Beach Life – Summer 2013 – #10

Took the camera on the stroll around the point at Mataragi. It was low tide and it's somewhat more accessible.

It's getting more popular too which isn't a bad thing.

You might see variously in the pictures, Me, MrsPdubyah, a Dotterel, Some Oyster Catchers, a Pine Tree, some fallen over trees, couple odd signs in an odd place, sand, sea and sun.

I didn't edit the pictures, that would be taking up sitting int he sun relaxing time :-)

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Did stop for a beer at the end of the walk at the Golf club, where the pricing was reasonable but the patronage poor. This would be for a couple of reasons, one of which is the historical nature of the welcome that was given, even though now it's changed hands, and another would be that at the beach house, holiday home, you tend to drink and socialise at home. The restaurant does a cracking trade though.

I think that I reached "Beach Max" yesterday. This is the limit of time I can spend with the in-laws, and leads to bickering and surliness. So today will be the last day and we're leaving tomorrow to go home.  It's all about how I manage my time with them now, and it's not just me MrsPdubyah is at the end of the tether too.

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Beach Life – Summer 2013 – #9

I write this the day after the day before.

Yesterday, the weather was average, cold and a bit showery.  But I was made to go for some exercise with MrsPdubyah, as you can see it wasn't as flash as it could have been in the morning

We got to the beach, Matarangi, didn't have it to ourselves in the distance you can see another romantic couple braving the elements

Some of the locals are more hardy, these oyster catchers for instance

To be fair there were far more people on the beach than I'm making out, they're done the more built up area where all the beach houses are. Brave souls.

As reward I brought me two beers, one which was good the other was ok. They are local beers, so I am in a way supporting local artisans. I am not however convinced they are brewed locally, but brewed to a recipe, which isn't unusual. I'll need to do more 'research'.

And then to bring it all back down we opened a bottle (gifted) of Sauv Noir, a horrific mixture of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from Chile.  It's as bad as it sounds. It's not like that don't have a decent wine trade in New Zealand. As it was a bit mardy we had a Thai Red Curry for dinner which was outstanding, and the remains of the Focaccia bread. Which now reminds me that I was supposed to make some bread for lunch. 

Today, Which I think is Thursday the day has dawned much brighter. There are many more boats on the seas going fishing and gathering, and MrsPdubyah is talking about a walk around the point at Matarangi to the Harbour, and I can buy more beer :-)

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Beach Life – Summer 2013 – #8

The New Years Eve edition, that was.

The new thing is fireworks we discovered at variously 11:58, 11:59, midnight, 12:01 and all the way through to 12:20. Extremely loud fireworks. I'm not even sure when that became a thing.

Obviously too that whoever held the matches told the time, and that no-one had thought to synchronise watches, or phones, or anything. Bit of a laugh. Someone has to go first.

I think the frugal in me is against setting fire to money like that, this of course does not extend to my beer drinking and the associated costs for that. Also I enjoy the fact that other people have spent the money, I'm good like that.

It was a nice evening, although it was getting slightly cooler as it got later,



The view was improved a bit, as did my mood.



So the communal party was great, although it was cold last night, cold enough to have regretted wearing shorts. The iTorch thing ran the battery out on the phone half way there, made getting back a bit of fun.

I should bring a proper camera next time as the abundance of stars is to behold.

Back at the party though, with Shaking hands I took these pictures of the man-cave, shaking because of the cold not the sense of awe, or Cor!

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="5885,5884,5883,5881,5880,5878,5879,5876" orderby="rand"]

Fast forward, and the morning of the first still sees the Gentleman Fishing Club on the sidelines waiting a break in the weather and for the rafts of weed in the sea to move along. Might be later today I hope

And for the next activity, after brunch, it's a walk around the Matarangi point. Pictures later, or not, depends.

Beach Life – Summer 2013 – #4

Still not quite at the beach, but 'tis the day before christmas.

8:45 MrsPdubyah sends me a text, she has to work today, at the local mall. Text reads "Car park full, Supermarket full" It'll be a long day.

