fully understand how very wrong this was.  And surprise surprise there is the Minister or someone on the news saying they'd be shouting them the beers (or soft drink for non drinkers) after all.  Awww.  Makes me feel full of the joy.
It's promising to be a very daggy Christmas Eve here at our house.  I started the tradition years ago of letting the kids open a present of new pyjamas on Christmas Eve to start the whole ball rolling and so they'd look nice in their Christmas morning photos.  First year I did it I made the mistake of not telling them what was in the presents and Josh was inconsolable (he was only about four) that it wasn't a toy.  Silly me.  Since then I've included a small toy as well but told them they were new pjs.  This year I got Josh a pair of Family Guy pjs and since he is in small mens size now I got Phill an identical pair of boxer shorts.  Then I found two matching nighties for Emily and me.  How daggy will THAT look?  I can't wait to see their faces when they realise what I've done.  I got some Toy Story Pez dispensers and refills for a joke presents to put with the kids' ones.
We drove up to Wagga yesterday and were amazed to see water where we had never seen it before as the floods slowly recede.  Just after we first came to the Riverina in 1999 was when the drought took hold and it was in drought for eleven or so years.  I was astounded to find there is a billabong at North Wagga just by the park before you drive into town.  Then Phill and I dropped the kids home and went on to Young to get the lay by out there and some other bits and pieces.  So all the presents are done and all there is to do is wait for Santa, and get the whole thing bloody over and done with.
The little dude finally finished the shower.  I wasn't phased about having to have baths every day (sometimes two!).  He did a pretty good job, the tiles are white now and it's nice and light in there and will be much easier to keep clean.  I was racing around getting the groceries out of the car and unpacked before I had to drive to Junee to collect Phill yesterday and the handyman little fellow mentioned that the Crazy Landlady had rung him and said she was coming around to "inspect" the job.  "Oh no she's not" I said.  What a bloody hide!  I immediately rang the real estate and told her and it was the first she'd heard and I said I wasn't happy about it and no way was she going to be in my house when I wasn't home so she rang her and made an appointment for ten am today.  It's still not right.  They can only do so many inspections per year  and have to give us a certain amount of notice.  If she'd done it the right way I wouldn't have been bothered, but to tell the tradesman and not us that she was coming?  Not going to happen.  So she turned up this morning and went in and looked at it, not sure why.  She made an inane comment about how she too used to put her shampoo etc on the shelf above the shower.  WFC? Get out of my house you crazy cow.  I was very offhand with her and she left, but not before having a good squiz around at whatever she could see from the hallway.  A minute later she was back and asked if the handyman had told us we had to wait three or four days before we used the shower.  What?  If he had we WOULDN'T HAVE USED THE SHOWER.  He said we could use it last night but to leave it till this morning if we could and I was happy with that as I'd had a bath and washed my hair in the morning, Phill was away and the kids need to be bribed to take a shower anyway.  What a stupid bitch.  If it had been done properly in the first place instead of just patched up it wouldn't have cost her a thousand dollars and inconvenienced us.  She won't want to just start turning up again.........grrrrrr.
Handyman told me some interesting tales about her and her house.  He has done a bit of work for her and says she allows the geese and chickens and deer in through her back door and into the kitchen and dining room.  She always looks dirty and unkempt.  No wonder she was gob smacked when she did the last inspection and our house was spotless. 
So tired lately, I even fell asleep on the lounge this afternoon before 5pm, unheard of for me.  I ran out of my magnesium tablets and I'm feeling different.  I just read an article on magnesium and it's more important than I realised and most adults don't get enough of it.  Must get some more tomorrow.
Mother and kitten are doing well now that I've stopped the kids manhandling them.  Little fellow just needs to eat and sleep and be left alone for now.  Harley has stopped trying to move him from the nest so she must be feeling more secure. 
I did the kids' Christmas treasure hunt clues today, made it a bit longer and a little bit harder (I hope).  Josh is always quicker to get the clues which pisses Emily off.  It's another tradition I started years ago.  It was exciting to know there was one more present after the Christmas tree was empty underneath.  It's always an inexpensive one, this year it's two huge Nerf guns, and I usually try to make it an outdoor toy, like totem tennis, a slip and slide, things like that.  In my drinking days sometimes I would get a bit..........er.........confused and get the clues mixed up which would cause much confusion but ultimately much hilarity.  Not this year.