The Day that was and will be again

I survived. I am very proud of myself.

Christmas Dinner was quite the thing, it being wintry and suitably English up here yesterday. We built a log fire, drank rose and port listened to the soundtrack of 'Miss Potter' (very excellent indeed) and opened prezzies.

As you can see, I became quite the non-creative Christmas chef and opted for a roast. Vegan, of course. We accompanied all that fatty goodness with a pear, walnut, avocado and rocket salad with lite goddess dressing, and a vegan cheesecake with raspberries, mango slice and toffutti ice-cream.

Pre-dinner nibblies were chilli + garlic rice balls with sweet chilli/sour cream, szechuan seitan niblets and spring rolls.

Lydgate treated us to a lovely dance in the loungeroom clad only in his brand new Oroton undies. Very fetching indeed. Mr and I settled down to an episode of 'Summer Heights High' and a bit of 'Black Books' (too much festiveness needed to be countered with some Bernard-style humbuggery) and Lydgate did Yoga in his PJ's.

All was very fine and cosy until I woke up at 2am and proceeded to hurl chunks until about 5am. That was a fun way to remember Christmas.

Lydgate puts it down to stress and mixing drinks, but as I have assured him,it wasn't alcohol sickness. I may be a bit of a cadbury girl but even I can't get wasted on a light beer, a snifter of port, a snifter of sherry and 2 glasses of wine. Sheesh, that would normally count as a mid-afternoon snack.

This was a mega-xmas-stress stomach event. So, the boys have gone off to Katoomba to see 'The Golden Compass'. I absolutely refuse to do boxing-day movies. Too many children by far. I have stayed home to pack for New Zealand and to do some much needed chilling.

Lots of kisses to the boys though. While I moaned and groaned in bed this morning with a razor-lined oesophagus, the dears did all the washing up and post-celebration cleaning.

They'll be back at about 5pm for an early dinner of Spaghetti Bolognese (which they cooked before they left), then a very early night. Mr and I will be at Kingsford-Smith tomorrow at 7am for an 8.50 flight to Christchurch. Exhausted, excited and blissfully alone, I shall play with my new camera for a while and then check the packing AGAIN.