Daughter has spend the last 1/2 hour squeezing and rattling the presents under the tree playing a guessing game. I wouldn't mind but she is 18.

Anyhoo FIL was out of the house at 7:58am to go to the local hardware store, to buy some urgent things.

and MIL is now setting about making a trifle. Something which I personally can't abide.

I was up at 7 doing my 5km exercise, it's called getting into calorie deficit early, there were quite a few others doing the same thing, but I doubt it'll catch on.

MIL also has a fanciful idea that she's going to 'pop' to the shops and get some cream.  Good luck with that.

For this evening though we're planning to take them out to Browns Bay, and have a dinner, which is easier than thinking about what to cook, and since tomorrow is going to be all-you-can-eat day it's possibly wiser.

Still to come:

• The Glazing of the ham


• The baking of the bread

 

Beach Life – Summer 2013 – #3

The weather forecast says that it'll be rain on 25th, this isn't in the plan.

This will mean that we're inside, instead of outside in the sun.

This could mean that 'm cooking the barbecue in the rain, under an umbrella held by a brave assistant.

But the menu hasn't changed as far as I'm aware, but it does mean we'll have to be more organised and aware of where glasses, plates, and other things are placed around.

Having said nothing has changed of course it has. The nibbles are now going to be Bilini  with cream cheese and Salmon, and MrsPdubyah is going to make some miniature quiche things, she says.

Which leaves me only to make fresh bread in the morning.

Beach Life – Summer 2013 – #2

The one where we're not actually at he beach yet......

This is the one about the bit before the bit about christmas day, and the preparation and planning.

Today, Saturday 21st.

• Brought a dozen bottles of wine, some of this some of that.


• Brought two dozen beers for the quaffing of not the writing about


• Brought a bottle of Pear Vodka, it's the latest thing


• Brought 2 Litres of Orange Juice - don't judge me


• Brought some Salmon for the pre-lunch snackage

Also

• Brought a bottle of single-mart whisky for the Father-in-law


• Paid for a paid of sunglasses for MrsPdubyah

Discussion about the christmas day lunch, which this year is at home and not at the beach.  Ok so the heading for this post is confusing.

We're having, if everything goes to a plan and it doesn't rain so much

• Salmon on bread of something or other


• Some miniature Quiche affairs


• for the main event


• a glazed ham.


• a whole eye fillet  steak thing for the barbecue

There will also be

• Potato Salad


• New potatoes just dug from the ground


• Some salad concoction

Finishing with

• Trifle


• cheesecake


• Fruit and Cream

MrsPdubyah is a bit tense about the whole thing. I know we did this a couple of years ago but normally we are the beach house and lunch tends to be a communal gathering where we enjoy things like Scallops in bacon, Salmon , smoked fish, Mussels, with an abundance of bubbles, beer,  and most of the beach residents in attendance.

I know I'm lucky to have a beach house, but being at home, in my own home, isn't the same, I've become accustomed to not being here for that particular day.

I'm sure I'll enjoy it. Three will be pictures, at least from the early part of the day.  My tasks only include making a cocktail or two, cooking the barbecue and organising the music to play.

Easy.

Beach Life - Summer 2013 - #1

I'm lucky enough for there to be a beach house in the family trust that I get to visit frequently. The parents are there a lot, almost permanently in the summer months.

so this year, again, it’s to the beach house for a couple of weeks more or less.

Rings Beach - Coromandel - North Facing on the East Side of the peninsular.

The bach is about 50 meters from the sand, on the beach side of the road, down a small cut communal path. At the end of the path there is a picnic\bbq table and at one point there used to be a bathtub, might still be there.  You can spot the house in the picture there is a lone white car parked besides it. On the beach you might see a kayak and a RIB.

It's a real community beach, everyone knows everyone, everyone is willing to help everyone and we tend to party as a community with the hosting being shared from house to house on an informal rotation basis. There is always a beer or Gin to be had somewhere.

