My Christmas 2,008

I know I need to end all My iLLusions! I have to accept the fact that Santa Claus does not exist in my world anymore, and finally have to admit that no Santa could ever grant even just one of my wishes this Christmas!

As expected, my Christmas would be literally cold and dull this year. Aside from celebrating alone inside My Caravan, and possibly doing the night chicken harvest, the average temperature forecast for Adelaide on the 25^th is only 22’C—much better than the usual Australian summer temperature in the previous years (it’s warmer, whew!).

A little bit dull because during this holiday season, I am held in captivity (as usual) with my chickens in this isolated poultry farm—93 kilometres away from the colourful Christmas decorations, deprived of the shining Christmas lanterns and of those shimmering Christmas lights in the capital city of S.A.!

For the past 5 days, the breeze has been carrying these fine fibres of dried wheat and barley straws from the adjacent auburn field towards my place! These nasty stuff outside complicates with the dusty, smelly and feathery environment inside the chook shed that are constantly threatening my respiratory health should I fail to wear the necessary protective mask all the time.

My daily south-eastern view from this Aussie caravan has always been the same (except the varying colour of the landscapes) since I arrive in Port Wakefield last January. The flock of sheep and the herd of cattle grazing on the dead, brown grasses across the boundless and dry South Australian horizon are the only colours that my eyes could ever enjoy during this time of Advent.

The other night I was awakened by the lingering and later, interrupted plaintive bleat of a lamb that had been probably left or lost from the flock somewhere in the middle of the nearby field. I got out of the caravan and attempted to locate the origin of the disturbing noise but I failed because the night was dark. The moon was missing and those countless flickering stars up above the black sky were the only source of faint light on this sunless side of the earth that time.

Cold, dark and starry night...Wheat and barley straws... Cattle, sheep, chicken and the dusty, smelly shed—this is My Christmas this 2008! Should there be a cry of a newborn child, I would think that this is exactly the First Christmas 2,008 years ago!