8 Maids a Milking

   5 days to go

8 maids a milking

Love these 8 little maids - thanks to Anne Geddes for her inspirational photos

-   a bit of trivia

"As smooth as a milk maid's skin"
The expression "as smooth as a milk maid's skin" came about as a result of milk maid’s exposure to cowpox, which causes no serious symptoms, but does convey a partial immunity to the disfiguring (and often fatal) disease smallpox. Thus, milkmaids lacked the "pockmarked" complexion common to smallpox survivors. This observation led to the development of the first vaccine. By the early 19th century, more than 100,000 persons in Great Britain had been vaccinated against smallpox. (fascinating, thanks Wikipedia)

Christmas Carols
...with an Australian theme, no less.

Thanks to Jaybees for the words....

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
A kookaburra in a gum tree

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Two cockatoos, and a kookaburra in a gum tree   

Three parakeets.........
Four great galahs.......
Five opals black......
Six 'roos a-jumping........
Seven emus running.......
Eight koalas clinging.........
Nine wombats waddling........
Ten dingoes dashing.......
Eleven snakes a-sliding.......
Twelve goannas going.......

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And to the tune of Jingle Bells
1. Dashing through the bush in a rusty Holden ute,
Kicking up the dust, Esky in the boot,
Kelpie by my side, singing Christmas songs,
It's summer time and I am in my singlet, shorts and thongs.

chorus
Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summer's day,
Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a dusty Holden ute.

2. Engine's getting hot, we dodge the kangaroos,
The swaggie climbs aboard, he is welcome too.
All the family is there, sitting by the pool,
Christmas day in the Aussie way, by the Bar-b-cue. Oh!

Chorus

3. Come the afternoon, grandpa has a doze,
The kids and Uncle Bruce are swimming in their clothes,
The time comes round to go, we take a family snap,
And pack the car and all shoot through
Before the washing up. Oh!

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And Santa Teddy?

S-T got a bit messy helping with the Christmas cooking on the weekend and had to be hung up to dry!