Door 24- Christmas time in the Fast- Outback

Princess Alexandria was quite busy in the emergency room, but I was quickly called in. Despite initially being happy about it, I had to realize that there was a much longer line in front of me. But oh well, I didn't really have a choice, luckily Matze soon joined me and kept me warm- the building had German winter temperatures, the air conditioning was running at full blast everywhere. In the end, I was briefly examined and then pushed into a tube where my entire spine could be checked, I also had pretty bad neck pain and the doctors wanted to make sure nothing else was broken. Then another more precise X-ray.. By the time all of this was done, it was 5:30 am, I had sent Matze away around 11 pm so he could get some sleep- it's not easy here because of the cold, the loud beeping sounds, and the bright lights. I dozed off twice because of the dosage of painkillers, but I was woken up. At 6 am, I was allowed to take a shower and Matze picked me up, I was actually confused that I didn't have to stay, which I had already mentally prepared for. After having breakfast and getting my prescription for Oxycodone filled at the pharmacy, we did our laundry and found a shady spot where I could take off the annoying brace and lie down on the ground for a few minutes. It was scorching hot, but you don't want to complain, better than the freezing cold in the hospital. I had contacted our host family, whom we wanted to help over Christmas and whom I had actually canceled from Fiji, but they still wanted to have us with them starting the next day. We visited a nice little brewery in Fish Lane and then headed southwest. We spent the night at "The Gorge" campground near a wonderfully cold creek, not far from the family. I slept surprisingly well, I just couldn't help with moving things from A to B and felt useless. The next morning, we reached the house around 11 am, the father Chris and the son Ben were there, they told us to settle in and relax first. From the moment I stepped into this house with its high walls, pleasant cool tiles, and many solid wooden furniture, I felt comfortable. Everything was already decorated for Christmas. In the evening, we helped feed the animals (horses, goats, chickens, 1 cow, 2 dogs, 2 cats) and cooked dinner. There was plenty of food everywhere and we could take whatever we wanted. To fight our guilty conscience, we worked hard the next day, me of course with caution. We cleaned the goat paddock and the (okay, the dried grass) meadow next to the driveway, fed the animals, and relaxed. Since there was good reading material and a nice view of the surrounding hills, even I was satisfied. Neighbors came by in the evening and there was grilled food, delicious wine, and salads. It was nice to experience this family life, even if Erin (the daughter) and Ben occasionally argued, the atmosphere was very pleasant. Alicia was a loving and straightforward mother, Chris liked to chill on the couch like Matze. We took a trip to a campground owned by a family friend, used the game room, and then went to a nearby brewery without the kids. Matze enjoyed chatting with the brewer and we could calmly taste everything, especially the "Spiced Pumpkin Beer" was a very interesting discovery. Christmas was just around the corner, we made the apartment shine. I wrapped presents with a friend of the family and Matze did more cleaning. We put a lot of effort into the potato salad, even if it definitely doesn't compare to Oma Gisela's, we were praised highly. Unfortunately, there were no Vienna sausages (hard to find), but Käsekrainer and bratwurst. The kids will unwrap the gifts early in the morning, it's done here like in England/America. After dinner, "Home Alone" was playing and Alicia and Corinne were going through old photo albums, they have known each other since they were 16 and both lived in the north of Sydney. I laughed heartily, even though not all the stories were funny, especially Corinne had a difficult youth and has problems with her boyfriend, which is why she is traveling independently during Christmas. Good for us, as we had someone new to talk to during the day. The tree lights are more kitschy-American, but the German smokers with their well-known scents bring some Christmas nostalgia.