Sunday, December 09, 2007

A Ho! Ho! Ho! And a He! He! He! Ha!































































Let's feast our eyes a while before attacking the repast on the "Day"! I'm whetting our appetites in readiness.

An Aussie Christmas is not Christmas without a collation of fresh seafood, in my opinion. Long gone are the days when I slaved for hours over a hot stove to produce the "traditional" fare to hungry hordes around my Christmas table. A "traditional" feast handed down by our Scottish, Irish and, in some cases, but not mine, English forefathers that is so, so wrong for our Christmas temperatures!

I've friends coming over on Christmas morning for drinks and tasty hors-d'oeuvres. Some will be staying on for a leisurely luncheon, which shall linger long into the afternoon through to dusk. No doubt by now you've guessed I'm having a scrumptious banquet of succulent seafood to be followed by a mixed berry Pavlova, a Sacha Torte, and of course, over to the side a rich fruit cake (which I've already made and have been "topping up" over the past few weeks), just in case we have any room left while we sip on coffee and liqueurs! Oh! Did I mention a variety of dark chocolate truffles and chocolate-coated ginger that will accompany the coffee?

As usual, I've broken my promise to myself. I had planned not to plan anything for Christmas, however the fever surreptitiously grabbed hold of me when I wasn't looking and was weak of mind and will. The above is the result!

It's been a year of ups and downs, more downs than I needed or wanted, I think. So I figured, "what the hell", I may as well go out with a bang, forgetting the bad (and those who caused it!), concentrating on the good with my eyes, heart and mind keenly on the future.

I'm starting a new job shortly, so that's a huge plus. With that in mind and on hand, my time for blogging will be very limited, at least for a while.

As much as I tried to escape pre-Christmas celebrations, I have failed and am failing miserably (read "happily", I guess!). Already I've succumbed to four celebratory gatherings with more to come over the next couple of weeks. And I've not even mentioned New Year yet! There's life in this old bird yet, it would appear! Ask me again around the second day of 2008 and I may answer differently!

All is good in this neck of the woods. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful time with your families and friends. And may 2008 be kind to us all, bringing peace, good health ,and a little prosperity thrown in for good measure.

I'll leave you with a few fine words. When you hear the corks a-popping at the stroke of midnight farewelling 2007 while heralding in 2008, know that amongst that sound will be some of mine! "Here's to your top, here's to your middle, may you get a "liddle!"'


Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
and days of Auld Lang Syne.

Chorus: For Auld Lang Syne, my dear,
for Auld Lang Syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet
for Auld Lang Syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

Chorus

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd.
Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus

And there's a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak' a right gude willie-waught,
For auld lang syne.

26 comments:

  1. Have a fabulous Christmas and New Years. Enjoy the new job. If you don't enjoy it, don't do it! Life is too short. This year has had ups and downs yes, but I made a list of accomplishments this year, and was surprised! Now I am proud of me! We will miss you, so don't stay gone too long.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lee
    Nice to see you are still with us and making us all starve as usual with those beautiful pictures and the list of food for the Christmas lunch.
    I hope your Christmas and New Year are wonderful affairs and there are more UPS in 2008.
    Enjoy the new job and take care and pop in now and then to us starved bloggers.
    Peace be with you friend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lee,

    Do keep in touch. You have our Email address, and I have yours, if it hasn't changed. I am restarting my old blog which went nowhere last year. I may start posting things that interest me, but really don't relate to our shared blog.

    Best of luck in the new job. tell us about it if you can...just curious.

    We will keep checking back, and the Email allert is checked.

    Marc and Stormy

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Lee, glad to hear you succumbed without a fight! Like you, I've been up to my eyeballs in Christmas menus, too. It's at my place this year, so I've had to get my A into G and plan.

    What's the new job? Sounds interesting.

    Good for you getting rid of this year with a good send-off. Let's hope next year is better for everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Merry Christmas to you! Congratulations on securing your new position and I trust 2008 will be good year.

    Keep up at least the occasional posting!

