Sunburnt Suburbia

Christmas at Rye

After our white Christmas of 2010, we return to our traditional Christmas celebrated with close friends the Miller family at their Rye beach house. We arrived at lunch time on Christmas Eve for a relaxed 4 days in which almost all our Christmas rituals unfolded. Repeating the pattern of Holy Days reminds that God has blessed us with another year of life, love and good fortune.

On Christmas Eve Bryony and Abigail made a gingerbread house, one of the first rituals of the season. 

Christmas Day started with the church service, this time to the Anglican church at Sorrento because it's child-friendly. The minister reminded us that we still have the opportunity for more sharing in the Kingdom of God through the thoughtful discipleship of Jesus. After church we return home to open presents, typically with the assistance of a friendly elf. 

The rest of the day passed with our Christmas feast. We had nibbles during present opening, and then the turkey and ham for a late lunch. After a walk on the beach, we finished the day eating our desert. 

Boxing Day brought more relaxation, with some walking of dogs, and a trip up to Arthur's Seat for another walk involving a car swap. We always do a good amount of walking around Christmas. We also demolished the gingerbread house. 

 

Wine tasting embarrassment

Last night we had a wine tasting dinner party. We had six finalists from the Cellarmasters 'Wine of the Year" competition to try. Campbell, Melissa, Kate and Michael came along to participate - the same group of friends as last year. 

Some of us tried to pick the grape varieties and describe the wines with precision. Others just decided which they liked. And others just decided to enjoy them. I tried to pick the grape varieties, and got most of them wrong. But so did all of us trying to do this, so the embarrassment was shared. 

Impromptu dinner with Kingwills

Yesterday we had an impromptu family dinner with many of the Kingwill family. Susan's sister Barbara came up to Melbourne with Amy and their friend Natalie. Bryony is living with her older Kingwill cousin Laura and her partner Aven; so they all came to dinner too. With Callum, Bryony and Will, we added up to a table of 10. 

Susan and Barbara organised it all quickly, and as a result of their skill we had a great time. 

Boxing Day Walk and Pub Lunch

Deepest Berkshire gets very traditional at times. One of those traditions is a ramble around fields and woods, followed by a pub lunch. Joan had a good guide book for walks around Berkshire, and we ventured off on a walk centred on the The Pot Kiln. A four-mile loop through the dormitory village of Frilsham, then some woods and fields took us back to the crowded country pub.

We managed to time our arrival just as a large party left the public bar, which was only slightly bigger than the average Australian bathroom. Squeezing ourselves into the corner across from the wood stove, we enjoyed excellent food and locally brewed ale. It was the quintessential English country experience. 

The Promised Paella

Michael would have liked to buy a 5kg box of fresh mussels at the Portarlington pier - a bargain @ $25 and just out of the water. I couldn't think of a safe way of storing and transporting them home - let alone what I would cook with 5kg! Instead I promised him a Paella. Here it is with 500g mussels @ $4 from the supermarket. Yum. Susan

Wine tasting fun

Last Sunday Paul & Barbara Williams hosted a wine tasting afternoon for friends and neighbours. They got the six-pack of red 'Wines of the Year' from Cellarmasters. With the pack came a simple kit to host a wine tasting event. 

Nobody took the exercise too seriously, and so everyone had fun. I enjoyed taking the time to really savour the wines, following their three-steps to knowing a wine: appearance, aroma and taste. It is the first time that I have tried to 'understand' a wine through slow appreciation by my senses.  

Cellarmaster's judges have rated the wine all as finalists, with the criteria being a good red in the $10-$20 price bracket. So all were good to start, but I was surprised at the variety across the six. Also what interested me was how the different guests rates the different wines as their favourite. Really this should not come as a surprise, but it does emphasis how wine appreciation has a strong subjective element. 

I suppose wine tasting is about living in the 'now'; about appreciating the beauty that is here before us. That in itself makes the effort worthwhile. 

Michael

Callum's sushi train

This morning when Callum learned of Susan's plan to make sushi for dinner he constructed a sushi train on our table. As a manual train, it added variation to our dinner as Callum and Susan loaded the carriages and I drove the train around to my plate during the course of the meal.

Michael

Supper in the sand

One of the special aspects of Australian life, one that we must remind ourselves of, shows itself in the easy beach living. Here we went down to a Blairgowrie beach for a twilight supper of Chocolate Barvarian and strawberries marinated in vintage port. The weather was warm, the access simple and the beach comfortable. Really that opportunity doesn't come in many places. Michael

Sampling the Clarion

We have planned our Regency Ball to occur at the Clarion Hotel on Canterbury, and so Susan wanted to sample the food before the event in case of potential disappointment. On New Year's Eve we all had dinner there, along with Will. The cuisine has a strong Australian Asian style, with a mixture of traditional Australian meals such as veal, eye fillet or kangaroo fillet mixed with spicy Chinese sauces. It made for a memorable mix with flavours that made me stop to consider. 

It was a good omen for the Ball. 

Michael

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The dinner party we didn't have! I wonder whether I contemplate a career as a food stylist?....Na If I go to this much trouble I have to sit down with friends to enjoy it.
Susan