Christmas 2005

This years tree.

It’s 9am. I’m sitting in bed with Eric and a second cup of tea and listening to National Radio. The NZ NY’s Honours are being announced. Tom Scott (a cartoonist – I think), has just said “… it is traditional to say this is for all cartoonists and artists everywhere. Bugger it. This is mine and the others can earn their own” So Kiwi!!!!!) Eric is reading a fishing book (fishing and sailing are THE Tanner interests at the moment – more later). We are in the midst of that ‘post hectic Christmas chill out and do nothing unless you want to do it phase’ – bliss. As it’s raining/overcast for us that means staying in bed and reading/blogging. Harri is MSN-ing with her friend Bryre in the UK and Alice is asleep.

We’ve had a great Christmas. The weekend before Chris and Helen stayed for a couple of nights as part of their NZ holiday. (Chris and Eric did law together at Canterbury). They were last here about 3 years ago and have since got married. In answer to the ‘what can we bring you from the UK’ question I had answered Hobnobs and, if you can get it, the Dec Good Food magazine. I was absolutely rapped when Helen said, ”didn’t manage the Hobnobs but got this”, and produced the magazine. I love the Good Food but bought gardening magazines over it, except at Xmas. I have every Dec Good Food for years before we left the UK, and now have 2005. It has been SUCH a pleasure to browse through, and we did venison recipe on Xmas Day. Chris and Helen are wonderful company and we thoroughly enjoyed their stay. When they last came it was a flying overnight visit and all we did was eat and talk. This time we took them over to the Mount (Helen has never been there) and then called in on Mandy and the children to discuss sailing. Helen and Chris were hiring a yacht for a week from Boxing Day and Adam and Oliver have some sailing experience. We had strawberries and cream and a glass of wine their before heading off home. A very pleasant day.

Having Xmas on a Sunday is such a good idea and I think it should always be that way. Having that extra days preparation is great. Trouble is I need a week beforehand. Never knowing what the weather will be like, I had a hot day and a cool day plan. I borrowed a trestle table from a colleague whose husband manages a rugby club and was going to make a long, elegant table on the pool deck if it was warm. From the photos you will see that we reverted to plan b and I used it to make a square table in the dining room. I had a menu plan that was adaptable to in or out eating. As below:

Avocado Hummus (made by Harri)
Creamy smoked salmon pate
Chicken liver pate (Delia’s, wonderful)

BBQ’d green lipped mussels

Roast turkey
· Herb and sausagemeat stuffing
· Sausages
· Cranberry. Port and orange sauce

BBQ’d venison steaks
· Blueberry and port sauce

Asparagus with hollandaise sauce
Boiled new pots (from garden)
Orange and red onion salad
Grilled vegetable salad

Xmas pudding mousse
Tiramisu
Pavlova

Cheeseboard

Panetone
Stollen
Xmas chocolate log
Xmas cake

I think that was all!!!

It has become an annual event that we take the girls into Hamilton for a late night shopping trip. I take one for half the session and then we meet up and Eric and I swap children. It was a very untraumatic trip partly because the finances were seriously limited this year and Eric and I had decided not to buy for each other (well not much anyway)and we scaled down seriously our pressie buying all round. Also we found a stall selling beaded jewellery that was suitable for many girls we needed to buy for. I had already bought MP3 players and seriously expensive tickets for Harri and Alice to see Hayley Westenera in Hamilton in late January so just needed ideas for a few bits for them.

Christmas Eve was busy from 7am to 11pm. We then went to Midnight Mass in Matamata. Xmas morning was funny. I woke at 5am and dragged myself into Alice’s bedroom to retrieve the bits for Eric’s stocking which I, oops I mean Santa, had stowed there in her wardrobe. Unfortunately Santa had chosen one of those stiffer, seriously noisy carrier bags and I woke Alice. I shot out to the bathroom as she stirred but as I came out the bathroom with fully laden stocking, Alice was sitting on her bed wading through the contents of hers. I told her to put her light out, which she did after 5 minutes. Harriette tried to wake us at 7am with a cup of tea – and failed. As she stood over us I suggested, sleepily, that she climb into bed for a cuddle. This she did and huffed and puffed for 10 minutes at how frustrated she was - then fell asleep!



We then woke but Alice was still sleeping so we refused to look at our stockings, to Harri’s further frustration. We were sitting in bed chatting when we heard Alice (by now it’s 9am). As she came in I whispered ‘pretend we’re asleep’ so we three closed our eyes as we sat. Alice crept in, saw we were ‘asleep’ , placed her stocking on our bed and crept back to hers. She didn’t seem to notice that Eric had a mug of tea in his hand! Anyway, I peeked in on her a few minutes later and - she was asleep!!!!! Poor Harriette nearly cried! I finally allowed her to wake Alice at 9.30am and we then went through all 4 stockings. Santa had very thoughtfully given the girls puzzle books, probably to keep them busy and so avoid waking parents early. As it was they were not needed!


Look what Santa bought me!