Rings Beach named after Mr Frank Ring who in the early days owned a sheep farm and who was the son of Charles Ring of Coromandel fame. Gold was first discovered at Driving Creek in Coromandel Town in 1852 by the Ring brothers.

As well as me this year Rings Beach will also be probably home to a pair of  the New Zealand dotterel/tūturiwhatu  -  This endangered bird can be found on a number of beaches on the Coromandel. There are only about 450 New Zealand dotterel on the Coromandel and 1700 nationwide, these birds need all the help they can get. They nest on the sand, mostly above the high tide mark, but weather vagaries, and predators, as well as careless people are all threats to them. Their nest will be roped off, and hopefully they'll hatch their eggs and then there will be 451 :-)

Rings Beach is also home to the Gentleman's Fishing Club and the Kontiki device.

And there is a web page! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rings-Beach-Coromandel/172961526108932

I'm kind of hoping to write more about how I'm doing nothing all day, except the bbq for breakfast eggs and bacon, and the evening meal of fresh fish, or exotic meat. How the fishing is going, and how the book reading is coming along.

I'll be trying to exercise, not get sidetracked into too much coffee shop and ice-cream and relax a little.

It is for me summer after all.

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Beer - #240 - St Peters - Christmas Ale

Hot Cross buns will be appearing in the stores soon, so what better reason than that to have a St Peters Christmas Ale. Fa la la la la la la la la. Brewed by St Peters (UK)
in the Style of an  English Strong Ale Bungay, England. Possibly they stared around Easter, who knows how this brewing thing works.

500ml bottle, that looks like a medicine bottle or something a pirate would have in hand, 7% ABV in a 500 ml delivery,  in the UK 3.1 drinks in NZ that would be 2.76 and 1.97 in the US of A . Fa la la la la la la la la.

A smooth, fruity, full-bodied ale, the perfect companion for Christmas savouries, sweets and snacks. 

yes Sweets, and Snacks. Don't let me go there. Well I did once here  orange slices, wrapped satsumas.....

Aroma is wet bready yeast. Pour a woody brown with a reasonable head, and surprisingly a fruity note ensues. Despite me dipping my whole nose into it, thought I would share that.

Head of course disappears. Like my hopes and dreams. Dreams mostly of the last beer I had :-( .

Focus. This then has the aroma of being  beer that has a "fruits" carry, at leaf on the aroma, despite the bread yeast thing that went on, which I think is an English beer thing, said Sherlock.

Surprisingly then this really is a bit of the real deal. Fairly solid and genuinely a bit full of body and palate. There is not a lot wrong with this. It has a full fruity body, but lacks a little of the sweetness that should carry it more finishing al title sour, but it has a full mouthfeel.

The Pdubyah-o-meter thinks on reflection that this is a goodly 8. But I might have afterglow from the last beer I had,

If you had this following that you shouldn't be unhappy, this is a bit short in a couple of things, but it isn't a beer you should dismiss as a gimmick.

I can see how you could sit in a pub and have a fair few of these, shoot the breeze, cheat at dominos and lie at cards, miscount at Darts and generally tell stories that really about the old you are the better you were. I'd be happy to settle into a few of these, because again there is no peaking bitter, no cloying sweetness, the aroma isn't so bad, and it's a beer that'll catch up with you in end.

Merry Holiday Season, which in NZ means shorts, swimming on the 25th, sunburn, Barbecue, late evening sun, mosquitoes, and of course all the Northern Hemisphere things about snow, fat blokes need suits, trees inside, nuts, tinsel, and at least one early morning and two obligatory lay in bed days.

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The 12 ways of Christmas – The Holiday with the 'folks'

We're lucky enough to enjoy a beach house. We're lucky enough to have 'Christmas' in the summer months, being as how it's New Zealand and it's all the other way around.

As "workers" we work hard all year and get a couple of weeks off to do nothing, to laze about, twiddle thumbs, shower occasionally, eat, drink, eat, sleep, nap. It could be so nice.

But we're also unlucky enough to have parents who drive us madly insane. Not my parents, but the in-laws for me, the parents for MrsPdubyah.

