Zoe has a broken toe.

How did this come about? Well, I'll tell you....

We had a very usual Australian Christmas here at Halwyn. We moved the household, lock stock, Channel and Companion to my mothers house to celebrate it there. It's a tradition to sleep there the night before Christmas so we can all open our presents together disguistingly early in the morning.

Friday, Christmas eve, we arrived at Mums about 2pm. My mother has a pool, and Zoe is a water baby, so immediately after saying "Hello" she is in the pool, from whence we can't drag her for 3 hours, dispite the fact that the sun was hiding behind clouds all day. The simes of the household (Zoe, Mum and Garth, although technically he is still a presime) all spent the afternoon swiming. The Gens (and ancients) had more sence and stayed dry. I spent the afternoon watching them get water logged and sketching.

Christmas eve we had a BBQ of chops, sausages, potatoes and other vegies, some punch (non alcholic) and waffles and ice cream. We ate it outside by the pool.

Christmas day itself started rather early as Garth woke us all up at the unearthly hour of 6am to play Santa Claus. It was his job this year to hand out presents, and he did a very good and fair job.

After that I cooked ham and eggs for breakfast for us all and we ate, once again, beside the pool. It wasn't long after breakfast before Garth and Zoe were again in the water. As the sun was out I decided it was warm enough for a Gen to join them, and hopped in also. The water was nice and cool, not having had much time to warm up that early in the morning, but the sun was bright. I had made sure that my Channel had plenty of sunscreen all over her, and trusted that she had done s good job of putting sunscreen on me as well (silly me). Let's just say we didn't have a white Christmas - it is more like a sunburnt red one! Zoe isn't sunburnt, mind you, but I am, and so is Garth. Zoe is freckled :)

Ahhhh, but the broken toe? Well, I'm coming to that.

I dragged Zoe out of the pool for lunch. Christmas lunch was cold ham and cold chicken with salad, and then an ice cream plum pudding. We also had the real thing - cold, with cold custard and brandy sauce. And Champaigne.

After lunch, Zoe and Garth jumped back into the pool. Having had my share of being dunked and generally pushed around in the pool by an augmenting sime and an over excited pre sime I declined their invitation to join them in the water again, and instead warned Zoe not to augment too much and to try to just have fun without too much rough housing.

Silly me for even thinking she would listen to me.

Soon I hear a yell, and see Zoe go rather blue in the face. She had been fooling with Garth and had augmented her kicking somewhat to get ahead of him and had kicked her foot against the side of the pool. The side of the pool wasn't hurt at all. Zoe thought that she had just taken some skin off, and got out of the pool so not to bleed in it. Before long, however, it was noticed that her toe was actually swelling rather alarmingly, and had turned a beautiful Zeor Blue. (It is now Farris Black, and the discolouration is spreading down the foot).

Dispite this we managed to catch our train home, Garth and I with Zoe in tow (oh ha ha ha = Zoe).

Tomorrow we are going to go see the Bicentenial Man with Leslie.

Hope you all had an enjoyable, and safe, Christmas.

Lord protect us from the foolishness of Simes!

Stay Safe, Stay Strong

Eliza First Companion in Halwyn

Eliza ambrov Halwyn
Companion to Zoe Farris

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