The eve of Christmas Eve

Work is over for the year, with today being Friday the eve of Christmas Eve.  It was hot today - nearing 35 degrees at my mum's!

Mick and I went to Melbourne yesterday to have lunch with his mum and sister who are over from New Zealand.  As usual he grumbled about the traffic and the crowds.  He's turning into a "country bumpkin"!

Today I had a Christmas lunch at my mum's - my sister, her partner and 3 kids came up from Melbourne.  Mum and I prepared an Aussie seafood lunch.  We had a huge pile of tiger prawns, smoked trout, and salmon mousse with a couple of nice salads.  Things went pretty much as they usually do when we're having lunch with my sister.  She said she'd be there around 11am to check in at the motel just a few doors down and then come to mum's to eat.  I got there just after 11am and Mum and I sorted out the food.  At midday we were waiting... and waiting... and waiting... 12.30... 1.00.... 1.20 I get a text message saying they are still more than an hour away!  Would have been nice to know at 11am that they hadn't even left the house more than two hours away.

I had intended to do my last Christmas groceries after lunch and on my way home so they wouldn't be left in the car too long.but with them being this late Mum hustled me out the door to get them done while we waited.  I returned at 2pm to squeeze my groceries into mum's already full fridges and we waited some more.  Eventually at 2.30 they arrived and with the messing around of unpacking, the kids being excited and getting the food out of the fridge it was 3pm by the time we sat down to lunch! 

We have my brother and his wife coming up tomorrow to spend a couple of days with us and on Christmas day my other brother and his family and my stepmum will come for the day.

I thought I might post some of our Aussie Christmas recipes.  Coming up!

Mick had "end of work drinks" this evening so he's early to bed and a little tipsy.  I'm watching a girlie movie with the kookaburras laughing loudly outside the back door.  It feels like Christmas.