Kiwis and Fairy Bread

25 December 2023

Merry Christmas everyone!

I woke up quite early today, but not to the usual rustling of my son’s Christmas excitement (we always have a lot of fun at home on Christmas Day!). Texts were going back and forth about my Dad not feeling well. Christmas would not be the same in Bay Head either.

And physically I had a stuffed head, runny nose and exhaustion. It worried me. A chance look at the latest post by our favorite New Zealand traveling YouTubers, Dane and Stacey, told me it was currently Hay Fever season, and that it was worse then ever this year. Bingo! A dose of Claritan and I was feeling perfectly fine. Phew!

It was a cold and windy morning. Mike and I huddled under our warm comforters in our pajamas for hours. Just like we normally do on Christmas. After breakfast of some excellent local bacon and muesli we had a nice video chat with Ben, Emi and David. All of them were also feeling under the weather, but the talk cheered us all up immensely. We LOVE our children! They are wonderful people.

Before we knew it was time to prepare dinner with our new friends, to Claxton Family: Roger, Linda, Shannon and Sean.We had met just yesterday, walking into town from the Holiday Park. Their camper vans are parked just across the path. They were very nice people so I asked if by chance they would like to share Christmas Dinner together. I kind of needed to celebrate with a group. They very kindly agreed.

Dinner was set for 3:00, in the outdoor dining area outside the community kitchen. At 2:15 the cooking began. I’d bought a nice piece of lamb from the local butcherie, marinated in rosemary. I had never cooked lamb before, but had read lots of recipes. Braising would work, I’d supposed. Linda said not to worry, Sean was a lamb expert. I assumed he was a chef.

So I set about searing my meat in some bacon fat I’d saved from breakfast, added some halved garlic cloves, a squeeze of lemon, and let it all braise in its own juices. Linda and Sean roasted potatoes, seared lamb chops, simmered peas and carrots. Roger set the table. I set out my little Christmas trees as centerpieces. Mike steamed the broccoli and Shannon cut up fruit for pavlova. Sean checked my braising lamb: it was coming along nicely. I laid out bread, butter and Brie. Mike opened our New Zealand Zero alcohol Prosecco. Roger had a bottle of Savignion blanc, Shannon a berry spritzer.

All was set. We plated, we toasted, we shared interesting conversation. The food was all excellent!

Shannon and Sean are spending a year in NZ working and traveling. We have met many such young people doing so. Their last job was “apple thinning” in an orchard. They are not sure what job they will take on next. Shannon’s parents are here to travel with them for a month. They all hail from the Irish midlands where they live and work on sheep farms. (Turns out Sean’s expertise in lamb comes from raising actual sheep!). They have been there for generations.

When asked about my own ancestry, I told them I was a mixed bag. They knew lots of Daley’s, they said. And also a farming family named Tillson! I’d thought Tillsons came from England, but now I know it is an Irish name too. And it confirmed that we are indeed “the tiller’s son”. If any of my family are reading this, please tell Dad the news: I have met our neighbors from the old country.

Our bellies filled with dinner, it was time for tea and dessert: Shannon’s pavlova with cherries, strawberries and whipped cream, two small chocolate and coffee Buche de Noels and finally, a plate of kiwis and fairy bread! Our blog name at last!

Dishes, hearty greetings and thanks, and back to our camper vans for a lovely midsummer’s nap.

I will always remember this dinner, and be grateful for the Claxtons for giving Mike and I a very merry Christmas dinner. I hope we will keep in touch.

A walk, a long sunset, a spectacular moon rise. The moon is almost almost full. The rabbit is hopping on all four legs.

The town below is twinkling again. It reminds me of all the little candle lights held in the dark at church while we sing Silent Night in the dark. So I stood in the quiet night, stared at the lights and softly sang a verse aloud

All is calm. All is bright. Merry Christmas everyone.