They were school teachers and so eery year they would spend a goodly amount of weeks at the beach house. For them it's just another house, it's managed to acquire all the town house things and none of the beach house things.

You could transplant this house to a town and you'd never know. Now holiday homes are different, they are full of art, sea-shells, mis-matched furniture, rustic tables. We don't have one of those. The neighbours have those. The neighbours....

We have a house at the beach, and it's a harrowing experience to live though a week here. We used to be able to do 10-14 days, now we get to about 4 days and start getting a twitch. We've not had any days at the beach house when they are not here, we call as say "are you going to beach this weekend" they invariably reply "if you are we will", it's maddening, frustrating and difficult to broach.

Age will turn you into a prisoner. A prisoner of routine. Every day you have to do the same things. Up at 7am, washing in washing machine at 7:30am, go get newspaper at 7:45am. Cereals at 8 a.m.  Washing the dishes is an immediate task, heaven help us if they are left for more than 10 minutes.

Then it's 9 a.m. so possibly mowing the lawn, picking fruit from the tree, spraying some weeds. 10 a.m. tea of course. 10:30 is mid morning siesta, because they've worn themselves out.

More washing at 11:00 am, they wash clean things to maintain schedule I'm sure of it. Random vacuuming and brushing time till lunch, when we have a selection of mulled over left overs and a cup of warm water.

Hourly switch on the radio at 30 seconds to the hour for the news bulletin, the log range weather for everywhere, then off. No music allowed, and don't change the channel, ever.

Afternoon siesta.

Discussion about what the neighbours are up to, who's at the beach, who's not, why, if we don't know why make a guess. Read the death notices to see which friends might have had the temerity to die when they're at the beach and not in town. It happens.

Gin o'clock, wine o'clock begins as the 6pm news is on the TV. Pre-dinner dishes, of course, washing dishes not cheese and cracker dishes.

Dinner must be before 7 pm. Fretting ensues if it's going to be later.

Entertain everyone by reading the teletext updates (A service soon to be discontinued).

Read book, coughing randomly until 9pm when it's bedtime.

Days when the gentleman's fishing club is in session, make an agreed time "how about around 7am" where "about" means up at 6:30 to prepare, leave at 7 am, no later, no sooner. Fishing line can only be in the water 1 hour. No longer, no shorter. 1 hour. Today I was suckered in with "whatever time" which meant of course 7:45am knocking on the door "are you ready yet" We didn't go fishing.

We didn't go fishing because on a 800 meter beach someone had launched a gentleman's fishing rig into the sea before us, and fretting and panic ensued about them being too close together. Serious fretting, muttering and followed by deep investigation of the mans credentials, home address, and a lecture about "how I do it..."

Fishing was also cancelled, no only to proximity, but because weed was spotted in the waves, and weed is bad. To make up for this disaster he burnt some paper and plastics instead of putting them out for rubbish collection, it's "what we had to do in the old days"

We've taken down the tent, it rained and wasn't used. Didn't let it dry now the weather has changed, took it down and stowed it wet. "It's what we had to do in the old days"

This evening we will again have a discussion about Teletext, the neighbours wi-fi and how it's intermittent (we have permission to use it, we're not totally freeloading", who's arrived, who's left, pontifications on the "Sales" the lack of Eggs in the house.

And tomorrow we will do it all again, in roughly the same order, amount of time, and with the same earnest face.

Not a holiday.

 

The 12 ways of Christmas – The Entertainment

I laughed out aloud when I discovered what televisual delights were available to entertain. This would have been after you'd opened your science kit and played with the magnet and iron filings, or the cooking thing that made stragne tasting jelly, or you'd used all the batteries that powered the rifle range game, and it was too cold or there was too much snow to play with your Action Man Red Devil Parachute" toy....

Christmas Eve Thursday 24th December 1970. Some of the highlights

• 11.10am Tom and Jerry Mice Follies


• 11.15am On Top of the World international ice champions entertain


• 12.00 Movin' Along with Andy Williams


• 3.30pm Film : Misty (1961) with David Ladd and Arthur O' Connell


• 4.55pm Blue Peter


• 5.20pm Scooby-Doo, Where Are You ?


