The Ho freak'n Ho awards - Christmas in Collector

As I mentioned a few posts ago, the Christmas events are coming thick and fast at the moment. Its unrelenting - but so far so good. So I think its time to kick off the Ho freak'n Ho Christmas party award reviews with last Saturday's Christmas in Collector

Christmas in Collector with Tim and Yvette - Saturday Dec 10th
Tim, a work colleugue of Aff's and lead singer of local folk band, The Lenders (some may remember I posted a review of their CD launch back in July), and his wife Yvette hosted a most pleasant afternoon/evening Christmas event last Saturday. The event was advertised as a Christmas/House warming shin dig. Of course, "shindig", much like the title "Extravaganza" promises a lot, yet simultaneously manages to promise nothing specific (though at least for me, shindig does conjure images of spontaneous line dancing, which thankfully, did not eventuate).

When I first heard about this party, it instantly appealed to me. Of course, any invitation that suggests sitting around in the late afternoon sun, drinking beer in good company is always a welcome distraction from the usual routine, but the opportunity to get out of Canberra (Collector is about half way to Goulbourn) and breathe the country air was equally irresistible. In terms of population , Collector barely rates a mention on a map (something like 200 people), yet its significance is immortalised in its checkered history involving Ben Hall's bushranger gang and the shooting of Constable Samuel Nelson (for which a memorial exists opposite the famous local pub, the Bushranger's Hotel. Its fascinating history is probably a lot more notable than its other claim to fame, as the Gateway to the big Marino Sheep (up the road in Goulbourn). In all seriousness, Collector is well worth a visit if ever you get the chance.

The party itself involved an eclectic mix of people. A number of Tim's (and Aff's) work friends were there so there were plenty of familiar faces. I should say, Aff was unable to come because she was living it up on the Gold Coast after a conference in Brisbane, so I was going it alone, which felt a little bit weird given most people at the party were work colleague's of Aff's. In reality, this was no issue whatsoever, and I settled in nicely with everyone around me. There were, of course, others in attendance as well. I met a couple, probably in their 50's, from the house over the road. I cannot remember their names unfortunately, but I got into a deep and somewhat depressing conversation with the husband, a builder, who went to great lengths in describing the murders he has witnessed in his time spent overseas building in some of the world's more dangerous cities - according to him, if you can live in Johannesburg, or New Orleans, you can live anywhere. While I respect his right to an opinion (for which he had many, some of which bordered on racist, and others which plainly were), and his ability to tell a story or ten, I suspect a little artistic license was taken in the re-telling of his many life experiences. He was a nice enough bloke, and gave me beer, so I was happy enough to listen.

After spending the afternoon in Tim and Yvette's beautiful back yard, we headed on to the Bushranger's Hotel for further merriment. Given I was driving, I had to keep my beer consumption in constant check. This wasn't entirely a bad thing given my chronic cash flow problems, and a need to save money for the much dreaded task of shopping for Christmas presents (which still hasn't happened). The Bushranger's Hotel is a fine establishment, and well worth a visit. Don't let the mangy stuffed kangaroo that welcomes you at the front door scare you away - I am convinced it is the original Skippy, which now has to suffer the indignity of wearing an "I love Australia" t-shirt, and a beanie. The pub itself is full of memorabilia and other little surprises. Being my second visit to this fine establishment, I knew exactly where to go - out the back are some very comfy arm chairs - the whole room reminds me of the dining room in my late Nan's old house. I settled into my seat, and didn't move an inch for the rest of the night. We all sat around chatting, drinking and eating, and it was good.

With the festivities having started at 3pm, it was inevitable that people would leave a little earlier than perhaps would normally be the case. This was also because the drive back to Canberra takes a little while. And so it was at about 10pm, following the lead of others, that I began to climb my way out of the depths of the arm chair cushion which by this stage, had almost entirely consumed me, and took my leave.

As Christmas/House warming parties go, this one was in no danger of requiring police intervention in the wee hours of Sunday morning, but it was a very pleasant afternoon/evening, and probably just what I was in the mood for after a hectic week. The only disappointment was the absence of the full Lenders line up to belt out a few folky Christmas carols. I offered to sing, but was promptly told this wouldn't be necessary.

Coming up next in the "Ho 'freak'n Ho" Christmas party reviews: "weird science" - the fuzzy logic Christmas party and Christmas/new year show pre-record.