More Eating & Drinking

Yes, we've been at it again. Yesterday was a barbeque for friends not seen for a while. I was particularly pleased because Jeanie and Doug (who are my age) would be there. I have to tell you about these two...their daughters emigrated to Australia from England, so Jeanie and Doug spend about six months of the year here and six months back in England or going to other places.

Doug is a very quiet, dignified gentleman...a delightful man, one of the old school in manner. Jeanie is his polar opposite. She's outgoing, talks non stop and has a deliciously naughty sense of humour...totally irrepressible and we get along like a house on fire. So, I was thrilled to see them again and of course, Jeanie and I talked for ages catching up on each other's news. She's also fascinating to listen to with tales of her childhood. Although Doug is Indian, Jeannie was born in Burma (now Myanmar) and when war broke out, she, her mother and siblings all fled first to Singapore then to England where they eventually settled.

She was educated at the convent school of the Holy Shepherd in Rangoon and after leaving school, took up nursing in England. Her mother had been a nurse in Rangoon Hospital. Apparently, Jeannie was saying, the convent and hospital are still there...she found them on Google Earth.

There was another friend there, Beryl, who is around the same vintage as Jeannie and me and is a straight talking Aussie...so the three of us sat together and of course, it was christened the Naughty Old Ladies' Corner...isn't that just lovely??

So this went on all yesterday afternoon and into the evening, but by nine o'clock, I'd had it (I'd been up since 5.30 am), said my goodbyes and left the others to it. I have a friend coming for lunch tomorrow...that means more eating and drinking.

Actually it's a busy month...there's Cirque du Soleil on 11 Jan, Fred's sister, Mary, is having a party for her 50th birthday on 16, then it's my birthday and lastly, Harry's birthday. I'm going to need to sleep for a week when all this is over.

Here are some photos from yesterday.

I made a fruit platter and didn't have a plate big enough, so covered an oven tray with alfoil and used that. It all got eaten, too.

Under the patio, eating and drinking, with Shelby's head in the foreground.

Another angle of the food marathon.

Beryl (left) with Jeannie talking coach tours and Doug in the background.

Sophie (front) and Pearl, two of Roger and Wendy's dogs.

Pearl...when one gets tired, one can use a football as a pillow. In case you're wondering, she's a Maremma sheepdog. They originate from Italy and actually sleep with the sheep at night.