Christmas started with an impromptu dinner with the Rivers where we ate all our Christmas Day prawns and the gingerbread house that Tess made to replace the one Ted ate. This house was courtesy of Ikea and Tess was a little more restrained with the lollies but it was appreciated nonetheless.
Robert, Caroline and Ali arrived from Perth early on Christmas Eve. We immediately took them down to the beach where Tom was doing nippers. They all had a nap in the afternoon and then we were into Christmas Eve celebrations which David and Linda, Caroline's parents, joined us for. It was a last minute decision for David and Linda to come and spend Christmas with us following the death of Caroline's grandfather and last remaining grandparent in October. It was wonderful having them with us and a good chance for me to get to know them better.
Christmas Day dawned a little wet and wild but that did not deter us from going down to the beach for my Annual Swim. The waves were small and my friend Jo persuaded me to have another go at the Surf Club Swim. This time I succeeded in completing the course - hooray!
After our swim we headed home to celebrate the rest of Christmas Day. It was perfect roast dinner eating weather and we had a lot of fun with a very serious table tennis round robin which Tess won and a fierce game of the Very Nasty Horse Race which is a Country Gidney tradition that Robert introduced us to and that Tess also won!
For Christmas Mandy carefully packaged a large number of her family's crystal glasses and sent it over to Australia as a present. I love drinking out of beautiful glasses and I shed a tear or two as I opened them all. On the cheese board above are two of the beautiful glasses that I used for my glass of sticky - such a pleasure to drink out of.
Robert and Caroline left for Tasmania on Boxing Day morning leaving Ali as our only house guest. We managed to fit in a lot of eating and drinking during her remaining few days.
Cocktails at The Pantry - Tom is on the wave in the background
Cocktails at Hugo's, a Manly institution
For New Year's Eve Robert, Caroline, David and Linda went to Taronga Zoo to watch the fireworks whilst we headed down to our usual spot at Forty Baskets Beach from where we watch the 9pm fireworks. We received the most wonderful surprise to find our friend Jen down there who had come over secretly from Hong Kong. There was a lot of tears and squealing!
And just like that we're into 2018! On New Year's Day we had a relaxed breakfast at home with Robert, Caroline, David and Linda before the four of them headed off to explore the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley for a few days.
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