Bicycles Bodyboards and Barbies

Christmas day. Our first downside up one. It started quite early at around 7AM with the requisite mad present opening frenzy. It took me a few minutes to locate the camcorder with which I traditionally record the look of awe and wonder on our kids' faces when they find out what I have sold my soul for in order to line the coffers of large multinational corporations to their benefit. Most of the girls had a barbie and various bits of chocolate, a body board and a bicycle. Rhiannon had an art pack and of course the manga books which took such a while to arrive.

Di appeared happy enough with her CD and the small box of Ferrero Rocher that I'd bought. I was of course delighted with all the chocolate I received from the girls, and especially thrilled with the toasted sandwich maker that Di had bought me. I should have guessed that something like this would be on the cards, since the traditional scotch simply is not feasible.

The major benefit of a down under Christmas, is that you can take your new bicycle for a ride. This is indeed what Imogen and Freya did, although Imogen's bike needed an adjustment to the seat height. Phoebe isn't a confident cyclist and was only just riding a very small bike back in the UK. She took a while to get going on her bike, but did manage it in the end although starting off, steering and stopping are still areas of concern. What she really needs is a wide open grassy space to try it on.

We had decided, largely upon the insistence of Wayne that we would have roast dinner. Imogen had asked for lamb. Wayne wanted a ham, and Vicky had decided the kids should have chicken. As we were all going to V&W's, we agreed to pool resources so we cooked half the veg and the lamb and they did the rest. Various bits of garden furniture were ferried to their house and placed strategically in the back garden, their four place table having been deemed insufficient for our tribe. It was most fine eating Christmas dinner under a warm and cloudless sky, but it didn't feel all that Christmasy at all. Also there's a lot of preparation and clearing up and to be perfectly honest, it's not really in keeping with the NZ lifestyle. Next year's dinner will most probably be a barbecue, possibly featuring beer can chicken.

Dinner went really well, everything was done to perfection and we all ate and drank and were quite merry. We left at about 8ish, took the kids home but then Di and I popped back for drinks, and games of Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble. Alas Wayne managed to win the scrabble despite me getting rid of my Q and using all my letters up, and V&W won triv, which was a DVD based media/music version which ruled me out since I'm useless at pop music. I introduced Wayne (and Vicky!) to the delights of 'froaig, and ended up dispensing a couple more drams than perhaps I was counting on. Unfortunately at about 11:30 Sam rang to say Phoebe had barfed up (too much chocolate) and this curtailed the festivities.