• 5.44pm The Magic Roundabout Pancakes, When Dougal starts cooking there are plenty of offers of help from his friends


• 6.15pm Tomorrow's World


• 6.45pm Joy to the World


• 7.30pm The Cliff Richard Show

The Adults got a real treat :

• 8.20pm The Gang Show Gala, with Peter Sellers, Dick Emery, Graham Stark, Cardew Robinson, Reg Dixon and David Lodge


• 9.20pm Play of the Month: Five Finger Exercise with Margaret Lockwood, Paul Rogers


• 10.50pm Just Pet


• 11.40pm A Story for Christmas The Gift of the Magi


• 11.50pm First Communion of Christmas, from Worcester Cathedral


• 1.05am Closedown

Christmas Day Friday 25th December 1970, as if you couldn't get enough excitement

•  9.30pm Basil's Christmas Morning with Basil Brush and Derek Fowlds


• 10.00pm Christmas Crackers a cartoon parade with Michael Aspel


• 12.35pm The Story of the Silver Skates starring Eleanor Parker, Richard Baseheart


• 2.15pm Top of the Pops 70


• 3.00pm The Queen, speaks to the Commonwealth and introduces a special film


• 3.25pm Billy Smart's Circus Spectacular


• 4.30pm Disney Time with Harry Worth


• 5.10pm Robinson Crusoe starring Ken Dodd, with Lyn Kennington, Peter Glaze, Arthur Mullard


• 6.45pm Christmas Night with the Stars introduced by Cilla Black, featuring Bob Hope,Mary Hopkin,Graham Kerr, Jerry Lewis, Nana Mouskouri, Clodagh Rodgers,Frank Sinatra, Jack Warner,Dad's Army, Stanley Baxter, Dick Emery, Bachelor Father,Terry Scott and June Whitfield

And if the Snowball, Babycham or the Party Seven hadn't done the trick for the adults there was

• 8.15pm The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show


• 9.15pm Film : Charade (1963) starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn


• 11.00pm The Good Old Days with Danny La Rue


• 11.50pm But Seriously...on the Nativity with Joyce Grenfell, Cyril Fletcher, Ernie Wise

And at 12.00 midnight the TV station Closed down for the night, yes they did.

Check out 1975 and other years here

The 12 ways of Christmas – The Dinner

Since I moved from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern (England to New Zealand) I've always struggled with the concept of  Santa, Trees, Snow, and the "full' Christmas dinner.

There are some things that just are Christmas dinner, so I can set those aside.

The Trifle for dessert.  There's probably a law or something that requires trifle on christmas day. Can't abide the stuff myself, but Father-in-law and the children love it.

I made is a mission a few years ago to come up with a dessert suggestion that I thought would be both "common" and at the same time "challenging" to make. The first one I cam up with was  "Cassata Ice-cream". Which turned out to be a roaring success.

Pavlova are a challenge to make, but usually end up well, and given the amount of wine you've had before you get to pudding then who cares?

Eton Mess. Which has to be the easiest of my suggestions, fruit, cream and meringue, enough to make a man fat.

But back to the timeline. It's summer, or getting summery in December in New Zealand, and for years we soldiered on with a roast turkey, Ham, potatoes, vegetables, gravy. One year we just said that enough was enough, and that it seemed daft to have a full dinner on a day when there was much to celebrate and enjoy by way of family and friends than to stand in the kitchen and cook.

So we've pushed back "dinner" from 6pm to 8pm, and  we've had Salmon and potato Salad, We've had Scotch Fillet on the BBQ, something a bit "posh" but not the "old way".  I've also been known to make dinner bread rolls.

One year we asked the children what starter they wanted, and one of them suggested prawn cocktail, which we had to have in the traditional way in a wine glass, oh the horror!

But the end is always Trifle, and one other thing.