    Best wishes

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good to see you surfacing again for the season. We miss you. Good luck with the new job and have a very merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
    May 2008 bring you everything you wish for yourself.

    Youré still on my bloglines feed so I will catch any visits you make here.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Lee, Happy Holidays and I to hope that 2008 is a better year. The food looks so yummy as usual. Good luck on your new job. Take care!

    ReplyDelete
  8. It was wonderful to read that you were having friends and food and gatherings for Christmas and the New Year. May the joy of the season embrace you warmly and carry you to a point where you want to be. Congrats on the new job, I will be out looking for my new job after the holidays. Hope to see you often blogging wonderful stories, food and all the other things that put a smile on your soul. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you everyone for your very kind thoughts and comments. Over the next few days I'm going to be "head down and bum up", I think as I've got a lot of Chrissy preparation to do. I've suddenly gotten the urge to make various Christmas-inspired sweetmeats. Who mentioned diet? Time enough for that in early 2008!

    Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds like you are well into the swing of things for the Christmas Holidays...I like the cultural adjustment you make (foodwise), it makes a lot of sense to me nd it sounds delicious.....Congratulations on your new job (I hope it is one that you will love and not just "do") and all the best for the New Year....

    ReplyDelete
  11. I started to think we were going to have an Aussie style Christmas. Sweating my tail off hanging lights and swatting mosquitoes. But tonight the cold finally arrived, can't say I missed it. (PS, Thanks Neo for mentioning the Strangler was back online.)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Rebecca...the humidity here at present is horrendous and if this is what it's going to be like on Christmas Day, then cold seafood is just the answer. I've just made a huge load of chocolate truffles and I'm dripping wet!

    Hahahaha! Gto...you always succeed in making me laugh...for this I thank you! I've got a great new wine for you to try...if, of course, it's available up your way.

    Orlando's Jacob Creek "Three Vines"...a shiraz, grenache, sangiovese blend.. a wonderfully dry rose' style...great for summer drinking so you may have to wait until your summer comes. I like it very much.

    Merry Christmas from "The Strangler" who obviously has put her tomahawk aside! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gidday Lee,

    And a ho ho ho and a Merry Christmas to you, your family and friends.
    Again you assault my eyes and drooling thoughts with photos of your coming Christmas feast. Youse is such a tease, but a nice tease at that.
    May 2008 be a happy, healthy and prosperous year.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dear Lee ~~ Glad to see you are busy with your Christmas celebrations. I hope you and your friends have a wonderful time
    and that the new job will be one you enjoy doing. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2008.
    Take care, my friend, Love, Merle.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Let's the both of us hope for a better 2008.

    Merry Christmas to you. The food looks yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Wazza, Granny and Merle...a very Merry Christmas to you all. I hope 2008 treats you kindly. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Lee, Just dropping by to say HI, and to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy new Year.
    Take care, Meow xx

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hope all finds you well Lee. Just dropped in to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

    BTW, that sounds like quite a tasty feast you have planned there.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thank you, Connie and The Dude...so nice to hear from you both. My best wishes for Christmas and New Year go to you, too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Merry Christmas to you Lee. Ending the year with a 'bang' sounds good to me. Good luck with that.
    The seafood sounds good. We usually have at about 10 # of wild caught jumbo shrimp on Christmas eve but will hold off until Christmas Morn. Prime rib that late afternoon. I've missed you.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for popping by, Lee. I started a new job too and my blog is suffering. Such is life. Something's gotta give. Good to hear from you.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Congrats on new job and Buon Natale, Lee. Love from Sicily xxx

    ReplyDelete
  23. Yummy stuff!
    Though I think I would use chicken not the dreaded prawns...

    Here's wishing you a Fantabulous One
    and a Fantastic 2008!

    ;->...

    ReplyDelete
  24. Merry Christmas, Lee.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Merry Christmas Lee!

    ReplyDelete
  26. ... i could do with some of those salad things right now. just not the tiger prawns...

    ;->...

    ReplyDelete