Christmas Day and Boxing Day in Perth

Christmas Day at the Hagues' began with a walk along their very own (well, it's just over the road from their house, anyway) beach.

Mr Smartypants and Scarey Sis on City Beach on Christmas Day morning

The Hoggy Body Surfing Monster

And back to the house for Christmas dinner eaten al fresco. The dinner was delicious, but I haven't got any pictures of it. I did manage to take a quick photo of this perfect pavlova for Christmas pudding before it was demolished!

Christmas Pavlova Pudding

The hat idea from last year was requested again, so in our homemade crackers (made with my able niebling assistants) we had numbers which were assigned to the pile of hats, comprising laurel wreath, rasta and fright wig, and hats for magicians, soldiers, dinosaurs and cowboys, with the following results.

In the evening we tasted some beer made by Him Outdoors and brought along as Christmas presents.

Scarey's Dark Mild

Timmy's Oaty Stout Goodness

Super-in-law's Bluebeery Wheat (she likes it really)

Hoggy's Blijlevens Belgian Ale

Our final day with the family was spent at a Boxing Day picnic at Point Resolution with bubbles and cricket - just as it should be.

Food preparation

Wine preparation

There's always one grumpy old git at the Christmas festivities

And so the cricket match progressed in great style...

...and the spectators were thrilled with every toss of the ball and twitch of the bat.

  

It's Christmas!

Apparently when my super-in-law asked if I could get some crackers to have at Christmas she didn't mean (as I thought) the ones that go with wine and cheese. She meant the ones that go bang when you pull them and contain bad jokes and paper hats.

So Him Outddors and I made some. Beside the little gifts (miniatures for the men; lipgloss for the ladies; bubble-bath animals for the children) I wrote out bad jokes on pieces of paper, on the back of which was a number. I then piled up our hats and whatever order they were in corresponded to a number.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't ideal, but it provided a solution and some entertaining Christmas dinner photos.

Ice-cream terrine: Aussie-style Christmas pudding

'There's something wrong with this glass'

And of course we had to play charades.

It's a film

First word

See, Him Outdoors, I told you charades was fun.

Losing count of syllables

Serious stuff - is it Spock or Scouts?

Kerrey and Paul's Wedding

Last weekend we were honoured to be invited to the wedding of Kerrey Lewis and Paul Garvie at Gantleys Restaurant. It was a gorgeous wedding and the rain held off until later. Everyone looked happy and the bride was beautiful - she wore an amazing dress that even had pockets! There was a piper and many men in kilts; the food was excellent; there was plenty of bubbles; topped off with dancing and much  merriment.

CJD - among the wedding guests

Mr Faulkner

 

Alan Alan Al and Him Outdoors look shifty



What to wear when you're not sure to go full hat or not...

  

To tree or not to tree... Sonya is undecided

Family portrait

Morgan the Mad Frenchman

Waiting, waiting...

No, that's not her...

Jane, the 'best woman'



Here she comes!



Leading them back down the aisle

The happy (just-married) couple



'I've pulled!'

And then the boys played some tunes as the photos were taken and the official stuff was done.



The running, drumming Simon Green