This year even to change it up a bit more we're having our traditional family christmas dinner on christmas eve. It's the only evening when the children are going to be with us as due to work commitments and them needing the money more than me have to head back to the city on Christmas day evening.

Back in the day though the abiding memory I have of christmas Turkey was the one time when Dad had made a big deal about bringing the Turkey home for christmas dinner. He did turn up with one, Feathers and all. A big one. I have no idea where he got it from, or even why he thought it was a good idea.

Ever plucked a turkey on the back doorstep at 7pm at night in the freezing cold?

Christmas dinner at my childhood home would have been an all-in affair, not only the parents  8 children, the dog, but various girlfriends and boyfriends, neighbours and acquaintances. Dinner was served on a roster system, how do you fit that many around a table that seated 6 :-) It would have been a big turkey.

The 12 ways of Christmas – The Festive Treats

There were things that were only ever seen in our house for one month a year. Fleeting things enjoyed because of their rarity in some instances.

The Treats.

As well as the backup tin of Quality Street chocolate in a big tin, the one we didn't use to decorate the tree we had a number of celebration things in the house for christmas.

Satsuma Oranges individually wrapped in tissue paper. this is how they came from the grocers, it wasn't a family tradition or any such thing, they were just wrapped. Not all of them, some in the bowl were, and these were the prized ones of the the pickings. For no reason than they were wrapped in tissue. on reflection being winter of course a tropical fruit was a luxury, and presented as such.

Orange and Lemon Slices. Sugar coated jelly candies. The blob in the middle was for the Mother, the slices were allocated at one of each per child, perhaps. We seemed to have unlimited boxes of these things, there was always one being opened when anyone visited, perhaps it wa some strange ritual that has since passed into lore. All I can remember is there were always lemon and less orange slices left to sneak during the early evening.

Dates. Why we had dates I'll never know. They came in an an oblong box, and contained a wooden fork to jab them from the box. I still have a vague unease about boxed dates, and how they looked inedible, mouldy even, wrinkled in their box, all sticky and glistening.

Mixed bag of nuts. Walnuts, Almonds, Filberts (Hazlenuts) and possibly the least liked, Almonds. Hours, or what seemed like hours, cracking nuts and extracting, usually, pieces, of nut from crushed shell. definite win if you could extract an unbroken walnut from a shell.

The Christmas Stocking. Which contained a selection of chocolate bars that you were supposed to enjoy over a period of time, expected to be longer than an afternoon. Never happened. Don't recall any trades going on either, my Milky way for your Smarties... none of that.

There were also, and this is going to either ring a bell or ring an alarm bell, Chocolate Smokers Sets. These were a presentation of smoking related things in chocolate form, containing, from memory, An Ash Tray, a Lighter, A pipe, and a packet of chocolate cigarettes that were in a packet that looked like the real thing, each cigarette wrapped in tissue.

The 12 ways of Christmas – The Festive Drinks

One of the things that I remember from Christmas was the abundance of things. The seasonal drinks cupboard got topped up.

There were 4 standout things that were brought into the house only for the Christmas period.

Babycham

A sparkling Perry (fermented pear) drink. In packs of 4 little bottles, and aimed fair square at a female audience. Loved by my mother.

Warninks Advocaat

What is Christmas without a "Snowball", made with Advocaat,and lemonade, Lime and ice if you're a bit fancy. A fluffy yellow treat for the teens.

Port

"Port and Lemon". Another post-war favourite, relying on the memory and traditions carried forward. If you couldn't talk your way into a Port and Lemon you would fall back on the Snowball

Watneys Party Seven

Also available as a Party Four. Contained 7 or 4 pints of beer. Could only have been 3.9% ABV of  English Bitter. Came with a can opener. Usually resulted in half the contents spraying over the guests as it had not settled or had just arrived.  Needless to say the last "offering" was only available to the adults and only after bedtime for the children. The adults would congregate in the back room, and smoke and drink, play cards.

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The 12 ways of Christmas – The Tree

This year might be the year when we don't have a traditional tree decoration at home. By decoration I mean a tree with things on it.

