Christmas In The Trenches

I successfully passed my training course and I'm now a fully fledged member of a profession that could, quite legitimately, be described as the oldest in Australia.

I nearly blew it on the 'end of course' booze up when I got so spannered that I 'redecorated' our motel room thus incurring the severe wrath of the owners, who were so upset by events that they decided to dob me in to the course management.

So, the following morning, I stood bleary eyed and nauseous, outside the Governors office. I felt quite the schoolboy with the 'Beano' annual shoved down the back of his kecks waiting to see the Headmaster. Indeed, the schoolboy feeling remained with me as I copped a dressing-down of gargantuan proportion and I left the office shame-faced, vowing never to drink again.

But, graduate I did and I've spent the last fortnight 'on the job'. Although nothing too major has occured during this period, I've had an interesting and enjoyable time.

On the home front everything is alright. We had a big disappointment last week when our boy, Cory, decided he wanted to stay in Rhyl for Christmas instead of coming out to Oz. We were all upset, especially the girls, but I understand his thinking. I used to love going on leave and 'tanking it up' around town, I had a ball and he wants to do the same. I get it.

That aside, life is sweet. Our lodger, young Neil, is on his travels - he got himself on a Contiki tour from Sydney to Cairns, stopping off at various points on route to get full and chase birds. He's working his way back down to Sydney for NYE with a bunch of people he met on the tour and is spending Christmas in Byron Bay.

As for me, I'm working Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, which is a bit of a bummer but FNG's have to put up with that sort of thing I suppose. I have got some time off though which coincides nicely with my birthday and , more importantly, our great friends Hed and Arrrrnabel's visit from Queensland.

Although we're on the phone to each other quite a bit, we haven't seen them since our wonderful NYE in Sydney last year and we're really looking forward to their arrival. They're here for almost a week and I'm off work for most of it.

Well folks, it's 6.30 in the p.m. here on Christmas Eve and Santa will be here before we know it - so I'll take this opportunity to wish all our friends and family back in North Wales and all our friends out here, a Happy Christmas.

Eat, drink and be merry. I'll be in prison.