Christmas Weekend

The result of Freyja's covid test didn't come through until 06:00 on Boxing Day morning, so they weren't available on Christmas night.  My nephew and his family couldn't come when they were "pinged" mid Christmas afternoon. So a smaller group than we were expecting (and the group was smaller anyway than usual with other people overseas and interstate).

But it was a good day even so. Jim and I went up to Hill House mid-morning and had bacon and egg sandwiches for brunch. We had a quiet present exchange. I spent the rest of the morning making a pumpkin lattice and a pastry Christmas tree, filled with tapenade.  I must say that my tree looked more like it had come out from the Wild Wood rather than Santa's workshop but it tasted ok

We do a "Secret" Santa for whoever is going to be there on Christmas night.  It's not really secret in that we know who has given us the present when we get it, but we don't know who is buying for us until then. Jim and I had my 19 year old vegan niece. I trawled around the internet looking for a festival, or an adventure or something that fitted the $100 price tag. I ran across the Vegan Grocery Pantry and discovered that they do a 3 month gift subscription of a mystery box for exactly the right money so I ordered one for her. I knew that I had missed the cut off for the December delivery but decided that it would make a perfect present anyway. I could give her a Christmas card which said she would get a box in January, February and March. A few days later they rang me to say that they had a spare December box and did I want the subscription to run from December instead. I was very impressed with their customer service.  Anyway, it arrived a few days before Christmas. Her parents intercepted it and gift wrapped it and brought it with them so it was there for the Secret Santa exchange. It had some really nice things in it. She was particularly excited by the squirty soya cream.

Our Secret Santa gave us a small, cast iron bird bath which fits perfectly on our tiny patch of grass out the front

It was a good evening and, as is becoming the practice, Wendy drove us home after dinner and stayed at our place overnight, then she and I went out to the Amazing Mill Market on the highway for a wander round after breakfast on Boxing Day morning. Wendy went home on the train.

Freyja's negative covid test meant that they could resume their Christmas plans. So they came to Lindsey and Ian's place for Boxing Day lunch. I made another pastry Christmas tree, following the cutting instructions more carefully. It looked less like it had come out of the Wild Wood and more festive this time! You could really fill it with almost anything. I have another recipe which looks very similar but is filled with chocolate hazelnut spread.  But you could fill it with Vegemite and cheese, I reckon, or fruit mince, or almost anything. And I can't see why it needs to be a Christmas tree either, apart from the branches making a good pulling, sharing dish.

A quiet day yesterday. I made a start on turning out the spare bedroom. There were bedding and things in the wardrobe that haven't been used once in the three years we have lived in this house. I decided that someone else might find a use for them and cleared the wardrobe out. Once the op shops open again and I can deliver the boxes of stuff, I'll do a proper tidy up and reorganisation of the room. Then I'll turn my attention to the study and gradually make my way around the whole place.

It's the last day today of the extended, four day Christmas weekend. I am meeting Chris for a coffee in town mid-morning then Jim and I are going out to lunch with Lindsey, Ian and Stella.  A good end to the festive period.

Stella, Christmas morning

Tony's memorial bear, Christmas night

Not quite sure how we got Jim out of this chair!