Christmas is here!

All great parades start with a Highland Pipe band! The best thing about these guys is that they practice of Tuesday nights and their music drifts across the town and I lie in the bath listening. Another best thing is that bagpipes marching by make me cry (just out of one eye though).

Darn my Scottish great-great-grandfather!

Yay! Today was the Leeston Christmas parade!

You know it's Christmas when the parades are on!

And it was sunny and hot and just like summer!

This is my fire place with a fire in it and this was Thursday - yes Thursday this week

Thats just a day ago! Crazy Canty weather!

But back to the parade....

This is the back of the parade... nah! its the Treasure Trove kindy that is next to my house - the adults had silver angel wings and the kids were in pushchairs with sheep cut outs on each side very cute!

Then there was this little guy from Leeston Playcentre - there would be a very short parade without the Kindy, Playcentre and Treasure Trove.

The irony of these Santa kids on 4wheelers is not lost on me - there are a herd (?) of deer just along from my house. Really cute bambis (that's what they are really called not me trying to be cute). You'd think they's training one up just for the parade!

Can you see the scary elf? She was the lolly thrower and she chucked a handful my way and I stepped back into a hot, gooy lump of gum... ick!

We train 'em up young here in Leeston. This area used to be a big cropping area, and it still kinda is. We have two tractor dealers here and two recycled tractor places and only 1000 people, maybe 1500 if you include them thar country folk. We have big time ploughing competitions every year at the A&P Show and tractor pulls.

This is Amber and Rachel - Amber is in the pushchair and Rachel is the mum walking. They are Mag's favourite Leeston people even though they live in Doyleston.

Amber is very blonde and cute. And then came the tractors - we have a lot of tractors in Leeston.

And some more....

This was behind one tractor...

And then there were more tractors... actually this is a bullodg and this year's A&P show was dedicated to them and bees.

Then there were minis and did you know there is a mini convention in Nelson this summer? No? well now you do..

Along came the volunteer fire brigade. Not just Leeston's but Southbridge's too. Now before you say WOW! Two Fire Brigades!

Let me tell you that each has one engine and one tanker.

The Leeston VFB has practice on Wednesday nights and at 7.30pm every Wednesday the siren goes off and the boys go racing and they do what ever they do and I know it's time to get out of the bath and Shortland Street will be finished and it's safe to return to the lounge. See how helpful the LVFB is!

Here is the tanker ... door that the volunteers use and the step

And the engine. There is an actual real fireman in there driving

Oh and more tractors...

Last one...

To be fair (a favourite phrase lately) the parade cycles through twice and then we all follow it to the rugby paddocks and a fair where we eat candyfloss and whitebait fritters (I didn't really cause you can't gut whitebait and that freaks me out) and listen to the band and see all the people you didn't at or in the parade.

Thats just the back and my hands got too full to keep taking photos - candyfloss has quite delicate you know. There was two Mr Whippy vans cause it was so hot! There was also a massive bouncy castle which would have been flippin' hot to touch, lots of little burnt thighs I think. It was a good day and now I'm going to plant my tomatoes in the sun.

Hope you enjoyed your local Christmas parades!