Christmas down under

A very merry Christmas to you all – hope you and yours are happy and healthy. I’ve had a lovely Christmas, far from home and the familiar, but making do all the same. My housemate Jaya and I went for a walk on Christmas morning to Rushcutter’s Bay, about 5 minutes walk from the house – it’s a cute little bay peppered with sailing boats, and has a great view across the harbour to the harbour bridge and the opera house (I’ll put some pics on flickr tomorrow) – we soaked up the sea breeze and caught some sun before going back home and making a feast for our guests.

An orphans’ Christmas is quite a tradition in Oz, for people not at home with families for whatever reason, so we opened our doors to Jaya’s friend Ruci, her boyfriend Josh, her sister Padma, Padma’s Swedish boyfriend Povell, and their friend Lotus. (Yeah, I know, does anyone have normal names here?!) Oh yeah and there was Sam too, he has a normal name. Jaya and I made lots of salads, I made spinach and feta filo parcels (from Helen’s photocopied recipe – thanks!) and Jaya tried out her new food processor and made hummus and a beetroot dip. Yum. Plus I’d made a whole load of chocolate mousse the night before and made a summer fruit crumble. Oh and we had lots of delicious avocado, mango, cherries, and other great summer food. So I spent the day doing what I love best – cooking for people! And the company was worth it – we just hung around and chilled out, chatting about anything and everything. It was great that no-one present put a great weight on it being Christmas day – we just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company, eating and drinking and talking nonsense! Now the house is finally empty and I’m shattered. I think I’ll turn in soon, as we’re planning on doing the clifftop walk from Bondi to Coogee tomorrow so I need my rest. Looking forward to some more sea air.

Thanks to everyone for the Christmas cards and messages, I’ll reply individually over the next few days. I’ve been picturing you all in your various situations around the world, and it’s lovely to hear from you and feel connected.

(By the way, if anyone called or texted my UK mobile – it’s totally dead, so I won’t have got your message. I’m trying to resurrect it but don’t hold out much hope.)

Love,
cx