Wind, rain, and hurricane!

We went to the Woolworth's Christmas Party yesterday. This year it was at Devonport again. We've been to two at Deloraine, and three at Devonport - usually after the Show's been on, so we get to have some of the show rides for free!

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Well, Paddy certainly got his money worth with his first time on the Gee Whizzer (ending in 4 rides), and then the HURRICANE. Can you guess how many times he went on that??? Lol went on the dodgem cars, then got talked into the Gee Whizzer (5 times!) and then, Patrick talked her into going on the Hurricane with him! What a disaster that was - she cried the whole way around, and had her head down and eyes closed for most of the ride. I tried to talk her out of it (honestly) and told Patrick not to keep on at her, but she had to "do it for her brother" - never again I can tell you!

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We got free drinks, much free fairy floss (you can never have enough free stuff!), a toy each, and things like face painting, bands, and balloon animals. Santa usually comes at the end, but for the first time this year it ran from 4.30-9.45pm (instead of all day), and we had SPECTACULAR fireworks to finish! Much better than Santa arriving in a helicopter again like last year. Now the kids are getting older, and Santa is everywhere, it was nice to have something different, and they loved the fireworks.

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We also ran into our friends Lisa and Layne and their kids Carmella and Dylan. I hadn't seen them since Dylan and Lauren were babies. Shayne and the kids saw them nearly two years ago when they went to Penguin in the school holidays when I was working. We met on Contiki in Europe in 1997, when we played a game where the people in the aisle seats on the "coach" all moved around and introduced themselves to the people in the window seats. I met a Japanese girl named Fumiko who hardly spoke English, and is now a good friend having visited us in New Zealand, and twice here. I then met a girl from Sydney - Sarah - who we stayed in contact with for a couple of years, and then - Lisa and Layne from PENGUIN (just over an hour from here!!!) With people from all around the world, I got stuck with Penguinites!!! We've stayed friends, and their kids are 10 and 8, so it's great to catch up! How funny meeting other Tasmanians on a European Explorer though! Oh, and that's where I met Shayne too! Back to the party...

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Shayne pays $1 a week, and we get in free, all the rides are free, there's free food, and the kids get a toy!

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Patrick's Sting

(Interactive Bashin' Brawler)???

Lauren's "Hannah Montana" video games

Let the fun begin...

The nice, safe, sedate, dodgems!

Paddy's first Gee Whizzer ride ever! Brave enough to go it alone!

Then Lol got into the action for the first time!Ready for bounce offWhee - check out her hair!Too fast for me - I nearly missed her!Paddy being VERY brave by himself on the Hurricane!

(He went on twice first with Shayne) I'm thinking he's liking it!Towards the end of the afternoon.

Lol is pretending to scream -

if only she knew what was to come!!! We took a beach break at the bluff for tea. I love this photo! Lol 6 years ago - December 2002!She wouldn't pose on the same swing! We were lucky the rain held off!The nasty Hurricane!

Paddy ended up going on the Hurricane 10 times!

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Last ride for the night! Let the show begin! The faces say it all!

Spectacular!

*Apparently Santa was there, we were just up the other end of the show grounds from him, going around and around and around.....