The First Backyard Barbie

We finally hosted our first Aussie BBQ on Sat.

To ensure adequate seating for our guests, we braved the Boxing Day crowd @ the Plaza to find the perfect outdoor dining set. It was meant to be a simple exercise. Zip in, identify what we want, pay up and drive to Brunswick for lunch and then visit a friend.

By 2 pm we were still in Kmart, and our tempers had started to fray. CA wanted me to decide, but I can't decide under pressure. We trawled the aisles to find a salesperson who was free to help us, and wrestled with indecision over the simplest things (timber or glass tabletop? benches or chairs?).

The trouble was, I wanted aesthetics without the price tag, which made the choosing that much harder. Finally, we reached a decision we were both happy with. That was after we'd busted our tolerance limits and Beth kept demanding to go home right away.

On Fri morning, CA rose early to do the handyman thing: assemble the bifolding table and timber benches.

I looked out into the backyard and was thrilled by the outcome.

Perfect positioning. Perfect mix of pieces. The pergola area looks complete now.
The almost cream tabletop is nicely set off by the chocolate timber benches, which themselves match the colour of the table legs. And they weren't part of a set, so there was that extra sense of satisfaction at having put together an original look that worked.

Synchronicity. Serendipity. My favourite state of mind.

Saturday came and went in a frenzied blur of activity. We'd planned to be ready by 4.30 but I hadn't counted on J taking up quite as much of my attention as she did. Trying to make egg sandwiches and dice cantaloupe isn't much fun with a baby screaming in the foreground. At least CA was able to get on with the fried bee hoon and chicken curry.

This was the menu:

Starters
Egg sandwiches
Party pies
Sausage rolls
Fresh salad

Mains
Chicken curry with baguette and roti prata
Fried bee hoon
BBQ – sausages, chicken kebabs

Drinks
Fruit punch
Champers (courtesy of Amencio)
Cordial for the kids

Desserts
Cherries
Fruit salad
Christmas pudding with brandy custard and chocolate vanilla ice cream

In the end, a wonderful time was had by all.

Our Filipino friends enjoyed their introduction to Singapore-style bee hoon and prata.
Beth loved her new harmonica, a present from Kate and Clark.
The barbecued chicken kebabs came out burnt.
The kids spilled strawberry jelly on the beige carpet (as kids do).
CA popped the champagne and dislodged a section of the ceiling vent.
We clicked disposable wine glasses and toasted each other's health and wished everyone a Happy New Year.

As usual, there was too much food, but the guests graciously declined to take home the excess. Miraculously, the fridge managed to contain it all. We waved off the guests at 9.30 pm and an hour later, we had managed to clear the trash, put things back in their proper places and restore some semblance of neatness to the house. (Thanks Mei, for helping to wash up.)

We crawled into bed exhausted, but in a satisfied way.

As I remarked to Amencio at the start of the evening, having a new house is so much nicer when there are friends to share the blessing with.