The annual family Boxing Day gathering at Struan Farm was quite relaxed this year from my vantage point. <Only> 22 people in attendance, it all seemed a piece o'cake to me vs. 36 last year, which did test the system, particularly after moving house and ending a 36 year career in banking. We didn't have as many little kiddies running around this year due to some absences overseas and/or family scheduling conflicts. We also managed to round up enough chairs so that everyone could sit down properly, which allowed for considerably more "chitty chatty," although we did finally get everyone up and into the croquet and archery competitions.
The luncheon menu included eye fillet with lime wasabi dressing, Vietnamese Salmon (from the new Annabel Langbein cookbook, this was a big hit), green beans with almonds, dried cranberries and lemon honey vinaigrette, asparagus, and potato salad.
And (of course) this was followed by the dessert table, laden with a beautifully decorated fruit cake given to John by colleague Barbara up in Kaipara, fresh Piopio berries, and a tiered platter with chocolate chip cookies, brownies, white chocolate rocky road, cream cheese Christmas cookies and caramel ANZAC slice (latter is seriously yummy, a total experiment from RIPE-A Fresh Batch by Angela Redfern). I try to make sure there's something for everyone AND leftovers!
Below are some photos from the day. The croquet trophy was won by Daniel and Clare, while the archery trophy was swept away by little Milly and Mike. The word is we have an emerging archery champion in our midst, inspired no doubt by "Brave" and "The Hunger Games."
Even Spud made it to the festivities, escorted down from his home paddock by Anna, Olivia Kate, Karen, and a bevy of little girls. He did get a bit distracted by the phoetinia hedge and my roses in the Homestead gardens, but was persuaded to move along.
The only problem ended up being that he was so overexcited (and overfed) that by the end of the afternoon he went and curled up by a fence in the Old Orchard Paddock, and wouldn't come back up home until the next day. But I suspect he wasn't the only one who felt this way!
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