Christmas in the Antipodes!

Christmas Eve and what more is there to do but soak in the kiddies paddling pool or lounge in the shade of the trees and sip on a lager or two?

Well if you're a real woman you can go to a cocktail party and have a ball! Gina & Leonie reinacting the great Party Popper Explosion!

Meet Ambrose. The man is a genius with a blender and oh now I'm hooked on Margaritas ...

Surprisingly I managed to control myself - the thought of cooking Christmas lunch hungover was not an inviting prospect and at 6.30am this morning I must say I congratulated myself on a wise decision. Don't get me wrong though - sobriety did not equate to a whirl of activity. Instead there was a great deal of dithering, phaffing and generally slobbing around. So much so that when Les & Leonie pulled up in the driveway I had to sprint to the bedroom to change out of my jamies. Not a Martha moment for sure! Still I had baked the crostini, made the Christmas Crackers and put the chickens on to roast inbetween sitting out in the courtyard drinking coffee and talking with Marty. Perhaps though that's the way Christmas morning should be?
Fast forward to the arrival of the troops, Rose Bubbles with strawberries and the carnage of gift opening. Joe (formerly known as He Who Shall Not Be Named) bought me a new garden bench in what I tell him was a pitiful attempt to avoid fixing the old ones - he is a good boy really and I do love it. What follows is an extremely rare & poignant moment ....
a man reading the instructions!



Of course there was food and of course there was far too much of it - not sure which groaned more, the table or our tums!

Leonie out did herself making sweets to die for!

Then the Battle of the Desserts. Leonie's Pavlova vs Martin's Persian Stained Glass Cake ...


I think the competition may be a draw but a final decision will not be made until they are both finished. Oh yes, we're still eating ....and eating....and eating. You have to admire our stamina and game plan. Eat. Drink. Lie on the couch. Watch tv. Eat. Drink. Lie on the couch ....
All in all it's been everything Christmas Day should be. Good friends, family, food, wine, pressies and enough laughs to keep us going for ages.
Where ever you are and however you celebrate your Christmas Day ... enjoy the magic!

Ok, so no posts for months then three in a row ...

make the most of it. You neverknow when I'll make it back next!

Just to prove I've done something lately other than shopping here is Eiko, me and Leonie after our great Sushi Making School (but just before our great Sushi Eating School).

We took lots of photos like this while Eiko was working in the hope that one day we will be able to do it ourselves with just a few glances at our "notes". She made it look so easy that I suspect it isn't really!

More of the week that was!

Inspired by the lights in Franklin Road this week I finally found 'a' Christmas decoration .. ok, so two. Still I suspect this may be as good as we get around here unless 'somebody' stirs himself enough to move 'somebody's car' out of the garage and lets me get to the boxes of decorations. Oh well. I guess it saves time having to pack them all back up again in the New Year. There! He's just thinking of me!

Shopping however is rather more successful. These are just the best ever Christmas stockings that I got for B & I.

These are the dishes I found for mum to give Surita, one of her caregivers. I could be tempted to keep them myself if it wasn't for that china shop stored in cupboards all round the house!

And last but my no means least, the best ever "Ladies Bring A Plate" idea for the silly season. Mallowpuffs with white chocolate, Jaffas & glace cherries. How easy is that!

Some of my favourite houses in Franklin Rd this year!