After Santa had been


Mom and Daddy joined us and we sat down to a breakfast of kedgeree (traditional Tanner Xmas fayre) and smoked salmon scrambled egg for the girls. We finally got round to pressie unwrapping around midday I think. Mom and Daddy gave us some money towards a pool cover so that is a priority before the autumn and will save Eric hours of leaf fishing. I also had CD’s (Bic Runga, War of the Worlds and Birdsong, Thank you Carol), pots for the garden, floating candles, various books etc. Eric got 2 Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall books. The one on Meat (again from Carol) is fabulous and could have been written for (or by) Eric. Hugh and Eric share the same mentality and I’m sure he would enjoy a visit here (maybe I should invite him!). We have done the usual finding of pressies after Xmas day. This year it was a book on the queen Harriette had forgotten to give Mom and the girls pressies from Grandparents over the mountains (they used to be), all discovered in subsequent days.


Mom and Daddy


H + A





The rest of the Xmas crowd arrived in Ann and Mikes camper sometime in the early afternoon. Juliet, Kev, the girls and A+M (Juliets parents). The day was then the usual eating, drinking and merry making.




A square table this year. Note my new IKEA sideboard retrieved from M+D's container before it went into storage! Anyone bringing a container out next year? I want the table and chairs to match!!!


Puddings.

Isn’t it strange how something so innocuous can end up causing so much hilarity. A few years ago it was a duck caller I bought Eric that caused hysterics after a few drinks. It is a concertina design and the action required to operate it is very similar to masturbating! This year it was watching me try to construct a water polo goal that A+M had bought the girls. Kev’s drunken instructions and advice did little to help but had us all in stitches. A sober Eric completed the job the next day when all us able bodied people went on a 6km hike to get some exercise.

Boxing Day started a little overcast. After a huge breakfast we went on afore mentioned hike, by which time the sun was shining and we spent the rest of the day by the pool, the everyone suitably plied with food and sangria throughout the day. As you can see Eric enjoyed the rest!


Boxing Day!!!

The crowd left the next morning after breakfast and we had a quick tidy up and a few hours relax before the next guests arrived. This time Leona (whom I met in hospital) and Phil (whom Eric did some of his law papers with this year) and their 2 gorgeous girls. Another enjoyable day by the pool. You may recall when I told you about meeting Leona that we had lots of coincidences in our lives. Well we had a conversation that went like this. On discussing ages... "Eric's 40th is coming up" "So's Phil's. When's Eric's?" "8th Jan, when's Phils?" "12th Jan but he doesn't want to do anything". Anyone who knows Eric will know that neither does he!! We decided we should do something and are considering a joint BBQ. So if you are free on Sunday 8th January.....

We had arranged to meet with Helen and Chris at Coromandel on the 29th to spend the day with them on their yacht so Ann had suggested we spend the night before with them, as they are over half way to Coromandel town from us. We thought we’d take the girls up to the Coromandel (peninsula) and do something there then go to A+M’s for the night but as it was we just dossed around at home doing very little, and drove up to Thames in the early evening. We arrived onto a scene of blissful retirement (what this is what I want to be doing when I retire). Ann and Mike, with beer and wine, were sitting on the deck reading, on a lovely warm evening, in complete peace! We had a very pleasant evening with them, lamb BBQ’d on a spit eaten outside on their deck overlooking the Firth of Thames (the sea between the Coromandel and Auckland peninsulas) and listening to the birds that live in the bush that surrounds their home, mainly Tui and bellbirds this evening. Idyllic.

The next morning we packed up and drove up to Coromandel. We met Chris and Helen on the jetty with Jenny (Chris's sister who lives in Auckland) and her 2 adult boys Matt and David. After they had a stroll round Coromandel town and we had all had some lunch, we lost the boys (they were returning to Auckland on the ferry), took the yacht out, parked up and did some fishing. Alice and Harri had fishing rods for Xmas and were dying to try them out. It started well with Alice getting a bite immediately and Eric catching 2 slightly undersized snapper. However it eased off and the final toll was Chris - nil, Helen - nil, Harri - nil (and sulking), Eric 2 aforementioned snapper and Alice a total of 6 mackeral and kowhai. We ate them for starters before a BBQ in the evening. Needless to say she is now hooked on fishing and is very excited at the prospect of going out today. The boat was great. I have been out on the yacht Mandy looks after for an American family but enjoyed this much more. This boat was slightly wider and the layout on deck was better. It was possible to find a spot out of the way of those sailing and settle down to a good read without being moved everytime the boat turned about. Knowing that the loo runs on sea water and my frequent trips did not deprive the water tanks of precious reserves also helped me relax. I reckon if we had a boat like that I could get into sailing. Eric reckons it would only cost about $80,000 second hand!!!!! Maybe when he has a partnership in a law firm! We had a great day and I was very tempted when Helen said we could stay overnight. We had our overnight bag in the car which was only a dingy trip away but I said no and we left at about 11pm, getting home after 1am. Such a great day and I am keen to do some more sailing now! No piccies as my camera died but Chris took one of the four of us which I will post when he sends it to me.

Yesterday was our anniversary and we celebrated it in style doing - nothing. In fact we had not even bought each other card. Still it was our 13th. I will make more effort for our 15th.

My NY's resolutions. Exert some control over what little money we have!!! and make more effort to keep in contact with people. Bridget, Carol, Mark and Cath being top of my list. For all of you reading this we wish you a very Happy New Year and may 2006 bring you good health, good friends and much happiness.

Well I MUST get up. A lazy day is calling!