Rain for Christmas
Dec. 25th, 2006 10:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kerravonsenRain rain rain rain
Beautiful rain
Rain rain rain rain
Beautiful rain
You may think it odd for me to say that the best present I got for Christmas was rain, but you haven't been living in this drought.
At odd points during the day, I would look outside or hear the rain, and exclaim with delight, "It's raining!"
At one point I just knelt on the couch looking out the window at the rain coming down. Not that it was downpouring all the time -- there were even points in the day where it was sunny -- but it was just...
My brother-in-law was joking that "we should film this -- there are children in this country who have never seen rain!"
Though the actual raining started on Friday evening (I got soaked before the Company Christmas Do), it was still amazing because it hasn't been brief ephemeral showers, but actual ground-soaking rain. Thank the Lord. Halelujah!
Apart from that, some other stuff happened as well. 8-)
Sister, b-i-l, nephew #2 and I opened "local" presents around my tree even before we had breakfast. The biggest hit for nephew was a huge meccano set from his parents. It was really cool. I scored a fascinating-looking book, "The Language of God" by Francis S. Collins (subtitle: A Scientist Presents Evidence For Belief); and a lovely glass-and-metal hanging of some sea-horses, which is now hanging in my kitchen window.
Then after eating and clothing ourselves, and more last-minute stuff, we went over to brother #1's place, and unloaded niece's present, a computer (from me -- the monitor was from Nana and Poppa) which I then set up in her room, and gave her a brief introduction to it. Ubuntu Linux, it is. I think she's very shortly going to be addicted to playing Enigma...
Another advantage to the fact that it's Linux is that her younger brother won't kick her off her own computer, because it doesn't have any MS-Windows games on it. Not that he would have actually been able to kick her off, but I can imagine the kind of fights that would happen, since the eldest brother has a computer of his own, and the parents have computers of their own, and I darned well wasn't going to sit still and let my niece be disadvantaged in computer access. The patterns in that house is that the boys play lots of violent computer games, and my niece, naturally, isn't interested in violent computer games, so she thinks that she isn't interested in computers, and "is no good at that kind of thing". No, no, that isn't going to happen to my niece!
Anyway, she seemed to like the computer. 8-)
Even if she only uses it for websurfing and games, she'll gain more confidence, I hope.
And then my brother #2 arrived! Hugs all round. He's got grey in his hair, that's really wierd. But despite all the flying and travelling, he was in very good spirits.
We had a light non-traditional lunch, lots of salads, with easy meat like kebabs and sausages. Then we opened presents, then we had the pudding.
My sister now wants a glass teapot like I gave Mum.
I was given a music CD from brother #1 and family; and a lovely pewter (I think) jewelry box from my Aunts.
Stage 3 of present-opening is going to be tomorrow, at Mum & Dad's place.
Beautiful rain
Rain rain rain rain
Beautiful rain
You may think it odd for me to say that the best present I got for Christmas was rain, but you haven't been living in this drought.
At odd points during the day, I would look outside or hear the rain, and exclaim with delight, "It's raining!"
At one point I just knelt on the couch looking out the window at the rain coming down. Not that it was downpouring all the time -- there were even points in the day where it was sunny -- but it was just...
My brother-in-law was joking that "we should film this -- there are children in this country who have never seen rain!"
Though the actual raining started on Friday evening (I got soaked before the Company Christmas Do), it was still amazing because it hasn't been brief ephemeral showers, but actual ground-soaking rain. Thank the Lord. Halelujah!
Apart from that, some other stuff happened as well. 8-)
Sister, b-i-l, nephew #2 and I opened "local" presents around my tree even before we had breakfast. The biggest hit for nephew was a huge meccano set from his parents. It was really cool. I scored a fascinating-looking book, "The Language of God" by Francis S. Collins (subtitle: A Scientist Presents Evidence For Belief); and a lovely glass-and-metal hanging of some sea-horses, which is now hanging in my kitchen window.
Then after eating and clothing ourselves, and more last-minute stuff, we went over to brother #1's place, and unloaded niece's present, a computer (from me -- the monitor was from Nana and Poppa) which I then set up in her room, and gave her a brief introduction to it. Ubuntu Linux, it is. I think she's very shortly going to be addicted to playing Enigma...
Another advantage to the fact that it's Linux is that her younger brother won't kick her off her own computer, because it doesn't have any MS-Windows games on it. Not that he would have actually been able to kick her off, but I can imagine the kind of fights that would happen, since the eldest brother has a computer of his own, and the parents have computers of their own, and I darned well wasn't going to sit still and let my niece be disadvantaged in computer access. The patterns in that house is that the boys play lots of violent computer games, and my niece, naturally, isn't interested in violent computer games, so she thinks that she isn't interested in computers, and "is no good at that kind of thing". No, no, that isn't going to happen to my niece!
Anyway, she seemed to like the computer. 8-)
Even if she only uses it for websurfing and games, she'll gain more confidence, I hope.
And then my brother #2 arrived! Hugs all round. He's got grey in his hair, that's really wierd. But despite all the flying and travelling, he was in very good spirits.
We had a light non-traditional lunch, lots of salads, with easy meat like kebabs and sausages. Then we opened presents, then we had the pudding.
My sister now wants a glass teapot like I gave Mum.
I was given a music CD from brother #1 and family; and a lovely pewter (I think) jewelry box from my Aunts.
Stage 3 of present-opening is going to be tomorrow, at Mum & Dad's place.
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no subject
Date: 2006-12-25 12:54 pm (UTC)I don't think that odd at all, I remember feeling the same when the first rain fell after 3 months drought way back in 1976. We had the once in a lifetime drought with forest fires water being cut off to houses and having to collect water for the day from standpipes in the street or water trucks. But that was as I said once in a lifetime (so far) I'm glad you had such a wonderful Christmas present.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-25 01:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 03:43 am (UTC)Websurfing and games are a very good place to start for computer confidence! I'm sure your niece will be as computer-addicted as the rest of us in no time. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 07:04 am (UTC)Good for you for promoting putering to your niece! How old is she?
I got a glass teapot as a wedding present from a friend whose one I admired, and it's lovely. It has a glass and metal stand with a tea light and I later bought four glass teacups and saucers.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 07:47 am (UTC)About 15 or so.
I got a glass teapot as a wedding present from a friend whose one I admired, and it's lovely. It has a glass and metal stand with a tea light and I later bought four glass teacups and saucers.
Glass teacups? I've seen glass coffee cups (glass with a metal frame) -- are they like that, or more like actual teacups?
My glass teapot is just a glass teapot, no metal stand or tea light. It's intended for brewing herbal tea, though one can brew normal tea in it too.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 09:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 11:22 am (UTC)When I bought my teapot, the lady showed me a few different ones; they all had central infusers, but one that was designed for black tea also had a plunger, so that one could stop brewing the black tea when it was done (rather than stewing it), wheras since herbal tea takes longer, that aspect doesn't matter so much, so if you want to stop brewing it, you take the infuser out. I liked it better without a plunger, because it seemed rather awkward to me.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 11:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-26 08:19 am (UTC)I know exactly how you feel.
I got my umbrella and stood outside in the hailstorm.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-27 11:55 am (UTC)