Christmas 2013

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was simple, relaxed and extra special because we had my Dad and Diane joining us from Sydney this year. A rather lovely tradition has developed over the years for Christmas Day. We open presents, then start preparing for Christmas lunch. We usually feast on fresh Seafood, although depending on who is staying with us we may also cook up a traditional ham for the traditionalists within the family. This year we sipped Champagne and indulged on Pacific Oysters followed by BBQ Prawns, smoked Green Tea Salmon in the BBQ and Roast Chicken with Potato Salad and some Greens. Diane bought her homemade Plum Pudding across Bass Strait and Daniel made a Pavlova topped with lashings of Mango. Following lunch, we launch into some serious backyard cricket which seems to be getting more and more competitive as the years progress. This year George impressed us with his cap-kissing moves he learnt watching Michael Clarke in one of the Ashes tests and the Whippet assumed his usual role as star Fielder. We then have a little rest before heading to the beach in the late afternoon when it's cooler to walk off lunch. 

The Christmas recovery continues into Boxing Day and we usually spend the day with friends. This year we were invited to our friend's parents' home for a casual day at the beach. Everyone brought their Christmas leftovers and we also feasted on a 4kg Salmon. The conditions were prefect for swimming, kayaking and fishing. About 35 Fish were caught and the adrenalin hit an all time high when my Dad snagged a shark from his Kayak. The shark took off and dragged the kayak and passengers for a good 10 minutes, enough time to get the shot below of the incredible bend in the fishing line. The shark eventually got tired of playing and chewed through the line which was a great relief because no one had any idea how to land a shark in a full kayak anyway! All in all, a terrific couple of days with family, good food and good friends along with some rather perfect weather. 

I'll leave you with some photos from Boxing Day. I hope you are all enjoying the festive season. I feel very much out of the loop with all your news, having been without the use of my laptop for almost 2 weeks but that has now been remedied (thank you Santa!) and I'm looking forward to catching up on all your news over the next couple of days.

Take care, 

Mel x