Party-Days

It's 3 o'clock in the morning, one of those times where the quiet time in my own (little) head space is worth trading in for sleep. We just concluded yet another splendid Saturday in the tropics - spent it out at Dad's having a barbecue for all of us Cancerians in the family (my Nana, my Uncle Barry and me). It was also a bit of an introduction for Chris who hasn't met some of the relies yet so I had to endure yet another barrage of comments on how our two guys could be mistaken for each other which I received by crossing my eyes and poking my tongue out to the side. Mature hey?

I made a huge batch of energy slice (have to post the recipe one day for you), a massive banana cake with fresh whipped cream and a mammoth tuna salad.

It was fun cruising all through the yard with Bubby, checking out the huge golden orb weaving spiders and taste testing things off trees. Different parts of the family (my dad, my brother, his dad and my uncle on Mum's side) own land right at the end of this dirt road backing onto forestry and world heritage rainforest, so Izzy and his cousins basically just free-range all over the place out there - they love it.

Izzy and all my sisters family stayed out there but me and Greg and Bubby headed off to the Coastguard for "fish n chip night" with Mum and one of her many, many sisters Maree, who is visiting with two of her three kids. So it was a big family day all round and tomorrow will be the same except I'll start off with Mums family at the markets and finish it off out at Dad's place. Divorced parents ... geez, I have to do so much running around.

I started thinking about plans for Anakin's birthday party, that's why I can't sleep. (That and the fact that Greg and Anakin were squashing me out of bed.) I'm trying to think of a concise way of saying "No presents please but a plate of snacks to share will be warmly received." The recipients of invites will be like - new born babies, one year olds, two year olds.. so inevitably the whole family might come along, I've never under catered in my life, but just in case I thought inviting people to bring a share plate would rule out the possibility, coz it's hard to guess numbers sometimes. What do you think?

Bubby often speaks in sentences now: "Mum's freaking-out Dad" (He kept leading me down onto the sand at the coastguard and I was worried about crocs'!) "Party-day at Poppy's, coming Izzy?"