50 Kids Get a Wii for Christmas. I know my ovaries are just supposed to shrivel up in the face of such hysteria and avarice, but I actually thought that was kind of sweet. I’m sure that if my parents had had a videocamera in 1983 when I got my Cabbage Patch kid I would’ve looked just like this. (Also, judging by the amount of wrapping paper and boxes in those living rooms: what economic crisis?!)

We’re home! We made the trip back today in just over six hours. (There was a car accident that slowed the southbound traffic a little more than expected.) All up, I did nearly 800 miles of driving in the week! I’ve uploaded all our photos and videos, including our visit to Timbertown, our kisses from the dolphins at the Pet Porpoise Pool, and our lunch at the Pub With No Beer. (And ten points for anybody that guesses the background to this photo without clicking through to the caption. I’ve always wanted to stop there! UPDATE: Fiona correctly spotted that it was the big fake Uluru of the truck stop formerly known as Leyland Brothers World.) Many thanks to Ma and Pa Snook for putting us up for the week. And especially huge thanks to Miss Helen for housesitting and taking care of the cat. It’s nice to be home…

Hahaha… a Christmas-themed passive-aggressive note from Newtown! (I know a couple people who very well could’ve written that.)

Anybody up for going to the cricket next weekend? It appears there are still tickets available. Let me know and I’ll organise it!

So far this week I’ve…

• Driven about 500 miles
• Picked strawberries from a roadside U-Pick stand
• Learned to crack a whip from a real old-fashioned bullocky
• Gotten kissed by a dolphin and a seal
• Went fishing in the pouring rain in a tiny boat
• Ate oysters raw straight out of the river
• Finished Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh and The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Still on my To Do list: a visit to the Pub With No Beer!