We had my immediate family and parent-in-laws around to our house for a back yard BBQ lunch. It was the simplest thing to do with such small children in our family and it allowed us to put them to bed in the house and let them sleep uninterrupted. I find doing a BYO BBQ is the simplest idea when entertaining. I got everyone to bring their own meat and a salad to share with everyone. It meant I wasn't stuck in the kitchen all morning preparing and was able to enjoy time with family.
We had the obligatory snag (sausage for those who have no idea what I just said) on the BBQ with a selection of delicious salads made by family to choose from - coleslaw, pumpkin and pine nut salad, pear, walnut & beetroot salad and a delicious potato bake smothered in cream and topped with cheese. We finished the meal off with a marshmallow centered Pavlova topped with fresh cream and fruit. My contribution to the day was making some glorious home made Lamingtons from Lady Flos Classic Country Collection Cookbook. I make these every year. It's become a tradition and expected from the husband! I don't mind though as there is nothing more delicious than a fresh Lamington.
To inject a bit of fun into the afternoon we played a few games involving toilet rolls. The first one was playing ten pin bowls using toilet rolls as the pins and a small pumpkin as the ball. I even drew faces on the toilet rolls to add a bit of frivolity. It was actually harder than I thought to hit the rolls with the pumpkin. There were a few family members that got the hang of it and were able to knock the entire lot over in one flying roll.
The dog even got in on the action! The second game was a toilet roll toss into a bucket. Again it was harder than it looked and I failed miserably! The older folk in the family did better than the young marrieds. It was fun and harmless games which I think might become a family tradition! I'm sure the kids will have a ball with it when they get older!
We then lounged the afternoon away in our camping chairs under the gazebo with cups of tea and lamingtons and simply chatted. It was refreshing for a tired mum to just sit and enjoy the afternoon, a fresh breeze, sunshine and to think how lucky I am to live in such a blessed country. Hubby and I had just watched the TV mini series recently called Generation War. Brilliant series even if it was in sub titles. It hit me how lucky we are in this generation not to have experienced war like previous generations did. We don't have to worry about trying to stay alive everyday! Even now people in other coutries live in fear daily from outside forces threatening there very existance. I am lucky, I am blessed, I take where I live for granted!
Happy Australia Day!
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