'Christmas dinner'

The end of last week was the coldest spell of the year although it was sunny (and usually warmer outside than in the house!). There's quite a contrast watching people in the street at this time of year as some will still be wearing t-shirts and shorts whereas others will be wearing thick sweatshirts or coats - and of course 'cold' is still quite a relative term here compared to mid-winter in the UK!

We decided to have a 'Christmas dinner' on Saturday, which is quite a common event at this time of year, particularly with expats from the Northern Hemisphere. There are 'Yuletide weekend breaks' advertised in the Blue Mountains, which is the closest you'll get to a cold winter environment around Sydney, although the ski season is now in full swing in the southern mountains, about 6 hours' drive away.

So, after Sue and I had encouraged Laura to join us for a walk along Manly beach in the afternoon, we had a family dinner on Saturday evening with a roast 'chook' (chicken) and all the seasonal vegetables (parsnips, brussel sprouts). This was followed by a mincemeat pie with custard and brandy butter, which was great and will keep us going until the next real Christmas dinner in the cold!