Worried sick

Well I am safe home from the weekend and as you read it was fun.
During the times I was chatting with family I was sitting worried about my family back home. As I write this I have tears running down my face. My family are all located in Victoria, Australia and my Father on the border of New South Wales and Victoria, at this time I have been unable to contact any of my family and I am worried sick!
My brother has just built his life up and I am so proud of him, he and his new wife just went through 2 years of IVF and while spending a truck load of money the rewards are a lovely daughter name Lily, then he worked his arse off to build his dream home then within weeks the company building it went bankrupt and he lost everything, he now has a house and where is it? Right in the middle of the fires!
My father also a trouper has been to hell and back because of my mother and now with his life on track and hoping to retire next year at the age of 68 and now, the fires!
God I wish I was home helping out!
My family stood side by side fighting the now known Ash Wednesday fires on February 16th 1983, it WAS the worst recorded on record, that was till now. In 1983 the smoke clouds hit New Zealand the 2009 fire has done it also and seeing the satellite map it is not surprising.
I am at a loss of what else I can do right now, I am offering everything I have up for sale to help the fire fighters and people who have lost everything. I have entrecard credits, blog explosion credits, Everything on my website will go to the fire relief do not look at the prices there just make me an offer changes are I will accept it also starting tomorrow I shall be putting things on eBay, heck I will do an Irish jig on web cam, whatever it takes! If you want to make a donation they are also welcome, you can make it directly to the Red Cross Australia or if you want to donate by clicking on my little button please do so and know every cent and more will be heading to help my fellow country men (and ladies!)
This post will also be posted over at my Tiddles blog with the Tiddles thermo so you can watch how we are going and how we all pull together

Snow flakes and angels

Yup it is coming up to Christmas I actually do love Christmas very much, not for all the gifts it does not interest me that much I just like to see family and friends together that is the most important to me. I miss being with my family, this will be the 12th Christmas I have not seen them and it is tugging very hard on my heart strings.
Family and close friends mean the world to me, I would be lost without them I really would, my family here is my daughter, I want to make her feel the festive season like it is meant to be, not like what I had as a child as it was not the best. When I lived in Canada I felt the festive season like it was really meant to be, it was how I had always dreamt it to be, family, smiles seeing the innocence of a child's heart and smile that plasters their face, not from the gifts but from knowing where they are at that moment nothing can break or shatter them, their innocence is protected their fantasies can run wild and no one will break that.
I remember one Christmas with my daughter when she told me she could not sleep she wanted to stay awake to see Santa, needless to say she feel asleep, on my way to her bedroom I kicked my toe trying to muffle my own screams of pain I dropped one of her gifts, she sat up in bed rather quickly and started calling my name, kicking her gifts under the bed I went to her.
" Mum mum I just heard Santa land on the roof" she was so excited and she swore she heard him, she was not going back to sleep until we investigated, we put on slippers and jackets and went outside in the show to see where Santa was, apparently he had already gone and my daughter seen him and his reindeer's flying away, it is a memory I will not forget and this year I plan to bring some innocence back to my Christmas this year for the adults and the children, who is free for Christmas and wants to come over and relive their childhood ?