As a child the tree was an important part of the Christmas thing.

• It was always a real tree.


• it was always as tall as the room, sometimes taller, the fairy looming over the room at an awkward angle.


• Every year we had to make a new base for the tree out of some wood in the form of an X.

Every year Come easter the tree might still to have been found behind the shed, brown, spindly and forlorn. It would be a few months till Bonfire night, unless we had one earlier.

Every year the same things happened in preparation. An important part of the tree was the lights. a Lot of lights. one of the chores was checking each and every light bulb. Because. This involved sitting with an interesting multimeter device the like I have not seen again, and checking each one by passing a current through it. Every one.

The bulbs were I remember coloured. And each bulb socket had a flowery looking surround. Each bulb was an Edison screw type bulb and not a bayonet fitting. We called them fairy lights. I'm not sure we still do.

Decorating the tree was a family affair and there were always lot of hands. The hanging ornaments were fragile glass globes. Some of which had been broken in the previous 12 months.

But an important part of the tree dressing was the decorations made from lollies and walnuts

.

Take a tin of Roses Chocolates, they come in foil and cellophane wrappers, brightly coloured and shiny.

You get a reel of cotton and you make each sweet an ornament by making a loop of cotton using one end of the wrapper as an anchor.

You then hang the lollies on the tree.

During the next 20 days, or whatever time frame you have, you get a reward treat of a lolly from the tree, opening the chocolate and leaving the foil and cellophane on the tree, empty but still pretty!

There was the Round toffee one, the long toffee one covered in chocolate, the one with the walnut inside, the sold chocolate one, the one that was strawberry,  the orange creme...

Mother would also make walnuts to hang from the tree, using a matchstick in one end of the walnut whole to make an anchor.

And there you have a tree with lights, glass globes, Cellophane lollies and walnuts. Add a rope or two of tinsel and a can or two of fake snow and there you have my traditional memory of a tree.

An enormous pine smelling plant, that dropped pine needles from the moment it was in the corner, and kept watched over the room. We didn't have the presents under the tree as a tradition, we were many children and there were many temptations, until christmas eve. It wasn't  a big deal.

Come taking down the tree time there were always willing hands to investigate and find the cunningly hidden lollies or those that were too high to reach for esger young hands.

With children we've carried on at least the lolly part of the decorations, the glass globes have moved onto shapes and stars made of various things, safer and less likely to cut and injure.

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The 12 ways of Christmas - Secret Santa

It's that time again, we spend 10 months hoping it gets here, one month preparing and then the whole of December questioning the sense of it all.

I'm going to start with Secret Santa. This year over half the people in the #Cubefarm decided that they'd like to do a #SecretSanta.

I have some ideas why the other less than half opted out, the stress of finding a $10 trinket, or for a couple of course the obvious religious reluctance.

I managed to persuade one of the non participants to draw the random name thing for everyone, much easier than going desk to desk, person to person, get everyone signed up and then get them a name. Hopefully the person drawing the names made some common sense decisions about pairing people up, despite everything there are people that wouldn't match well with others.

In previous years I've managed to accrue some really tacky things, things that aren't even remotely funny or even vaguely related to my own sense of humour or interaction, the comedy computer mouse with boobs as buttons for instance.

Perhaps someone should have got me a funny bone instead.

To be fair I kept this in my office cupboard for ages before it suddenly made its way into oblivion.

There is, at least for me, at least a little bit of skill required to get something that's at least pertinent to the person you're buying for. But there are always the obvious and desperate box of chocolate gifts that are just thoughtless, at least they're trying though.

But and also, I've been part of the #NZTwitterSecretSanta thing, whereby @Websam for the second year mashed together a webs site and a random pairing generator to connect nearly 800 people together for a similar process.

The obvious drawbacks, some of the twitter accounts turned out not really to exist, some of them were locked or protected accounts, some of the participants are not regular tweeters. Of course there is always a percentage that will receive and not give.

