Happy approximate birthday Jesus, A.D. 2009.

What do you get the God who's got everything? And could create whatever it was for himself even if he didn't? Well, I got him a photo of the girls dressed up in a nativity setting. Like any parent, he likes the homemade gifts. Much more personal than just a voucher.


Nice, hey? There's a church in Brunswick that does this each year as an alternative to the shopping centre Santa variety. The Angel Harper wasn't that into it, as you might be able to tell, but Winter could've posed for a portfolio's worth of shots.

Almost as good was this drawing of, Winter told us, an angel, that she drew after we got home.


And then, the other day she came up to me with her little sketchbook, and showed me the two drawings she'd just done.


The first, if you can't tell, is "baby Jesus sleeping which is why his eyes are crosses". Perched as he is on the head of a rearing sheep, I'm impressed that he's able to stay asleep. As distractions go, it's one level up from lowing cattle, you'd think. The second drawing is "baby Jesus sleeping which is why his eyes are crosses under a twinkle twinkle star". Lovely.

So, Merry Christmas, everyone. What with young kids, work, joining a gym (Hell freezing over), and so-called micro-blogging on Twitter scratching the itch to write juuuuust enough, it's been a lean year on the Path. I feel like I've been saying that a lot lately, starting to sound like an excuse. Maybe I'd better change tack and just say I've got no time for blogging because I've got a life and actual real proper important things to do and stuff? Just for a change?

Whatever the case, there are a few posts in the pipe, including another amazing year at the Annual Christmas Slurpee Toss. So stay tuned, and see you in 2010.

Winter time, Part 2.

I decided to head into the city last week to take Big W up on their crazy offer of $20 iTunes vouchers for $10! Yes, I will have some free money, thank you! Always up for an adventure, especially when a trip on the train is involved, Winter said she'd like to come along too. Fine with me! Let's go.

Once we'd picked up the vouchers, we held hands and wandered the streets and lanes of the city. We moved among the masses of people and wondered where they were all heading. We explored all manner of shops and their colourful wares, from multilevel department stores to hole-in-the-wall boutiques. We travelled up and down the Funny Stairs (escalators) wherever they were found. And we travelled up and down the Funny Stairs. Wherever they were found. And up and down. Up, down, up, down, up, down. Alright, Winter, are you hungry? How about some food? Yes!

We bought some cheese and ham croissants and sat on a bench outside the State Library to eat them. We made up life stories for the statues around us and how they got to be there. We took photos of our shoes, the grass, and the crazy man getting lost in a flurry of pigeons and seagulls as he tried to feed them. We walked down alleyways and looking at the bright and colourful graffiti, trying to decide which design we'd most like to have on our bedroom walls. And then, when Winter's legs began to tire, we headed down to Melbourne Central Station and jumped on a train for home, mum and Harper.

As afternoons go, it was one of my finest.