I've given, and wait patiently for reciprocated love, and I'm aware a few people in the same boat, waiting for both the receiver to acknowledge the gift, and to receive their random thing.

Last time up I received a water pistol. Like I said random, and not always thoughtful or pertinent.

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Christmas comes but once a year- but the internet pictures are forever

These arrived in an email and are variously hilarious and  horrifying.

So without any other comment

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Christmas - the one the day after

Well that was a bit of a thing. Christmas at home instead of at the beach house.

Cocktails - we'd best not talk too much about those, the Cosmopolitans were in order for the ladies and I then made Margaritas, but I ended up drinking them all - and I'd made enough for a few.

We had my bromance friend around, he rarely visits but was forced to by his daughter. He came with a bottle of port, pre-dinner entertainment.

The Beef on the BBQ was just over cooked, I was working to instruction and the salads and other things were all wonderful. The Ham of course was magnificent.

During the lunch we discovered that my son's girlfriend is related to David Bain. I don't think we'll be going to his house for a party any time soon to be honest.

 

Christmas – the lead up to the big day - part the second - the one with the words

Christmas Shopping
The food - There appears to be an extraordinary amount of items on the food shopping list. From potato chips/crisps to Maple Syrup and Apricot Marmalade for the Glaze on the ham. There are notes for cheese, pickles, and various tins of things that I can only marvel at. And we need them all. The supermarket shops are, after all, closed on Christmas Day, for a whole day. We might starve if we don't lay in just in case. You never know.

Christmas Wrapping
There is a list of things we've managed to put aside and pre-purchase for the children and the parents. In theory both sides of the him/her list should match, in quantity and roughly in value. Well in our house that seems to be the way. They don't.  And so it is with some trepidation that I have to prepare to visit the mall. For some old tat and needy things that'll never see the light of day again. To make it all equal and fair of course.

Christmas Pudding
This year I've asked MrsPdubyah to make for me Eton Mess, this is a change from previous years where I've requested Cassata. Less faffing about. There will be Trifle, there always is, and MIL will have made a Dundee cake.

Christmas Cocktail
I've stocked up on Sloe Gin, Rum, and Cafe Tequila, Vanilla Vodka, Ginger Wine, Gin, Jagermesiter, Brandy, Scotch and a few other things. I should be able to muddle through the day on that. I've still to get in enough beer to get me through the tourture of being in an enclosed space with the in-laws.

Christmas lazy
This year we're staying at chez pdubyah, the first time in 24 years that we have not been at the beach house.  It's not like previous years where all the provisions and trimming have to be driven to the beach house and then you relax, this year it's doing nothing at home. Now doing nothing at home is usually called Sunday in our house. Not always but often. Whereas at the beach doing nothing was called 10 days of being at the beach.

Christmas Sale
This year I've been pre-warned of the boxing day massacre - the needful shopping binge on boxing day. I'm abstaining, but I will be taxi driving. Joy of joys.

Christmas - the lead up to the big day.

< You'll have to imagine what I wrote here - since because it's a computer it somehow never made it through>

Christmas - Decorating the Tree

When I was a child it was tradition in my house to have a heap of christmas decoration. Not only did we have the bunting decoration on the ceiling, from the ceiling rose to the corners, and around the outsides, but we always had a "real" christmas tree.

Usually too tall.

Of course there were lights.

And someone had to sit there with a multimeter and check every bulb to make sure they would work, one bulb would stop them all working.

It was a chore that no one complained about.

But the best bit about decorating the tree was in the decoration. We would string "Quality Street" chocolates with cotton, and we would hand these on the tree.

They were sparkly like decorations should be, and you could take a sweet from the wrapper, leaving the wrapper, and they'd still be a decoration.

Bonus was on taking the tree down that there were always hidden and un-found ones that made it worthwhile

 

This is something I've carried on doing, in NZ we use Cadbury Roses, same effect, and this year it pleased me that my son took it on himself to decorate the tree for the house and he carried on the tradition.

 Not this  tradition though, and although I don't recall out house ever looking this, er, flamboyant, it does give you an idea of what we did have.